MOUNT OLIVE — An estimated crowd of more than 5,000 people poured onto the campus of the University of Mount Olive on New Year’s Eve for the annual Pickle Drop. To make the event family-friendly, the drop took place at 7 p.m. The drop was considered a “midnight” celebration based on Coordinated Universal Time, also […]

WALLACE — When Brandon Kelley of Wallace went on a mission trip to West Virginia a few years ago, he didn’t know the trip would result in a calling to create a new ministry back home. He joined others on the mission to a town that had been greatly affected by the closure of a […]

With a police escort leading the Wallace-Rose Hill High School Junior ROTC cadets bearing the colors, followed by this year’s grand marshal Wendell Murphy, the 2025 Wallace Christmas Parade kicked off right on time at 10 a.m. Saturday. Sunny, cool weather prevailed at parade time, but by the time the procession wrapped up about an […]

Crowds gathered in downtown Mount Olive on Saturday to enjoy the Mount Olive Christmas Parade. From Ground and Baked to Pickle Parlor, people set up chairs and bundled up in coats and blankets against the cold. The Parade, scheduled to start at 10 a.m., made it to Center Street at 10:15 with a police and […]

What does Interstate 40 have to do with the creation of a winery? A lot, if you hear the history behind the Country Squire Winery in Kenansville. Duplin Journal spoke with Country Squire Winery manager Robbie Smith, who revealed the concept came from his mother-in-law, who purchased the Country Squire in 1992. “My mother-in-law was […]

KENANSVILLE — This past Saturday morning dawned a cold one, with temperatures in the mid-20s, but that did not keep children and adults from lining the streets of downtown Kenansville for the town’s annual Christmas parade. Fortunately, by parade time, the temperatures had eased into the low 40s, but the breeze still reminded everyone it […]