RIDE-CT – Classic Cars Celebrating Classic Cars in Connecticut
COLEBROOK, CT – The third annual Pups & Pints Car Show scheduled for Sunday afternoon at Norbrook Farm Brewery will go on as planned but the organizer is now worried that the brewery’s abrupt decision Friday to end weekly cruise nights due to excessive noise may adversely impact attendance.
“I am very worried that it will impact turnout because I’ve already seen online people’s comments. They might not show up and they might convince their friends not to show up, which would be not just harm us but the folks that we help,” Robin Denny said today.
Denny is event coordinator for the Pups & Pints Car Show. She is also a board member of Food Banks for Pets, the non-profit charity which benefits from the car show.
Norbrook Farm Brewery suddenly announced Friday evening that, effective immediately, it had ended the popular Thursday night cruises because of “bad behavior” by some visitors in the form of burnouts and loud exhausts. Some 160 vehicles attended Thursday evening. Continuing the cruises was “not worth upsetting the neighbors,” the brewery said.
News of the end of the cruises nights, announced in a post on Facebook and shared through stories on RIDE-CT’s classic cars and motorcycles websites, spread quickly. It resulted primarily in expressions of sadness, disappointment and understanding. RIDE-CT immediately pulled advertisements for the weekly gatherings. It also reached out to brewery owner John Auclair for more details on the decision.
In an email response late Friday night, Auclair said a noise complaint from a neighbor prompted the decision. Auclair described the neighbor as a “friend” and a “good supporter” of the brewery. “He has texted in the past about ‘assholes making noise when leaving.’ He’s not a whiner, he didn’t want to complain, he has truly had enough,” Auclair wrote.
“He was just so upset this morning, and he let me know it. I couldn’t do nothing. I didn’t want to put a cop at the end of the driveway. We’re all adults and should not need that.”
Denny called Auclair’s action to end cruise nights at the scenic hilltop location “a very thoughtful decision. He had to weigh it out in many different aspects. I think he did the right thing.” She also sympathized with neighbors. “They have a valid concern. Noise is not part of what their neighborhood should be.”
Nonetheless, Denny is concerned over the potential impact to Pups & Pints. She is urging classic car owners to attend while keeping noise to a minimum. “We might lose out on funding that we were hoping for to further our goals and expectations, so we need everyone’s help to be respectful of the neighbors,” she said.
“We’ve reached out to folks and asked them please don’t make any noise, do not rev your engines, do not do burnouts. We’ve asked them to contact other folks that they might know that are bringing their cars and motorcycles and trucks.”
Pups & Pints is scheduled to run from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday at Norbrook Farm Brewery. RIDE-CT is a sponsor of the event.
Meanwhile, the brewery will continue to be open on Thursday nights with music and food. It just won’t have a structured, promoted cruise night. “If we can just retain the core group of people that come almost every week, they’re wonderful people who enjoy the camaraderie and atmosphere, it might be ok,” Auclair concluded in his email.
