Dozens of Tallahassee residents and visitors gathered Saturday morning in the parking lot of the former Winn-Dixie shopping center on Tharpe Street, and they all came together for one thing: cars.
From 7:30 to 10:30 a.m., car enthusiasts were able to showcase their most cherished vehicles for admirers to enjoy during the Cars and Coffee Car Show. The sporty, casual and classic vehicles ranged from Mustangs, BMWs, Challengers to VW Beetles.
“This is only my second time at this particular location, although I have been to some other cars and coffees. My dad was kind of a mechanic and he’s loved cars ever since I can remember,” said Cheryl Fralick, a participant oand an owner of a green 1973 Volkswagen Super Beetle named Daisy.
“I think that [Cars and Coffee] is good because people get out and get ideas too. It’s a good way to meet, greet, and network,” Fralick added.
The Cars and Coffee Car Show takes place on the third Saturday of every month. Cars and Coffee is a worldwide event and happens monthly in countries including Austrailia, France, Germany and even Greece, to name a few. On the event’s official informational website, it promotes that it is free for all and that everyone is welcome, including kids and pets.
Drake Davidson, a devoted car enthusiast and the owner of a 2000 Toyota Celica GTS, said, “It’s just cars. There’s no politics, that’s what I love about it. It’s just engines, wheels, and exhaust. That’s all it is. It brings us together so that we can listen and watch and just look at these cars. People build these, these are people’s dreams.”
Dee Pierre said he hopes to bring a unique vehicle to an upcoming show. “It’s all about the culture. The culture brings the people together. Just enjoying what you love,” he said.
Some owners sat proudly by their cars while others walked around to see what others had brought to showcase.
Many car enthusiasts put a lot of time and money into their vehicles in order to share them with their community. “As far as what you got into it and what you believe that value is, is going to be different. That is the beautiful thing about when you build something like this. You can put as much money into it or as little money into it as you want. It depends on how foolish you are or how crazy you want to get,” said Charles Lockwood, the proud owner of a recently completed Exomotive Exocet Racecar.
Taking pride in your car is great and being able to show it off with other car fanatics is even better. For anyone who loves cars, the Cars and Coffee Car Show should definitely be on their bucket list.