Welcome to a major milestone for Columbus Cars and Coffee®, our 15th season! 

We have a packed schedule this year, including the return of two of our favorite events; the Columbus Auto Show and our legendary Season Opener Party!

If you haven't attended a Season Opener Party before, this is our launch party for the new season, and we're celebrating in style on April 22 at the Municipal Light Plant, which you may recognize from the iconic yellow smokestack visible from across downtown. The venue is a completely renovated 120 year-old power plant, built in 1903 by the City of Columbus to power the earliest electric lights in our city. Fast forward 120 years, it will host a 350+ guest party to celebrate our incredible car community, and help us celebrate our 15th season! Tickets will become available March 11.

After the Season Opener Party, our meets begin just one week later at the Midwestern Auto Group campus in Dublin on April 29, and continue throughout the year on the schedule posted here.

We're honored to welcome back all of our Season 14 sponsors for Season 15!

Midwestern Auto Group, ESOTERIC, Premier Bank, Di Lusso Real Estate, Libertas Wealth Management, and The Garage Door Guy have all been incredible in making these events possible and we owe them our gratitude and our support. You can look forward to seeing them throughout the season.

In addition, we have a special returning sponsor, Mr. Bill Bishop and Associated Insurance Agencies! Bill and his team have been amazing supporters for us over many seasons and our insurance is managed by them as well. Please say thanks to Bill the next time you see him! 

Last, but certainly not least, we're excited to welcome three new sponsors; Resolute Motorsports Club, MIT45, and 7th Gear Exotics. Please join us in thanking them for their support and look for them at upcoming events! We can't wait to introduce you to them.

Please review the schedule, mark your calendar, and we'll see you in two weeks at the Columbus Auto Show for an exclusive early access on March 18 at 9AM! To join us there, buy your tickets here using promo code "Season15," which unlocks a discount and gives you an hour of early access before doors open to the public, along with complimentary coffee!

All,

Welcome to our 14th season, something I could never have imagined back in 2009 when we first started!

This year represents an opportunity to return to normal as the threat of the pandemic fades into the rearview mirror. I'm thrilled to announce the return of a couple of our most popular events, such as the Arena District Meet which will be presented by Libertas Wealth Management, along with new events, like a meet at Polaris Fashion Place and one at the headquarters of Meyer Shank Racing, the 2021 Indy 500 champions.

We're also introducing our first-ever membership program this season! Your VIP membership unlocks special events, drives, etc. as well as discounts from select partners. Memberships are limited to 100 people, include a numbered membership card, and can be purchased here. All member-only events will be published on a private, members-only schedule, none of the events on our regular schedule will ever require membership to attend.

Season 14 would not be possible without the support of our sponsors and we're honored to welcome back Midwestern Auto Group, ESOTERIC, Premier Bank, Libertas Wealth Management, and Di Lusso Real Estate! These companies are the backbone of our community and we can't thank them enough.

Please make sure you support all of these great companies, we truly could not host full seasons of events without their support. 

Season 14 begins April 23 at Midwestern Auto Group, I can't wait to see everyone there.

See you soon,

Paul Milligan
Founder, Columbus Cars and Coffee

Your feedback is invaluable to us as we strive to continually improve the experience of attending a Columbus Cars and Coffee event. Please consider taking our 20-question survey, it only takes a few minutes!

Click here for the survey!

We were saddened to hear of the passing of John Castleman II, a fixture at our meets for years.

John was the proud owner of the red Porsche 911 pictured here, with the plate N SO DEEP, and he never missed an opportunity for a drive, car show, Cars and Coffee, etc.

Our thoughts are with the Castleman family as they mourn John's loss. We will certainly miss seeing him at our meets.

A parking space will be left empty in John's honor for the rest of this season.

Since our first meet on June 27, several cities in Ohio have adopted legislation requiring face masks in public. In order to comply with these new laws, and to keep our community safe through an abundance of caution, we're requiring face masks at all meets until further notice.

Our meets are held in a variety of jurisdictions, and several of them may not require masks. However, to avoid tracking which locations require them and which don't, and to maximize safety for everyone, we have adopted a face mask requirement across the board.

We understand that some people do not wish to wear a face mask. However, to keep our season going during this unusual time, this small change should enable us to continue hosting meets for the rest of the year in full compliance with the law and various policies. 

If you are unable or unwilling to wear a face mask, you may be asked to leave. Our events are private, held on private property, or public property with a private event permit, so all attendance is at our sole discretion.

We have update our COVID-19 Policy accordingly, you can review the policy here.

Thank you for helping us keep Season 12 going!

We recently asked the State of Ohio and Ohio Dept. of Health for guidance regarding outdoor car shows in Ohio. We have not received a response yet, however Governor DeWine has announced the reopening of "social clubs," which we believe covers our activities. 

As a result, we're thrilled to announce our first meet on Saturday, June 27 at Byers Imports!

Of course, there will be changes to maintain a safe and compliant event within the guidelines set forth by the State of Ohio. Our COVID-19 Policy is posted here and will be posted on signage at all meets this season.

Please keep a close eye on the Schedule page, it will be changing often.

See you soon!

All,

I'd like to address the subject of outdoor car shows in Ohio, because I believe that they should be allowed, with proper social distancing and sanitization precautions, by the Ohio Department of Health.

There is not a specific ban on outdoor car shows in Ohio that I'm aware of, but the statewide limitation on gatherings still limits all gatherings to no more than 10 people, except in special circumstances like weddings.

I believe we should receive the green light for outdoor car shows in Ohio because they are inherently safer and more distanced than many of the indoor facilities currently re-opening with Governor DeWine's  It's hard to imagine that a parking lot is less safe than a laser tag arena or trampoline park when it comes to avoiding close contact with other people and not touching things like door handles, restroom facilities, etc.

If locations like the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium can be safely enjoyed, so too could a Columbus Cars and Coffee meet at Byers Imports, or any of the numerous annual shows coming up this summer/fall supporting a variety of charitable organizations and causes.

I've contacted the Ohio Department of Health to ask for clarification and guidance on this issue, and I hope you will do the same. We all want to follow the rules and ensure the safety of our car shows, but it seems unreasonable to restrict them based solely on the number of people in attendance.

To request that the Ohio Department of Health to give outdoor car shows in Ohio the "green light," visit their website here!
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Sincerely,
Paul Milligan
Columbus Cars and Coffee



UPDATE:

I have sent the following letter to Governor DeWine:

June 5, 2020

Governor Mike DeWine
Riffe Center, 30th Floor
77 S. High St.
Columbus, OH 43215


Dear Governor DeWine,

Thank you for guiding Ohio through the COVID-19 pandemic with the kind of leadership which makes Ohioans proud of their state. Now that we’re re-opening, I’m writing to request that outdoor car shows in our state be recognized as permitted, provided that safety guidelines are followed.

In my view, car shows are inherently safer than many of the indoor facilities currently re-opening because they’re all outdoors and close contact with other people is not required. 
We have learned how to properly socially distance people, reduce touch points, wear face masks, and otherwise reduce the risk of infection, all from the example set by the many businesses successfully re-opening across the state. 

In addition to being a fun outdoor activity, car shows provide fundraising opportunities for many Ohio nonprofit organizations. I serve on the Foundation Board of Directors for The Buckeye Ranch and  the largest fundraiser for that organization involves a car show at Easton, which may not currently be allowed without clarification and guidance from the State of Ohio.

I also own and operate Columbus Cars and Coffee, a monthly gathering of car collectors and enthusiasts, which is responsible for many of the most popular car shows in Central Ohio. We have also held off on our season pending further guidance from the State.

If your team has any questions about how car shows could be held safely, I would be happy to provide insights and guidance which could be used by anyone hoping to host a car show in Ohio. I would also be willing to donate the production of a short video providing safety guidelines for car shows, free for use by the State, and the video could be posted on the coronavirus.Ohio.Gov website. 
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Please consider adding outdoor car shows to the next round of re-opening, and don’t hesitate to contact me with questions or if I can be of service.


Sincerely yours,

Paul S. Milligan
Columbus Cars and Coffee

We're sorry to announce the cancellation of Exotics on Scioto Mile for 2020. The event is known for bringing thousands of people together to enjoy exotic cars and the skyline of our beautiful city, but it's not safe to do that right now given the pandemic. We plan to bring the event back for 2021 and we look forward to seeing you then! In the mean time, keep an eye on our Schedule page for updates.

Our first #CCCVirtualMeet was popular enough that we're going to do another one on Saturday, April 25th at 10AM.

This week, we'll feature new special guests, including Brad Oleshansky from The Motor Enclave, and others TBA!

Be sure to tune in via Instagram at 10AM on Saturday!

Join us on Saturday, April 18th at 10:00AM on Instagram Live for the virtual launch of Season 12!

While we wish we could be together in person, it's not safe to host large gatherings yet, so we're doing the next best thing and hosting a virtual meet to kick off the season.

The #CCCVirtualMeet will feature special guest appearances and we'll give plenty of updates about the plans for the season ahead. 

We're also encouraging everyone in our community to join the virtual meet by posting a live pic of their car (in the garage, parked on a roadside, etc) on that morning. We'll select three random posts for awesome prizes, so make sure you think of a great location and shoot your car on April 18th around 10:00AM!

If the stay-at-home order dictates, we'll host a second virtual meet in early May. Stay tuned for details!