Inaugural Cars & Coffee - Hunt Valley TC - March 31

[WillyWonka]

****REFER TO THE LATEST POSTS FOR NEW INFORMATION****

Directions - I-83 to Exit 20A (Shawan Road East); 1/2 mile to Hunt Valley Towne Centre on left

Inaugural meet - Saturday, March 31 from 7:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.

Cars - Exotic, luxury, classic, modded

Coffee - Caribou Coffee or your own road mug

Website - https://www.facebook.com/events/240314176055770/

Frequency - Every Saturday (barring major holidays, extreme weather)

Prizes - Gift certificates will be periodically available from Caribou Coffee, Spa in the Valley, Calvert Wine and Spirits, Dick's Sporting Goods, California Pizza Kitchen, Best Buy, Regal Cinemas, Ritz Cameras, Sears Auto, etc.

I'm aware that the Filling Station C&C has tailed off but the northern Baltimore County area truly needs a place for automobile enthusiasts to share interests, network, catch up on old times and look forward to new times. Sign-up in this thread and at the Facebook link.

This is your meet. Spread the word!

[dirtycountry]

7:30 on a sat.....

[WillyWonka]

7:30 on a sat.....

dc,

The common reason for early hours for Cars & Coffees across the nation is access to space. The 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. spot allows for cars to clear the lot in time for Best Buy's 10:00 a.m. opening. If 7:30 is too early, give yourself an hour and arrive at halftime.

This is hopefully the first of many C&C's at this location. A solid showing for the inaugural event will set the proper tone. Let's hope we can move it to a weekly gathering. I hope to see there!

[WillyWonka]

There are over 40 people interested based on the Facebook page. Many others have expressed interest. Word has been spread to 6speed, Ferrari Chat, Ferrari Life, MB World, Corvette Forum, Mustang Club of MD, E90 Post, Rennlist, E46 Fanatics, M3 Post and others.

As of yesterday, Hunt Valley Towne Centre's security squad (Broadway Silver Star) is on board. Also, I visited Arena Motor Group in Owings Mills to meet the management. They're very excited about bringing a few exotic and luxury vehicles to Hunt Valley. Be on the lookout for some amazing cars. Great people. Finally, Ritz Camera has printed some excellent postcard-size advertisements. Another excellent crew.

Based on the feedback, the Hunt Valley Cars & Coffee has been moved from a monthly to a weekly event. Starting on Saturday, March 31 and every Saturday moving forward, see you there!

[WillyWonka]

Here are 2 recent updates to the Facebook page...

3/15/12
Today was truly special day in Owings Mills. Allison Timms of Treasured Motorcar Services, Ltd. and Richard Garre of Radcliffe Motorcar Company are tremendous people and true credits to the automobile enthusiast community.

Allison and Richard not only have beautiful facilities and, of course, amazing vehicles but they are truly passionate about their craft. These are two of my favorite people from my Cars and Coffee travels. There were at least 10 times where I found my mouth hanging wide open due to the sheer diversity and history behind the cars and trucks. Allison and Richard, thank you once again. These visits will be remembered for a very long time.

Pictures from the day have been added to the photo warehouse. To top off the Owings Mills theme, a recent visit to Arena Motor Group is also captured in the pictures.

3/16/12
After spending so much time traveling to Owings Mills to talk with car collectors and garage owners, I must pay respect to an absolutely fabulous set of roads. Greenspring Valley Road (east) to Falls Road (north) to Shawan Road (east) to Hunt Valley on warm, sunny day is tough to top.

Today, I spent a good amount of time with Randy Moss from Collectors Car Corral in Owings Mills. He's a true example of living it, breathing it and loving it. Randy provided so much quality information on the local car scene. His advice will help form the direction of Hunt Valley Cars and Coffee. It was truly an honor to spend part of the afternoon with Randy, his customers and of course, his cars.

Thank you to each and every one of the 127 people noting their interest. Continue to spread the word! March 31 is right around the corner!

[wagner17]

live riht down the street

[JsmokeVR6]

sounds like fun. may make the hour an half drive.

[WillyWonka]

As of this morning, Facebook users have spoken and response is strong.

"Going" 135
"Maybe" 48
Those 183 have "Invited" another 170

Here's the Facebook location that started it all. Its the Hunt Valley Cars & Coffee Event Page. It'll be outdated after March 31 so here's our new home, the long-term Hunt Valley Cars & Coffee Group Page on Facebook. Even if you're not a Facebook user, the first link can be viewed regardless of Facebook membership.

For an example of what's viewable on the link, here's today's update...



Here's the current parking map. The "Show Car Area" is just that. If you plan to bring your show car, this is your area. It will be clearly marked with cones. Spectator vehicles may park in any open space outside of the coned area.

What's up with the "Show Car Area" shape? Integration with early Best Buy arrivals to the north, extra Chick-fil-A employee parking and construction staging to the south and present construction to the west make the marked area the most proper for the cars. For the car owners, it means a bit of a 'calorie burn' for coffee right now, but as construction settles, the zone will shift more toward the middle of the parking lot.

As you can see, the parking lot is surrounded by 3 coffee options that will be open during the Cars & Coffee hours. In fact, Caribou Coffee, Panera and Chick-fil-A will be open at 6 a.m. Options are always good!

If you're arriving from Shawan Road, you'll take a right at the T of the main entrance and then you'll meet with the lower-left of the map. If you are unfamiliar with the area, lean on navigation or Google Maps. (wink)

Its time for car detailing. Make it look sharp. I cannot lie. My hands smell like carnauba from this morning's polish/wax. See you on Saturday!

Rich "Will" Williams

[JsmokeVR6]

anyone going up from Southern Maryland area?

[nate@NGP]

I may have to stop through...

[thor610]

I will be there, sound like a great time.

[JsmokeVR6]

anyone going from gaithersburg area?

[WillyWonka]

Today was 'kind of a big deal'. Jest aside, there was interaction with HVTC management, the foreman of the on-site construction crew and the event's insurance company.

Please be fully aware of your surroundings due to the previously mentioned on-site construction. Underground utilities are being installed from the center of the Best Buy parking lot to the area north of Panera. During the planning stage for our parking area, this construction was carefully considered and it will not enter our area.

After a few whirlwind event insurance sessions, it came right down to the wire with 25 minutes remaining in the workday. All is set. With insurance squared away, please take it on your own shoulders to be respectable and safe. Its all about a great time. Respect and safety are all important parts of a great time.

Weather doesn't project to be perfect but we're generally holding to ‘rain or shine’ to eliminate future unsurety. Only in moments of heavy rain, prominent holidays, etc. will there be an announcement of postponement. Due to the weather projections, tomorrow will not be a full representation of our group but it'll give us an idea of our 'rain on shine' crew.

Weather will also loosen the need for more strict parking guidelines. Typically, we’ll split the groups by style and model but tomorrow should be good with only a clear understanding that the coned area will be set for ‘luxury, classic, exotic and modded’ cars. This will set the tone for future events.

Let’s consider the inaugural a soft rollout…a pre-Grand Opening. Tomorrow is our first! I hope its your first as well but if not, we'll see you down the road!

Rich "Will" Williams

[thor610]

It was a great then out today. Couple GT3's, an Wagons Martin DB9, a 456, a 430, and 459, a lot of great BMW's, and some really VW's. See you guys in two weeks!

[Road Boss]

Any pictures?

[JsmokeVR6]

Woke up in Gaithersburg to drive up but was foggy and seemed nasty out so I canceled going. Hope it's nicer weather next time.

[Bluegrape2]

Def a ton if nice cars were there. my buddy is going to put up a lot of oics soon. I'd say at one point 80% of the lot was full. With nice weather should be a good meet. I wonder what the fastest car there was? ZR!, Mitsu 2JZ big turbo, 24hour Ferrari? , Turbo z06? either way ton of nice cars good times

[WillyWonka]

Here's a link to about 80 pics from Chris Walsh Photography for the March 31 Hunt Valley Cars & Coffee. There are many more on the Facebook Group Page linked later.

Since Friday, I have received many Facebook e-mails, traditional e-mails and mentions in face-to-face interactions regarding attendance issues with the upcoming Easter weekend. In adherence with the policy of off weeks for major holidays, Easter falls into this category. There are family travel and local family responsibilities that should take priority. An additional factor is the utility line pavement cut that everyone saw on Saturday. Until approximately next Monday, cutting, earth moving and pavement sealing will be taking place to supply energy to the new women’s clothing store that’s under construction north of Panera. Providing the construction crew with an uncomplicated area to complete the task, in light of Easter weekend, is the best move.

Hunt Valley Cars & Coffee will return, in full force, on April 14. Continue to spread the word and drive exotic, luxury, classic and modified car owners to our Facebook Group Page. Our grassroots efforts will help create the best Cars & Coffee in the region. The off week will help us recruit new participants, give us time to install new modifications and even complete something as tedious as cleaning and sealing our wheels.

There are processes in motion that will create a truly unique and exciting experience for everyone. There are big plans. Really big plans. Alliances are being formed. Get fired up! See you on Saturday April 14!

Rich “Will” Williams

[TLucasGTI]

Great Event. Can't wait to see the turnout when the weather is nice. The GTI needed a bath so I brought out the 85 chevy but I'll be up there with the VW next time. Who else is planning on heading up for the next one? Would love to meet some of you in the area.

[WillyWonka]

TLucasGTI, thank you for the good words. See you on April 14!

[thor610]

It was a great then out today. Couple GT3's, an Wagons Martin DB9, a 456, a 430, and 459, a lot of great BMW's, and some really VW's. See you guys in two weeks!

Just saw some of the spelling/auto correct mistakes. Oops.

[Sean A]

Probably going to come down on the 14th...need some highway experience lol...see you guys there

[TLucasGTI]

A beautiful day and another great event. There was a good showing of VWs (maybe 15) but we can definitely do better and really show off how great our cars and community are. I am heading down to Sandy Point now for the VW meet there if anyone in the area is looking for something to do for the rest of the day.

[sudsgl]

A beautiful day and another great event. There was a good showing of VWs (maybe 15) but we can definitely do better and really show off how great our cars and community are. I am heading down to Sandy Point now for the VW meet there if anyone in the area is looking for something to do for the rest of the day.

Penned by a million monkeys.

[WillyWonka]

If you are not registered on Facebook, you can view the Hunt Valley Cars & Coffee Event Page without membership. For Facebook members, check the Hunt Valley Cars & Coffee Group Page.

We hope to see you there!

Rich "Will" Williams

[WillyWonka]

Upon an early arrival at Hunt Valley Towne Centre, it was a nice surprise to see the crew headed to Hershey for Castaway Critters. Seeing the crew off at 7:15 left me a few minutes to chat with the crew and to see some fine automobiles.

Since the early crew for Hunt Valley Cars & Coffee overlapped with the Hershey Pre-Meet, it allowed for some out-of-the-box action and we so we parked outside of the designated area. It had to lead to some quizzical moments for the arrivals but everyone figured it out easily. Cone mutiny?

The first 3 pictures are from the early hours with the pre-meet and the remainder are from later action at Hunt Valley Cars & Coffee. These are a few of my pictures. Other attendees had better timing to capture others in the group. Enjoy.

[WillyWonka]

Friends,

I hope this message finds you well. On April 28, it was exciting to see the groups of Alfas, Porsches, Ferraris, Vipers, Corvettes, BMWs and everywhere in between. The race Beetle drew major attention from close and afar. How about the size comparison between the military vehicle and the Datsun Fairlady while they were parked in adjacent spaces? That's something you don't see every day...or year for that matter. The Buick hot rod next to a Ferrari 430 was another view that brought many wide eyes and wide smiles.

After a string of questionable weather for at least some portion of our Saturdays, the warm and dry weather is back! Maybe the heavier jackets can take a few months of retirement. Accuweather.com is projecting partly sunny skies and temperatures the low 70’s for our morning time slot. If your treasured vehicle ventures onto the local roads only when the weather is suitable, Mother Nature has you covered.

Here's a final reminder for Maserati, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Alfa Romeo owners. After our gathering on Saturday morning (~9:30 a.m.), you're encouraged to take a cruise to Radcliffe Motorcar on 12340 Owings Mills Boulevard (Ste. 100) in Reisterstown for the 5th Annual Vintage Ferrari All-Italian Car Event. Check http://www.rmccar.com/vintageferrarievent.html for more information. Be prepared for a truly special event.

If you are a Facebook user, check the following link and request an invite … https://www.facebook.com/groups/Hunt...y.Cars.Coffee/ . As of the release of this message, there are 278 members of our Facebook Group Page and there’s a steady flow of new members each week.

If you choose to generally resist Facebook, all information on the following link is viewable without membership ... https://www.facebook.com/events/240314176055770/ . As of the release of this message, there are 574 Facebook users that have expressed interest on this page. While this page was the original Facebook home for our event, it has evolved into an information stream for our non-Facebook members.

Spread the word about Hunt Valley Cars & Coffee! Bring your auto enthusiast friends, significant others, pets, cookies (yes, there were cookies...and thank you!) and of course your cars. Lets make Saturday, May 5 a great event!

We hope to see you at Hunt Valley Towne Centre this Saturday morning!

Sincerely,

Rich "Will" Williams
Hunt Valley Cars & Coffee
Hunt Valley Towne Centre
118 Shawan Road
Sparks, MD

[Bluegrape2]

See you guys tmrw, should be a good warm up before the impex show that starts at noon!!! Bringing 650whp Corrado with me!!!!

[WillyWonka]

Bluegrape, be a regular!

Friends,

May 5 was such a tremendous day. Thank you to everyone that spent a part of their Saturday morning at our gathering. The weather turned away from early predictions of possible rain to being a warm and mostly sunny morning. Saturday's crowd set a very positive trend. A great weather day brings great numbers. An unsolicited estimate set the attendance at 80 cars. That’s quite amazing for an event that’s so early in its exposure cycle.

When it comes to diversity, May 5 was at the top. The first 2 events brought more numbers (with caravans aligning to check out the ‘new thing’) but last Saturday covered more bases. As the word spreads, the diversity will only improve. Great times. Great people. Great cars. Great coffee. Now set your calendars for May 12!

There's an increasing amount of photographers attending our gatherings. As a result of their suggestions, the Hunt Valley Cars & Coffee Group Pool on Flickr has been created. I have uploaded nearly 100 of my own photos and others are doing the same. Regardless of Flickr membership status, the photo pool can be viewed by all. Here’s the link … http://www.flickr.com/groups/hunt_valley_cars__coffee/. If you have been taking a few photos at the gatherings and would like to share your work, join the group and begin uploading!

If you have attended any of the first 4 events as well as last Saturday’s event, you'll notice that the parking area for May 5 migrated from the north and east borders of the parking lot to more of a central location. This is due to a fenced construction area that’ll result in a new crab restaurant and bank. Greenberg Gibbons Commercial, the management company for Hunt Valley Towne Centre, has assured me that construction will be inactive over the weekend until further notice. The new location brings us closer to Caribou and Panera, two great options for your morning coffee.

Let’s shift to Saturday’s projected weather. Accuweather says, “Mostly sunny and beautiful, high of 75 and low of 56.” It literally doesn’t get any better. Give your treasured car a good wash and maybe a fine detail. If you haven’t been to one of our gatherings, if the schedule fits, the weather undoubtedly works in your favor. We hope to see you there!

If you are a Facebook user, check the following link and request an invite … https://www.facebook.com/groups/Hunt...y.Cars.Coffee/. As of the release of this message, there are 290 members of our Facebook Group Page and there’s a steady flow of new members each week.

If you choose to generally resist Facebook, all information on the following link is viewable without membership ... https://www.facebook.com/events/240314176055770/. As of the release of this message, there are 575 Facebook users that have expressed interest on this page. While this page was the original Facebook home for our event, it has evolved into an information stream for our non-Facebook members.

Spread the word about Hunt Valley Cars & Coffee! Bring your auto enthusiast friends, significant others, pets, and of course your cars. Lets make Saturday, May 12 a great event!


Sincerely,

Rich "Will" Williams
Hunt Valley Cars & Coffee
Hunt Valley Towne Centre
118 Shawan Road
Sparks, MD

[TLucasGTI]

Who is planning on going tomorrow?

[WillyWonka]

Tyler, I appreciate your work and we hope to see you on Saturday!

Friends,

Hunt Valley Cars & Coffee has gone through subtle transformations over our first 6 gatherings. For the first 2, we saw multiple caravans that formed on various enthusiast websites and traveled from near and far. For the past 2, we saw more diversity and a resurgence in attendance. On May 12, there were over 100 automobiles comprised of a pleasant balance of veterans and first-timers. Attendance figures and the diversity of vehicles showed that the region can support the best weekly Cars & Coffee event in Maryland!

On the subject of coffee, today I’ll be talking with a representative from Panera Bread to discuss sales of coffee, muffins and other breakfast items on our gathering site. Its all about introducing extra convenience to our morning experience. Developments will be shared as they arrive.

Lets focus on this Saturday. Accuweather.com projects mostly sunny skies and temperatures warming through the 60’s for our gathering time. Mother Nature delivers another winner! If your automobile detailing is predicated on the weather, your game plan can now be set.

Since we’re so early in our developmental cycle and there are new people entering our family every week, its prudent to bring attention to the respect we show the people, the cars and the property during our Saturday mornings at Hunt Valley Cars & Coffee. Below are 2 paragraphs from the opening message on our Facebook Event Page …

Please respect the grounds. We're approved guests of Greenberg Gibbons Commercial and Hunt Valley Towne Centre. Be respectful guests. When entering, traveling within and exiting Hunt Valley Towne Centre, please respect all stop signs, rights of way and all speed limits. Yes, there are many 180+ mph vehicles in our regular group. We all know that displays of speed are meant for the track.

Safety for those in our gathering as well as everyone on the Hunt Valley Towne Centre grounds is our prime focus. Out of respect for the vendors, their customers and our participants, there shall be no exhaust or sound system tests. Please deposit all refuse in appropriate containers throughout the site. Thank you in advance for adhering to these guidelines. Its all about making Hunt Valley Cars & Coffee a safe and enjoyable place for everyone on our Saturday mornings.

Website Notes…

With so many beautiful automobiles appearing at our gatherings, its natural that photographers will want to capture their beauty. No membership is required to see photos stored on our Flickr page … http://www.flickr.com/groups/hunt_valley_cars__coffee/. If you’re a photographer, simply request a group invite and begin uploading your photos!

If you are a Facebook user, check the following link and request an invite … https://www.facebook.com/groups/Hunt...y.Cars.Coffee/. As of the release of this message, there are 308 members of our Facebook Group Page and there’s a steady flow of new members each week.

If you choose to generally resist Facebook, all information on the following link is viewable without membership ... https://www.facebook.com/events/240314176055770/. As of the release of this message, we’re approaching 600 Facebook users that have expressed interest on this page. While this page was the original Facebook home for our event, it has evolved into an information stream for our non-Facebook members.

Closing Note…

Spread the word about Hunt Valley Cars & Coffee! Bring your auto enthusiast friends, significant others, pets, and of course your cars. There are special times to come! Lets make Saturday, May 19 a great event!


Sincerely,

Rich "Will" Williams

[TLucasGTI]

This is a great event and we have seen a wide variety of vehicles. My group of friends always makes it when we can and I am always looking to meet new people interested in the car scene. For you VW guys in the area I do have a shop at my house not far from this meet with 2 lifts and plenty of tools if anyone ever needs so lift time let me know. I also have a VCDS that I bring with me to the meet if you want to do some coding. Let's try and get more of the VWs out there each week now that summer is here.

[WillyWonka]

Friends,

Hunt Valley Cars & Coffee has reached the big 1-0. Our first 10 gatherings have put on display the special nature of the region’s auto enthusiast community. Many have commented that they have never seen such a diverse group of people get together every Saturday to share their love for automobiles. We’ve had ‘early enthusiasts’ that are a few months old all the way to ‘seasoned enthusiasts’ that are a ‘few years older’. Cars and trucks have come from the 1930’s to 2013. Everyone is accepted and we’re all on a level plane. A few of us see younger versions of ourselves out there when the teenagers and 20-somethings arrive with their group of friends to talk about their cars. The younger guys and girls are drawing inspiration from the folks that have been established in their careers and have purchased their dream cars. It’s a really special thing to witness every week.

Spend and hour or two with the Hunt Valley Cars & Coffee crew. Having your morning coffee while seeing beautiful automobiles and enjoying the conversation of new and old friends is a great way to start the weekend. We hope to see you there!

Administrative Notes…

Parking will remain on the north end of the former Best Buy parking lot. Simply look for the cones. On your way to Hunt Valley, please respect local speed limits and traffic laws. While on Hunt Valley Towne Centre grounds, please drive at a safe speed and respect all rights of way. Its about respect for everyone on the grounds during our 2-hour time span. Also, please understand that sales promotion that is not related to the businesses of Hunt Valley Towne Centre is prohibited on the grounds.

Website Notes…

With so many beautiful automobiles appearing at our gatherings, its natural that photographers will want to capture their beauty. No membership is required to see photos stored on our Flickr page … http://www.flickr.com/groups/hunt_valley_cars__coffee/. Right now, there are over 500 photos in our ever-expanding collection. If you’re a photographer, simply request a group invite and begin uploading your photos!

If you are a Facebook user, check the following link and request an invite … https://www.facebook.com/groups/Hunt...y.Cars.Coffee/. Over 340 members have joined our Facebook Group Page and the member list grows every week. Pretty amazing. Our family’s internet presence is getting so big that we may need to talk to the zoning commission.

If Facebook isn’t your thing, all information on the following link is viewable without membership ... https://www.facebook.com/events/240314176055770/. As of the release of this message, over 600 Facebook users have expressed interest on this page. This is where the action all started…where we discovered that the region’s automobile enthusiast community had strong support for a weekly gathering. Now it’s the first stop for our non-Facebook users to get the latest information.

Closing Notes…

Looking forward to this weekend, the 8th Annual Hereford Zone Car Show will be taking place on Saturday June 16 at Executive Plaza in Hunt Valley -- about 2 minutes from our location. Event timing aligns perfectly. We close our action at 9:30 a.m. and the next event starts at 10:00 a.m. for an easy transition. The show is hosted by the Sparks Hereford Alumni Association and benefits the Leib McDonald Memorial Technical School Scholarship.

Spread the word about Hunt Valley Cars & Coffee! Bring your auto enthusiast friends, significant others, pets, and of course your cars. We all hope to see you there!


Sincerely,

Rich "Will" Williams

Hunt Valley Cars & Coffee
Hunt Valley Towne Centre
118 Shawan Road
Sparks, MD

[WillyWonka]

Accuweather is predicting some light fog, absolutely no precipitation and temperatures in the upper-50’s to mid-60’s for our 6-month anniversary gathering this Saturday. Whether you have attended over 20 gatherings, maybe 2 or this will be your first time, we’d be honored to see you tomorrow at Hunt Valley Cars & Coffee!

Hunt Valley Towne Centre in Hunt Valley, MD
Near the new Joe’s Crab Shack (former Best Buy parking lot)
Saturday mornings – 7:30 – 9:30

For more information...
Click here to join the Hunt Valley Cars & Coffee Facebook Group Page.
If you're not a Facebook member, you can view the Hunt Valley Cars & Coffee Facebook Event Page.

[TLucasGTI]

Saturdays meet had a surprising surge in the VW/Audi showing. It was great to see all of the VAG cars out there. Lets keep it up. If you come def look for me and say hi.