Mt. Olive Pickle Company, Inc. announces today that it is cancelling Saturday’s New Year’s Eve Pickle Drop, citing weather concerns.

“We have closely monitored Saturday’s forecast for several days, and it has remained consistent, calling for rain for most of the day. And while the wet forecast would pose issues for setup, the call for thunderstorms in the afternoon and early evening pose an issue for safety,” said Lynn Williams, company spokesperson. “We made the decision this morning to cancel the Pickle Drop.

“We are heart-broken that we will not ring in the New Year in our usual dilly fashion.”

While the live event will not be held, a compilation of previous New Year’s Eve Pickle Drop events will air on the company’s website at www.mtolivepickles.com from 6-7 p.m. on December 31.

The New Year’s Eve Pickle Drop was set to be held outdoors on the campus of the University of Mount Olive beginning at 5 p.m. with live music, food trucks and the countdown of the final hours of 2022 to 7 p.m.

The New Year’s Eve Pickle traditionally makes its descent at the stroke of 7 o’clock from the Mount Olive Fire Department’s Tower 23 and into a giant pickle jar. Fireworks and the awarding of door prizes for those who bring donations for the Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC round out the evening.

“The Pickle Drop is an outdoor event, and we are susceptible to weather challenges,” Ms. Williams said. “This is the first time in our 22 years we’ve canceled because of the weather. We opted to err on the side of caution for this year.”

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.

In business since 1926 in its hometown of Mount Olive, NC, Mt. Olive Pickle Company manufactures the best-selling brand of pickles, peppers and relishes in the U.S.