At 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, October 24, a one-mile fun run starts at Nation Ford Stadium, and costumes are welcome. The last walking tour of the day starts at 7:45 p.m., when a guide carrying a lantern leads a group away from the Fort Mill History Museum on Clebourne Street. In between, Market Street Town Center fills up for Baxter's Fall Festival, the Anne Springs Close Greenway serves barbecue by the plateful, and downtown business owners host dinner at Doby's Pond.
Most of those events exist to raise money for something local: help for teachers, Greenway access for families who couldn't otherwise afford it, and downtown programming planned for the year ahead. Much of the food is coming from the same short list of Fort Mill businesses.
The day, hour by hour
| Time | Event | Where | Cost | Hosted by or benefiting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8:30 a.m. fun run, 9:15 a.m. 5K | Ruck & Roll 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run | Nation Ford Stadium, 1400 A.O. Jones Blvd. | Registration through Race Roster | Hosted by the Ruck & Roll Foundation; supports teachers facing the costs of cancer |
| Noon to 6 p.m. | Baxter's Fall Festival | Market Street Town Center | Not listed | Hosted by the Baxter Community Association |
| 2 p.m. VIP, 3 to 8 p.m. general | Colonel's Club Boil, Brew & 'Que | Greenway Gateway, 2573 Lake Haigler Drive | $25 to $125 | Benefits the Anne Springs Close Bridge Program |
| 5 to 8 p.m. | An Evening at Our Community Table | Bloom at Doby's Pond, 1199 Epps Farm Rd. | $125 per seat | Benefits the Downtown Fort Mill Co-Op |
| 6:45 and 7:45 p.m. | Lanterns & Legends Walking Tour | Fort Mill History Museum, 107 Clebourne St. | $17 | Presented by the Fort Mill History Museum |
The morning run raises money for teachers
The day opens with a cause. Fort Mill Now reports that the Ruck & Roll Foundation hosts the race to ease the financial strain cancer puts on educators, through direct financial support and community partnerships. It isn't only a race for serious runners. There will be vendors and trick-or-treating, and costumes are optional, so a family can do the fun run, collect candy and leave before the 5K field has finished. Registration is on the event's Race Roster page.
Baxter's afternoon is the day's longest stretch
The Baxter Community Association lists food and beverage vendors, artisan craft shopping, games and prizes, and live entertainment at Market Street Town Center from noon to 6 p.m. The association hasn't named vendors or performers, so expect to discover them when you get there.
At six hours, Baxter works as the day's anchor. You can come straight from the morning race, or stop by for an hour before heading to the Greenway.
Boil, Brew & 'Que pays for access to the Greenway itself
The Greenway's August 25, 2026 announcement gives the menu. Mac's Speed Shop is serving all-you-can-eat barbecue and sides, with craft beer from Amor Artis Brewing. VIP guests get early admission at 2 p.m., a happy hour with hors d'oeuvres, and an all-you-can-eat Lowcountry boil made with South Carolina shrimp from Saltwater Markets. Kris Hitchcock plays live. The announcement also lists a silent auction, the Schroering Forest Playground, a hay bale maze, lawn games, disc golf and reptile encounters, which is enough to keep children busy while the adults eat.
Ticket prices after early bird:
- VIP admission: $125
- Adult general admission, 21 and up: $70
- General admission, 16 and up: $60
- Youth admission, ages 5 to 15: $25
All proceeds go to the Anne Springs Close Bridge Program, which offers tiered financial assistance so people can use Leroy Springs & Co. programs regardless of their means. The Greenway says the program has awarded more than $2.2 million since 2018. The list of what qualifies is worth a look. Greenway membership, summer camps, afterschool programs, Title 1 school field trips, seasonal kayak rentals and signature event tickets are all eligible. In other words, an afternoon of barbecue on Lake Haigler Drive helps pay for another family's ticket to the next signature event.
The event is hosted by the Colonel's Club, which the Greenway describes as a men's social and philanthropic group whose members commit to volunteering and an annual gift. Cygnus Asset Management is the presenting sponsor.
The dinner is where downtown funds its plans
At 5 p.m., the Downtown Fort Mill Co-Op opens its fall Community Table. On its About page, the Co-Op describes itself as a collective of local business owners and community members working to connect downtown businesses with Town government and to support downtown through events, marketing and advocacy. It meets monthly, and its meetings are open to the public.
The dinner is how that work gets funded. A May 2026 invitation to the spring dinner said its proceeds would help fund Main Street Jams, a chili cook-off, a family book fair and more arts and culture programming. It also traced the dinner series back to 2022. The chili cook-off on that list is on the calendar for next month.
This year the dinner has moved. The fall 2025 edition was an outdoor dinner on Main Street on October 4. The 2026 event page puts it at Bloom at Doby's Pond, 1199 Epps Farm Rd., with seats at $125. The businesses taking part are Amor Artis Brewing, FM Eatery, Hobo's, Hot Dog Depot, Illumination Wines, Improper Pig, Olive's Mud Puddle, Poppyseed Kitchen, The Speckled Pear and Sweet Treats Candy & Confections.
Amor Artis is on that list and is also pouring at the Greenway that afternoon. Hobo's is serving at the dinner, and the lot behind it on Main Street is one of the suggested parking spots for the lantern tours. The fundraising calendar runs on the same small group of local businesses.
The day ends where downtown's history starts
The Fort Mill History Museum is running its 10th annual Lanterns & Legends walking tour. The guide leads you through downtown streets by lantern light, telling stories about local figures, events and legends. On October 24, tours leave at 6:45 and 7:45 p.m. from 107 Clebourne St. Tickets are $17. The tour is recommended for ages 12 and up, goes ahead rain or shine, and tickets are non-refundable. The museum suggests parking behind Hobo's on Main St., at the municipal lot on Tom Hall, or at Veterans Park at 106 N. White St.
If Saturday is already full, the tour also runs on Thursday and Friday, October 22 and 23, and again on October 29 and 30. Groups of 15 to 20 can book a private tour through the museum.
Three ways to plan the day
- A family day. Do the fun run at 8:30 a.m., spend the middle of the day at Baxter's Fall Festival, and you're home before dark.
- Greenway into downtown. Start at Boil, Brew & 'Que at 3 p.m., or 2 p.m. with VIP, then take the 7:45 p.m. Lanterns & Legends tour. Use the museum's suggested lots for parking.
- An evening out. Go to Baxter in the afternoon, then the Community Table at 5 p.m. If you want to keep going downtown afterward, book the lantern tour for October 22 or 23 so the two don't overlap.
Space is limited on the walking tours, so check with each organizer before you set out.
What comes next on the calendar
The Downtown Chili Cookoff, which benefits the Co-Op, runs Saturday, November 21, from 2 to 5 p.m. Local restaurants, businesses and home cooks compete, and visitors vote. Before that, the 12th annual Scarecrow Crawl fills downtown with displays from businesses, schools, organizations and families through October 31. On Halloween morning, the Greenway's Family Farm Day runs from 9 a.m. to noon at Greenway Farm & Stables, 1046 Horse Road. Baxter's Community Center holds its costume contest that day too, with a pumpkin-carving contest added this year.
Amor Artis turns up again on November 10, when it hosts a trivia night with the Fort Mill History Museum at 204 Main St., Suite 101, from 7 to 9 p.m.
I keep a close eye on Fort Mill's calendar because the organizations behind it are a big part of how this town works. If you'd like to talk about which part of Fort Mill fits the way you spend your weekends, I'm happy to help. Tiffany Johannes. Let's Connect.
