Sun Day, Fun Days

Sunrises and sunsets are reliable, and they are the inspiration behind DELANEY O’BRIEN’s unique way of building another reliable aspect of life: friendship.

Originally from Maryland, O’Brien graduated from the University of Tennessee and made the move by herself from Knoxville to Wilmington in August 2023 to take a job as an interior designer at an architecture firm. She often found herself, alone, going to watch the sunrise or sunset.

“Female friendships are so important, and when I moved here, I was missing that connection,” O’Brien shares. “I figured I’d invite girls to watch the sunrise or sunset together and make friends that way. It was free, easy, and casual.”

With that idea in mind, the Sun Club was born.

O’Brien decided to use TikTok to ask women like herself to join her in watching the sunset at Wrightsville Beach.

Initially, ten women responded, so O’Brien created a text group to organize meet-ups. Then, the group grew to thirty, so they expanded to an Instagram group. Then it grew beyond that into a Group Meet, and it continues to grow each week as followers connect through the Sun Club Instagram account (@sunclub.ilm)

Since first initiating the club in January, the Instagram group has grown to more than 3,200 followers.

“It blossomed very quickly. There really was a need for friends,” O’Brien says.

Each week, O’Brien hosts multiple Sun Club events. Events are planned to meet certain components. They must foster connections that lead to new friendships, be held outdoors as much as possible, and/or include local businesses, primarily woman-owned ones.

“I would never plan an event that I would not go do. I like it to have at least two of the three components,” O’Brien says.

Each Monday, Sun Club hosts a free Mermaid Monday Sunset Swim held at either Carolina and Wrightsville beaches on alternating weeks. Other free events have included book swaps, beach sweeps, and volunteering with the Plastic Ocean Project nonprofit.

Business connection events include pottery making, crafting classes, photo shoots, and facials with locally owned businesses. The biggest event to date was a line dancing social in the downtown marina area where nearly one hundred turned out.

“There’s no formal membership acceptance. Anyone can come. I promote to girls in their twenties, but it is not age- or gender-restrictive. I am happy to foster a community who wants to hang out with mostly girls,” O’Brien says.

O’Brien says she learns something new every day, and she is open to establishing partnerships with local businesses. The Sun Club often meets at local makers markets and pop-up events around the Wilmington area.

“It is a cool connection,” O’Brien says, and she is inspired by other local groups like Girls Have Hobbies and The Wilmington Girls Club acknowledging that there is “a lot of cool opportunity for community.”

O’Brien says there tends to be a lack of a “casual third space for women.” She says she knows this from her own personal experience with how well-received Sun Club has been.

“It is important for there to be a free, casual, and easy way to make friends. I want to eliminate obstacles for girls. I like for it to bridge the gap between social media and ‘in the wild’ of real life,” O’Brien says.

While the connection initially happens via social media, O’Brien says the magic happens in agreeing to come together for a common cause.

“It levels the playing fields,” O’Brien explains as she says there is a lot less pressure and it is not as awkward when all participants meet in a neutral location to do something fun and easy.

Initially, O’Brien planned three free events a month and three events involving local businesses, but recently, that has escalated to two to three times a week.

“There have been so many opportunities, and I want to work with everyone,” O’Brien says.

O’Brien has found her own best friends through Sun Club and is thrilled for the opportunity to meet great people and gain their support.

“I am so grateful for all the support for the community. It is such a niche experience to be on the planning side of things, but it has been such a cool experience,” O’Brien says.

She is excited to see how and where the club evolves.

“It has been a fantastic outlet for me,” she says. “Any vision I have had has come to life, and I am so grateful. I had no idea that it would become this big and amazing.”

Read more about Delaney O’Brien, a finalist in this year’s Women to Watch Awards here.

To view more of photographer Terah Hoobler’s work, go to terahhoobler.com.

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