We’re kicking off the sweetest week in Summerville!!

This weekend is stacked with so many fun events in town! Last week’s newsletter gave you all the info you need to enjoy outdoor movie nights in our parks, the Public Works Art Center’s epic family block party tomorrow, a Grandparent’s Day celebration at Ashley River Park, and much more! My family is currently away in Asheville to enjoy some cooler weather and apple picking with family, and while we’re enjoying the time away I am bummed to be missing so many favorite events in Summerville this weekend.

But next week we will be able to make up for it! The Sweet Tea Festival is back downtown on Saturday the 19th, and Third Thursday two days before it is getting the sweet tea treatment too. Around 20,000 people came out to the festival last year, so I have put some logistics in the events section below — where the streets close, where to park, etc.

I am also sharing about an ice cream spot we wished we had tried much sooner and some sentimental thoughts about our family transitioning from a family of four to a family of five next month.

Enjoy an absolutely amazing line up of events and celebrations around town this week with your families!

‼️Coming soon‼️

A boutique coworking space directly in Hutchinson Square! If you work from home and have been looking for a desk right in the heart of Summerville, look no further. Hutchinson Yard, Summerville’s newest neighborhood workspace, is opening next month!

Memberships are first come first serve, and spots are limited. If you’re interested in learning more, fill out this short interest form and they’ll be in touch.

Summerville proudly calls itself the Birthplace of Sweet Tea, and next week the whole town comes together to celebrate! Whether you're a longtime local or new to the area, Sweet Tea Week is one of those traditions that makes Summerville feel uniquely like home. If you've lived here for a while, maybe this is the year you branch out and experience a part of the celebration you've never tried before. And if you moved here within the last year, consider this your guide to all the sweet fun happening around town.

Tomorrow kicks off Sweet Tea Festival week with the many stores in downtown Summerville participating in “The Sweetest Sidewalk Sale.”

The Sweet Tea Festival
Saturday, September 19 | 10am–4pm | Hutchinson Square | Free to attend

This is the fifteenth year, and it is the big one. Sweet tea vendors, artisan booths, food, live entertainment, and a Sweetest Kids Zone with inflatables and games set up in the square. As you walk through the festival, keep an eye out for the 15 different vendors competing in the Sweet Tea Contest. Sample them and vote for your favorite!

The normal Saturday farmer’s market will also be running with extended hours alongside the festival that day and be open from 8am-4pm so there will be plenty of local vendors to support!

Here is the part to consider, especially if it’s your first time trying the festival. Roughly 20,000 people came out last year. Little Main Street closes from 6am to 5pm, Doty from 8am to 5pm, and West Richardson down to Short Central from 8am to 5pm. Plan on parking several blocks out and walking in, and go early if crowds are hard for your kid. The town garage behind Town Hall is usually the best bet.

My advice with small children: pick a two-hour window rather than trying to do the whole thing, decide on a meeting spot before you get out of the car, and give your kids a heads up on what expectations are for purchasing any food or treats.

The Sweetest Third Thursday
Thursday, September 17 | 5:30–8:30pm | Historic Downtown Summerville | Free

Third Thursday every month turns downtown into an evening market — craft vendors, local entertainment, and the shops and restaurants staying open late. September’s lands two days before the festival, and Summerville DREAM is billing it as the sweetest one of the year. The Scott Oliver Band will be performing live music for the duration of the event

If the Saturday crowd sounds like too much, this is the tamer version of the same idea. Traffic gets rerouted from 4pm to 9pm, and parking downtown is free, including the town garage.

FIT4MOM Summerville is so much more than a workout — it's a community of local moms who show up for each other, on and off the workout mat. And September is the perfect time to see what it's all about.

It's their Open House month, which means you can pick any week in September and try the classes completely free. Come as you are, bring the kids, and get a real feel for the workouts and the village behind them. If you love it (and we think you will), new members get 50% off their first month.

But the classes are just the start. This month's schedule is packed with the extras that make this community special — theme days, mom walks, a moms' night out, and book club. It's the kind of place that meets you where you are and supports you in every season of motherhood, not just the physical stuff.

Whether you're looking to move your body, make some mom friends, or just get out of the house with your little ones in tow, there's a spot for you here.

I've had Sprinkles Homemade Ice Cream sitting in the back of my mind for months. I kept seeing glowing reviews online, and I had heard about the awards they'd won. (Most recently, they were named a 2026 Best of South Carolina winner.)

Last weekend, my husband and I had a little extra time after dinner at Wasabi, so we decided to make the roughly 20-minute drive over to Moncks Corner to see what all the hype was about.

I'm happy to report—it absolutely lived up to it.

I knew it was an ice cream truck versus an actual shop, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect as far as seating but was pleasantly surprised. There are plenty of picnic tables, bright pink Adirondack chairs gathered around string lights, and a welcoming outdoor space that makes you want to hang out for a while. Even though it felt a little tucked away while we were there, there was a steady stream of people stopping by for ice cream all evening. It was busy enough that you knew people loved it, but not so busy that we had to wait long.

One of the biggest highlights for me was the dairy-free options.

As someone who is dairy free, I'm usually expecting the standard lemon sorbet or Italian ice at most ice cream shops. Sprinkles does things differently. They rotate their dairy-free flavors (usually changing them each week) and even offer vegan hot fudge.

The night we visited, the dairy-free flavor was Black Raspberry, and naturally I topped it with the vegan fudge.

It was honestly so much better than I expected. More than anything, I was just thrilled to have a real ice cream option instead of another sorbet. It felt like I actually got to participate in dessert instead of settling for the one thing I could eat. If you're hoping for a specific dairy-free flavor, you'll need to call ahead since they rotate them regularly. Personally, I kind of like the surprise of showing up to see what they've created that week.

They also offer gluten-free flavors and gluten-free cones, making it a great stop for families with a variety of dietary needs.

Now, if you don't have dietary restrictions... Prepare to drool.

Their menu is packed with homemade flavors, sundaes, milkshakes, homemade waffle cones, cookie sandwiches, and one of their signature items: Stacker Cups—layers of ice cream and toppings stacked together into one incredible dessert. Daniel ordered the Peanut Butter Stacker (pictured above), and it looked every bit as good as it tasted. If you're someone who struggles to choose just one flavor, they also offer an 8-flavor flight for just $10, which might be the best way to experience everything they have to offer.

And here's something parents will especially appreciate: Sprinkles are always free. Other toppings are just 75¢, which feels refreshingly reasonable when you've got multiple kids ordering ice cream. Even better? Pup cups are always free if you have a dog along with you.

By the time we left, I was already planning our next visit. In fact, the very next day it took everything in me not to load the boys into the car and head right back. The drive is just a little farther than our usual ice cream stops, but it's absolutely worth it. The next time our family decides it's ice cream night, I already know where we're going.

You'll find Sprinkles at 593 Cypress Gardens Road in Moncks Corner. They're open Tuesday through Friday from 5–9pm, Saturdays from 12–9pm, Sundays from 12–8pm, and closed on Mondays.

Somewhere in the middle of writing up the Sweet Tea Festival this week, it occurred to me that this is the last September we will do as a family of four.

Baby boy number three arrives later this fall, which means next September there will be a stroller with an actual baby in it instead of a stroller I am using to carry snacks and water bottles and the toys my boys insisted on bringing with and then quickly discarded.

I keep noticing these lasts lately, and I am not sure I like it. Not in a sad way exactly. More in the way you notice a room is quiet only after somebody leaves it. The last few months of a pregnancy have this strange double vision to them — you are counting down to the person you cannot wait to meet, and at the same time you are watching a version of your family that will not exist again after a certain Tuesday in the fall.

My two boys have a rhythm right now. My four-year-old explains things to my two-year-old, and they often disappear playing and entertaining one another. They have a shared vocabulary I do not fully have access to. They fit in the back seat with room left over. When we go somewhere, there are two hands and two adults and the math just works.

All of that is about to change, and I know it will change into something better. I have watched enough families do this to trust it. But I also do not want to be so busy getting ready for what is next that I miss the last stretch of what is here.

So this year at the festival I am not going to try to see all of it. I am going to let them pick one thing, sit somewhere shady while they eat something with too much sugar in it, and pay attention to the two of them for an afternoon. Next year there will be three, and it will be wonderful, and it will be loud, and I will not remember what this felt like.

I would love to hear from those of you who have already crossed this particular bridge. What surprised you about going from two to three — or from one to two? And is there anything you are glad you slowed down for before the next one arrived?

Love,

Courtney, Daniel, and the Berk Boys

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