New Year’s Eve Pickle will drop into 2023
The New Year's Eve Pickle Drop, scheduled for Dec. 31 at the University of Mount Olive, has been canceled due to the forecast of inclement weather.
MOUNT OLIVE —Mt. Olive Pickle Company Inc. will hold its New Year’s Eve Pickle Drop Saturday, Dec. 31 with the help of a few of its friends.
As in recent years, the 22nd annual event will be staged in front of the University of Mount Olive’s Kornegay Arena. The Mount Olive Volunteer Fire Department will again assist with Tower 23, its ladder truck. From the tower, the glowing New Year’s Eve Pickle descends into a giant pickle jar.
“We are so grateful to both the university and to the fire department for their willingness to partner with us on the pickle drop,” said company spokesperson Lynn Williams. “Their help has allowed the event to grow and change.”
The evening will feature live music, free pickles, food trucks and a chance to win door prizes for those who contribute to the annual canned food drive for Food Bank of Central and Eastern N.C. The event also continues its signature early schedule. Everything gets underway at 5 p.m., and the pickle descends at 7 p.m. sharp. A fireworks display immediately follows. The event is over by 7:30.
New this year is Wild Ride, a Selma-based band that plays a wide range of country, rock and pop. “Wild Ride played for the Pickles, Pigs and Swigs event in downtown Mount Olive in October, and they were just terrific,” Williams said. “They will be a great addition to the festivities.”
The New Year’s Eve Pickle Drop, first held in 1999 and attended by a handful of Mt. Olive Pickle employees, annually draws several thousand attendees. For those who can’t make it in person, watch it live on New Year’s Eve on the web at www.mtolivepickles.com.
In business since 1926 in its hometown of Mount Olive, Mt. Olive Pickle Company manufactures the best-selling brand of pickles, peppers and relishes in the U.S.
The New Year’s Eve Pickle Drop is an outdoor event. Given the concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, those who attend may want to wear a face mask and to socially distance where possible. For those who are uncomfortable in large gatherings, we invite you to watch the festivities online.
The physical address for the live event is University of Mount Olive, 634 Henderson Street, Mount Olive, NC 28365, in front of the George and Annie Dail Kornegay Arena. Handicapped parking will be available. Park anywhere on campus. Food trucks will be available to serve at 5 p.m., and the live music also starts at 5 p.m.
Video screens will count down the last hours of 2022, from 5-7 p.m. The pickle drops at 7 p.m. sharp and fireworks will begin immediately after the pickle lands in the jar. There will be free pickles courtesy of Mt. Olive Pickle Co. Bring canned food or a financial contribution for Food Bank of Central and Eastern N.C. and receive a ticket for a door prize drawing. The grand prize is a pickle like the one that is dropped, without the lights. Bring your own chairs!
— From Mt. Olive Pickle Company Public Relations
