The Island Club Sold Out Again. Here's The Rest Of Sullivan's Island's Fall.

"Happy Fall!...or what passes for it." Mayor Pat O'Neil opened his September 2026 message to residents with that line. The next thing he wrote about was a fundraiser in a building that sat idle about ten years ago.

That fundraiser is the Island Club's Taste of Sullivan's Island, set for Saturday, October 17. It is sold out, for the second year running. If you didn't get a ticket, you still have plenty to do this fall. Most of the island's calendar between now and December follows the same pattern. Island groups raise money for island causes, the Town keeps a few traditions going, and a lot of it is free.

Why One Clubhouse Sits At The Center Of October

The Island Club building is at 1452 Poe Avenue, next to the Fish Fry Shack. According to the Town, it has hosted events since 1946. A 2024 mayor's greeting recounts its start as a social club for residents. Over the years it became home to one Island social group after another.

The building nearly fell out of that role. In May 2025, Live 5 reported that the clubhouse had been idle and neglected about a decade earlier. The planned work included an ADA ramp, a porch, insulation, bathrooms, a bar and new interior fixtures. In his September message, the mayor called the renovations of the last couple of years "impressive." He credited partial support from the Town and more from members and residents. He also praised the Club's programming, which offers recreation for Islanders of all ages.

The Taste is how that work gets paid for. The mayor's message quotes Club President Trey Sedalik:

"Following a sell-out crowd in 2025, The Island Club will again host its Taste of Sullivan's Island fundraiser on October 17, from 12 to 3 p.m. … Proceeds will benefit renovations to the historic building, which has been hosting events since 1946."

Tickets cost $100, and children under 3 get in free. The tasting list reads like a directory of the island's own businesses: Home Team BBQ, Sullivan's Fish Camp, Poe's Tavern, Longboard, High Thyme, Mex 1, Dunleavy's Pub, Island Coastal Lager, Republic Ice Cream, the Wine Shop and Rebel Rabbit High Seltzer. So the restaurants you already eat at are feeding the fund that keeps the clubhouse open. Sullivan's Fish Camp at 2019 Middle Street is one of the names on that list, and a Post and Courier profile describes chef Jason Stanhope's seafood-led menu there.

October 17, Hour By Hour

The Taste is only one of three events on October 17. The Town administrator's fall message lists all three. Here is how the day runs.

1. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Open Days Garden Tour. The Charleston Horticultural Society is opening six private Sullivan's Island gardens for a self-guided visit. The focus is coastal garden design. One ticket covers all six gardens, which you can visit in any order. The CHS event page says the location will be emailed to ticket holders beforehand.
2. Noon to 3 p.m., Taste of Sullivan's Island at the Island Club, 1452 Poe Avenue. Sold out.
3. 1 to 6 p.m., Ville to Ville Relay. The Town says the route runs along the Causeway and Jasper Boulevard toward Isle of Palms. The Town calls it a bike relay. The organizer describes a running relay of about 68 miles from Summerville to Mount Pleasant, with teams of three to six runners covering 12 legs of 3 to 9 miles each, followed by a team vehicle. Either way, plan on traffic along the Causeway and Jasper Boulevard all afternoon.

The three windows overlap, so a garden-tour morning runs into the Taste crowd at midday and then the relay in the afternoon. As of today, October 13, none of the three had posted a postponement after the October 9 National Weather Service briefing on Hurricane Isaias, which forecast heavy rain for the Charleston area as moisture from the storm moved north. The CHS and relay pages still list October 17.

The Calendar After The Sellout

In the same letter, Town Administrator Joe Henderson describes the season plainly. Fall brings "a host of non-profit fundraisers, charity races, and community holiday events," and he calls them chances to "catch up with your neighbors" and support local organizations. Here is the rest of that list, plus one cultural event from Battery Gadsden.

Most of the island's fall is fundraising and gathering of this kind, with a sold-out ticket at one end and a free church fair at the other. Seven of the nine items in that table are free, charity events, or neighbor-to-neighbor gatherings. The two January events finish what this fall starts. The Charlie Post 5K even starts beside the Island Club, at the Fish Fry Shack.

The Daily Routine Changed On October 1

The calendar sets the big dates. Winter beach hours for dogs started this month and change your ordinary mornings. From October 1 through April 30, dogs can be off leash on the beach from 5 a.m. until noon. From noon until 5 a.m. they must be on a leash. The Town also reminds owners that they must pick up after their dogs. Waste bags are available at parks and beach paths across the island.

This lines up with the October 17 schedule. The off-leash window closes at noon, which is when the Taste begins, and two hours before the relay reaches the Causeway.

On the national park side, the Park Service's guided-tour page lists Fort Moultrie tours daily at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., subject to staff availability. That page was last updated in 2023, so check it before you bring guests. The park's events page, last updated August 24, 2026, lists no dated fall programs.

The Next Old Building On The List

The Island Club shows how a neglected island building can become a place people gather again. The Town is now taking a slower look at another one. The old Town Hall at 1610 Middle Street dates to about 1915 and first served as Fort Moultrie's Ordnance Office. Students in Professor Christina Butler's Historic Preservation 202 course at the American College of the Building Arts are preparing a preservation report on it. The report will include drawings, condition assessments, remediation recommendations and research findings.

The mayor stressed that the study costs the Town nothing and that the Town has no obligation to act on what the students recommend. Councilmember Carl Hubbard, who chairs the Public Facilities Committee, said there are "no immediate plans for the future of the old Town Hall." He asked Islanders to send their ideas to him so he can share them with the citizen ad hoc committee reviewing options. You can raise the subject in person at Coffee with a Council Member on October 23 at Town Hall, or at the regular Council meeting on October 20 at 6 p.m.

Anna has spent two decades advising clients on historic Lowcountry properties and follows how the island cares for its older buildings. If you are thinking about a home on Sullivan's Island and want to understand how the community looks after places like the Island Club and the old Town Hall, Anna Gruenloh is glad to talk it through. Let's connect.