North Carolina Pickle
Festival
April 24-25, 2009
Where can you shake hands with an eight foot tall pickle, race kosher
baby dills on miniature skateboards, and eat all the free pickles you
want all day? The North Carolina Pickle Festival, of course.
Mount Olive the community and Mt. Olive the company come
together each
year in
April to celebrate the unique,
dilly relationship that has
benefited both greatly since 1926. The festival is held the last full
weekend of April each year.
News from 2008:
A new location for Mt. Olive Pickle
Company! Mt. Olive enjoyed a more central spot at the festival this
year, making it easier for people to find us. Folks could sample pickles,
visit the temporary Corner of Cucumber & Vine (the real one is at our
plant site) and check out the latest pickle t-shirts and gear. The new
location is on Center Street, between the Mount Olive
Area Chamber of Commerce office/ festival headquarters and James Street.
The Pickle Packing Production Challenge -
folks tested their skills at packing pickles into a 64 oz. jar! Located at the
intersection of James and Center Streets.
A free shuttle service! For the first
time, festival
goers could park at Mount Olive
College and catch a bus to downtown.
Canned Food Drive for Food Bank of
Central & Eastern North Carolina! While most come to enjoy the
food at the festival, Food Bank encouraged people to bring a little food
to share with others. The food drive was located next to Mt. Olive Pickle.
Pickleball! Participate in or simply watch
the new sport
that is a mix of tennis, badminton, ping-pong and whiffle ball.
www.usapa.org
Local Community
Benefits
The
N.C. Pickle Festival is put on
annually by the
Mount Olive Area Chamber of Commerce, and proceeds benefit community
projects and programs year-round.
The N.C. Pickle Festival has claimed a number of
awards in its 20-plus years of its existence. Its sponsors, newspaper
insert, promotions, cap design, t-shirts, volunteers and volunteer
programs have all captured top honors from the North Carolina
Association of Festivals and Events.
Best of all, it's simply a fun festival. Enjoy one of the largest car
shows in Eastern North Carolina, browse through a diverse offering of
arts and crafts, enjoy live music and entertainment, and sample a wide
variety of good eats.
Just save room for the pickles.
Entry in the annual N.C. Pickle Festival
Student Art Contest
