Pickle Festival brings ‘dill-lightful’ time to Mount Olive

It was an exciting weekend for Mount Olive, as warmer weather and the love for everything pickles brought thousands of visitors to celebrate the annual North Carolina Pickle Festival, April 26 and 27.

The festivities kicked off Friday and continued through Saturday with carnival rides, live music, vendors, and a full schedule of non-stop entertainment.

Shoulder-to-shoulder crowds flooded the streets of downtown Mount Olive to enjoy the two-day event. 

“It was an awesome crowd,“ said Lynn Williams, NC Pickle Festival public relations manager about the event, which year after year continues to attract more crowds from all over the country. 

“I do think this was a record year,” said Williams, explaining that despite planning for more people they still had way more attendance than anticipated. “We had three places for shuttles to pick up on campus and then three other shopping centers in town. … We plan for more people every year and then we have way more people than we planned for.”

For Williams the best part of the festival is to see the excitement of the crowds.

“The pickle eating contest was definitely the highlight of the day. It was an amazing crowd to watch and to [see] cheer people on,” said Williams about the yearly tradition, where 14 contestants have five minutes to devour as many pickles as they can during the pickle eating contest. 

Dylan Rinker, of Fairfield, Pa., won the male division trophy and $100, eating 13 pickles, and Vivian Redd, of Fayetteville was the female division champion with 10 pickles.

This year the event had over 150 volunteers and 175 vendors, the most they ever had according to July Beck, NC Pickle Festival Chair.

Among some of the new features of this year was Ollie’s Costume Contest, which had crowds ‘awww-ing’ and cheering as participants approached the stage for Ollie Q. Cumber, the festival mascot, to do the judging. 

“He’s the ultimate pickle costume, so we think it’s only fitting that he judges the others,” said Williams.

“People put a lot of thought into their costumes.”

Also new this year was the Poetry Fox, and the Kazoobie Kazoo show where festival goers got free kazoos, danced and played along.

“We just had a lot of really special things going on this year,” said Williams, adding that the costume contest and the pickle eating were some of her favorite things.

“Both were just a lot of fun,” she said adding that she loves how participants engage in the activities and some even wear their costumes all day.

“It’s the spirit of the crowd,” said Williams. “So many of them are pickle lovers and they’re just here because they love pickles or they’re with their wife who loves pickles, but they don’t really. It’s really a wonderful crowd. They’re good natured and fun.”

From live music and dance performances to car shows and helicopter rides, the North Carolina Pickle Festival had something for everyone.