Ale and Octane car show draws crowds, concerns on Daniel Island

Every fourth Sunday of the month, the parking lot next to New Realm Brewery becomes a major draw for car enthusiasts with its Ale and Octane car show, attracting nearly 1,000 vehicles each time.

 

There are rare cars, fast cars, polished cars, and next to them, passionate owners. Many of whom invest their spare time – and money – to build, restore, or soup up their dream machine to proudly showcase to hundreds or thousands of people looking to get a quick peek under the hood.

 

But not everyone is thrilled with the scale the event has reached.

 

While supportive of the event and the local shops it benefits, some nearby business owners and residents have voiced concerns about noise, traffic, and litter left behind after the shows.

 

“Last month’s show left us with a big mess in our parking lot and damaged landscaping,” said Mike White, a commercial investor with 900 Island Park Drive Investors, whose building sits adjacent to the car show.

 

White said the building grounds have been “negatively impacted by the sheer size of the car show,” with a “noticeable increase in trash in the parking lot.”

 

While noise hasn’t affected the building’s tenants who are absent on Sundays, White said there is still a need to protect the property. “We’re planning on monitoring access into our parking lot and adding security to the entire building and its perimeter on show days.” 

 

Engine noise may not affect empty office buildings, but Daniel Island resident Sara Whitmore said the noise from the car show is still evident and disrupts her “quiet Sundays” after church.

 

“It’s a cool event,” she said, “but I feel like the revving engines echo across the island. Not everyone wants to hear all that. A little more management would go a long way.”

 

Ale and Octane organizer Lindsay Johnson said the organization has hosted 45 events over four years and continues to make ongoing efforts to reduce disruptions based on community feedback.

 

“We have a no-revving rule for the event, and burnouts or any form of dangerous acts are swiftly handled with a ticket and/or ban to the person,” Johnson said. “We also track banned vehicles to keep troublemakers out.”

 

Johnson said that while traffic was an issue in the early days of the event, the addition of law enforcement has since helped prevent disruptions to the island’s traffic flow.

 

“We stay in constant contact with (the Charleston Police Department) to address concerns,” she said.

 

Sgt. Judson Haithcock with CPD’s Team 5 confirmed there have been no formal complaints at the event location, only “an auto club that caused problems in the past. Some members received tickets and were told not to return by the organizers, and they haven’t.”

 

Haithcock said that Ale and Octane operates legally without needing a special permit, as it’s held on private property, but must still comply with noise and traffic laws.

 

“The event hires off-duty deputies with the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office for security and traffic management,” he said.

 

Team 5 commander Lt. George Bradley added that the department is also working with the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office to set up some “persuasion” tactics, like issuing citations for those who violate noise and speeding laws.

 

Over the last two years, Ale and Octane also implemented a one-way traffic pattern on Central Island Street and they eliminated the event’s DJ to reduce music-related noise. 

 

While acknowledging that some noise is inevitable, Johnson noted that “95% of the noise comes from the interstate’s entrance and exit ramps,” adding, “it would reasonably be impossible to cut down on any noise coming from those places.”

 

In an effort to find a balance between car enthusiasts and the surrounding community, White proposes limiting the number of vehicles into the event.

 

“I’d like to see the cars entered limited to around 250, instead of currently 1,000,” he said. “The parking lot that serves New Realm should be the appropriate number and size for this event.”

 

Johnson responded, “We are always looking for more ways to be good neighbors and good stewards of the island. We don’t like issues just as much as the next person.”

 

Johnson highlighted the event’s community impact, noting that Ale and Octane has raised over $100,000 for local charities and boosted local business sales by up to 10 percent on event days.

 

Emphasizing her team’s commitment to addressing concerns, she said, “We are always open to working with the community to keep everyone happy as best we can.”