Many thanks to all the 6speeders who have complied with the minimal requirements to make the Blackhawk Cars and Coffee events a successful venue over the past four years.
Apparently, at this month's event conclusion, there were significant violations of the noise requirements on site, and an even further disregard for safety in other parts of the Danville community.
Although I leave the event around 10AM, I was not a direct witness to the transgressions. I found out about the incidents indirectly and was told about Tim's Facebook posting of which I have included a copy below.

Please let your associates know that the monthly event is in jeopardy, and spread the word. Guilt by association will be enacted, whether rightly or wrongly. I don't have a Facebook account, so my reach is somewhat limited, so please spread the word.

In previous posting, I have identified target groups/owners that appear to have disregard the simple guidelines that have made the event successful so far.
Major changes are forthcoming, and I hope everyone realizes that a few have jeopardized the many.
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Blackhawk Museum
August 8 at 3:44pm ·

Open Letter from the Blackhawk Museums regarding our f1rst Sunday Cars & Coffee events

In January 2015, following a potentially dangerous incident involving an orange BMW M4 exiting the Blackhawk Museums Cars & Coffee event, we made a post about the Blackhawk Museums F1rst Sunday Cars & Coffee event and the concern at that time for its future. The Museum could not host an event which created an unsafe situation caused by participants that chose not to act in a responsible manner when they departed in their cars.

With the support of the many members of the car enthusiast community, museum members, and supportive local residents, along with the contracted services of the Danville Police Department and Contra Costa Sheriff Department, we have been able to conduct our Cars & Coffee event with very few recurring problems over the past four years

That was until this past Cars & Coffee event on Aug 6.

The disrespectful and dangerous driving that was witnessed around the community this past Sunday morning from car owners cannot and will not be tolerated. As a community partner and in respect to our neighbors and the residents of Danville, we will be making changes to the upcoming Blackhawk Museums Cars & Coffee events. Working with local law enforcement agencies in the next couple of weeks we will be instituting a zero tolerance policy for those car owners that feel compelled to make loud engine noises and perform exhibitions of speed, both at the event and when arriving and departing and while driving through other areas of our community.

Since we started the Cars & Coffee event in April 2013, it has become a very popular car enthusiast and community event, and has also given the Blackhawk Museum and Danville exposure coast to coast and internationally for the wide range and uniqueness of the different cars that attend monthly.
Since our fourth anniversary event in April of this year, we have experienced a significant increase in the number of cars participating each month, from an average of 650+ special interest cars before, to an average of now 1100+.since April.

We don’t need any more cars.
We certainly don’t need any car owners that cannot participate in a responsible and respectful manner.

Over the past few months we have personally asked individual owners not to make loud engine noises with their cars, or drive in an unsafe manner, only to have them do exactly that with a short distance away or sometime right in front of our volunteer team.

Since the event was started, along with the Museum team, our docents and event supporters have spent many volunteer hours making the event possible because they enjoy the cars & the people and how it is appreciated by most as an outreach event for the Museum. We are not prepared to have this very popular and enjoyable event ruined by a few irresponsible car owners.
We are going to start identifying certain car clubs, car organizations, or certain cars makes and models who’s owners have displayed a consistent disregard to our requests … and they will not be invited or will specifically asked not to attend Blackhawk Cars & Coffee events. We recognize that not all owners or members of certain cars or clubs act the in same irresponsible manner, but the actions of a few will impact all, and we will act in manner than we believe is in the best interest of the event and our local community. Please remember that this event is held on private property which is surrounded on all side by quiet residential neighborhoods.
When one of the owners of the car type categorized as repeat offenders responded on Sunday when advised of our possible actions with; ”that’s not fair”. Our response; “that’s right… it’s not fair! It’s also not fair that a small group of car owners should ruin it for all”

We’ll be updating information on our September Cars & Coffee event in the next couple of weeks.

Also, for those who have been standing at the intersection when cars leave and videotaping them, and in a lot of cases encouraging speeding or burn-outs, consider that activity over. We will ask the owners of the Blackhawk Plaza to provide security personnel to keep their property clear. Many complaints we receive have identified that as one of the possible causes of the problem.

At this time we plan to continue to host the Blackhawk Museums F1rst Sunday Cars & Coffee events. Its an event we enjoy and believe is important to the collector car community and for the Museum. We need to prove to the local officials that we can conduct the event in a safe manner, otherwise they may instruct us to close it down. There have been many other similar style events all around that have been shut down, or decided to stop, because they could not control the problems.

We will do all we can to ensure a safe and enjoyable event for both participants, attendees and our Danville neighbors. We ask for the continued support and understanding of the car enthusiast community to participate with their classic, collector and special interest cars in a manner that is respectful to all.

 

The second post from the Museum's facebook page:

Blackhawk Museum
August 26 at 5:01PM

BLACKHAWK MUSEUMS ‘First Sunday’ CARS & COFFEE event …. we’ve been warned ... so we're making changes.

Following a meeting with the Danville Police Department, the Contra Costa County Sheriff, and the Blackhawk Museum Board, we have been advised that our Blackhawk Museums Cars & Coffee event will be permitted to continue ONLY if major changes are made to conduct and operation of the event to ensure everyone’s safety, and that participating cars act in a respectful and law abiding manner.

For those arriving and departing in classic and special interest cars, we ask each car owner to consider that the Blackhawk Museum is surrounded by residential neighborhoods and that the event is held on a Sunday morning, with some owners arriving very early. Additionally, we recommend that everyone participating with a car is aware of the following California Vehicle Code sections; Vehicle Code 21750 Adequate muffler required, Vehicle Code Vehicle Code 27151 Modification of exhaust systems, Vehicle Code 23109 (c) Exhibition of Speed, and that you also drive and operate your car in accordance with California Vehicle Code.

From an event operation aspect we are now required to restrict the area within the Blackhawk Plaza parking lot that we can use for the Cars & Coffee event. Also, for safety reasons we will now be restricting the movement of cars within our designated parking areas from 8:00 am to 9:45 am when there are large numbers of spectators walking around the cars. Our Museum team and volunteers will direct arriving cars accordingly. When that space in full we will direct cars to outlying areas of the parking area as space is available. Each arriving car will be provided with a list of the event guidelines on arrival.

In the recent months we’ve experienced a number of car owners, or groups of cars that have been asked not to create excessive noise by redlining their cars engines. Despite multiple requests, this has continued. Those who do this will now be asked to leave the event and not return. The Blackhawk Plaza will have security patrolling the Plaza parking areas and the police and sheriff departments will have patrol cars stationed on the roads.

We have been advised that our Cars & Coffee event will be reviewed on a month-by-month basis until we show that we are all able to conduct a safe event and have participants that are respectful of our local community. Those few who create noise and drive in a potentially dangerous manner will be the reason that the event could be shut down. Many Cars & Coffee event have been shut down for these reasons.

The Blackhawk Museums started Cars & Coffee as an outreach event for car enthusiasts to enjoy and to promote programs at the museum. We plan to keep it going for as long as we can … BUT … we need your help and cooperation. To those who feel compelled to create noise and drive either disrespectfully or dangerously (and we’ve experienced all years and all makes of cars as offenders) ... please STAY AWAY ... and save yourself a traffic ticket or a CVC violation citation.

To all those who have expressed their support of the event and desire to keep it going in the manner that it was started, Thank You. We've had an outpouring of support from all over to keep the event going.

If you enjoy our Blackhawk Cars & Coffee event and would like to volunteer so we can monitor the event as we’ve been instructed … and keep the event going, please let us know by email; Volunteer@BlackhawkMuseum.org We’re looking for help between 6 am and 10 am

 

 

Selected excerpts from a recent email from the museum director Tim McGrane with slight clarifications added:

The October Cars & Coffee event this coming Sunday, October 1, will be the last of the 2017 Season.

The Museum has decided that Cars & Coffee will 'go dark' during the winter months of November thru February.

We will start 2018 with our season opener Cars & Coffee on Sunday, March 4, 2018.

This event is a wonderful car community event and we look forward to continuing it for many years.

For those of you attending the October 1 Cars & Coffee:
We are going to introduce some changes to the flow of incoming car traffic at certain times.
The Museum team along with Plaza security personnel will be on hand to initiate this plan.
The purpose of this change is to establish a pedestrian only area where it is the busiest and redirect cars around the perimeter on the parking lot.
Also, to control cars from moving through the parking areas where Cars & Coffee spectators are walking.

Attached is a diagram of the Plaza parking lot for Cars & Coffee.



The intent is to make Lots A and G pedestrian safe during the peak viewing hours by redirecting traffic.


The designated areas for Cars & Coffee parking will be sections A, G & H. Section G is going to be designated as Museum ‘Members Only’ parking.
This will take some managing for October as most members may not have their membership cards with them but there will be a person with our membership list available.
(For the future we will have ‘2018 member window decals).

The official times are from 8am to 10am. Based upon the quantity of cars coming in over the past months the lots G & H are typically full by 8am.
From about 8:30am through 9:30am the driveway going towards the coffee station circle and Anthropolgie, and also along to the Crunch entrance will be coned off at each end to prevent cars from accessing and allow pedestrians a safe walking venue.
Cars coming into the Plaza from Camino Tassajara will be directed to turn first left into the driveway that goes in front of the cinema building.
They can also turn right if they wish.
Cars parked inside those areas will need to stay until the lots are re-opened at 9:30am.

As before, each arriving car will be given a ticket pack and also a flier with guidelines and notification about future Cars & Coffee events schedule.

Thanks to everyone who has participated responsibly in the past and made the event one of the best in the nation!
Hopefully the changes will make it even better...

 

Don't forget to reset your clocks; "fall back."