MOUNT OLIVE —The New Year’s Eve Pickle Drop needs your vote.
The local New Year’s Eve celebration is in the running as a USA Today 10Best New Year’s Eve Drop. The Pickle Drop is one of 20 nominees contending for the USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice travel awards.
Online voting at 10Best.usatoday.com opened on Nov, 6 and closes on Dec. 4. The winner will be announced on Dec. 15.
“Over the years, the Pickle Drop has really just taken on a life of its own,” said Lynn Williams, public relations manager for Mt. Olive Pickle. “We’ve received some really nice media attention, and this one is really special.”
Mt. Olive Pickle Company will hold the 2023 edition of the New Year’s Eve Pickle Drop on Sunday, December 31 starting at 5 p.m. on the University of Mount Olive campus.
“One of the hallmarks of our event is that it’s early, which makes it nice for older adults and families with children,” Williams said. “I think that’s what attracted the attention of USA Today’s 10Best.
“The pickle descends into a giant pickle jar at 7 o’clock sharp. We do the fireworks and give away door prizes for those who bring canned food donations, and we are generally done by 7:30. We joke that we can all be home in bed long before midnight.”
As in recent years, the 23rd annual event will be staged in front of the University of Mount Olive’s Kornegay Arena, and the Mount Olive Volunteer Fire Department will again assist with Tower 23, its ladder truck, where from the tower the glowing New Year’s Eve Pickle makes its descent.
“We are so grateful to both the University and to the fire department for their willingness to partner with us on the pickle drop,” Williams said. “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 & Eastern NC. New this year is Wild Ride, a Selma-based band that plays a wide range of country, rock and pop.
The New Year’s Eve Pickle Drop, first held in 1999 and attended by eight Mt. Olive Pickle employees, annually draws several thousand.
For those who can’t make it in person, watch it live on New Year’s Eve on the web at mtolivepickles.com.
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.
Event Details
· Physical address for the live event: 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 – umo.edu
· Food trucks will be available to serve at 5 p.m., and the live music also starts at 5
· The pickle drops at 7 p.m. sharp
· Fireworks will begin immediately after the pickle lands in the jar.
· Free pickles courtesy Mt. Olive Pickles
· Bring canned food or a financial contribution to the Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC 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!
