If you know me personally, then you know I have an insane love of pickles. Garlicky, dilly, crunchy, a little sour, all delicious. I don't care their shape either; whole, spears, chips, flat slices, crinkle cut, diced, or however else. I love them! I even sip on the juice sometimes too, but only from Claussen brand pickles. So this festival is right up my alley.
Unfortunately, of course, this festival was set to happen the weekend of April 25th, but was cancelled due to COVID-19. But, there's always next year to plan for! Mt. Olive North Carolina is home to the Mt. Olive Pickle Company, so the annual fest dedicated to this upgraded cucumber couldn't be held in a better place. With activities like a pickle eating contest, Tour De Pickle, Cuke Patch 5K, mascot race, artisan village, car show, and a Friday night carnival, there's a little bit of everything here to appeal to anyone.
The pickle eating contest would have been in its forth year and consists of 14 contestants in both a men's and women's category, eating as many pickles as they possibly can in a set time. The winner gets to boast bragging rights until next year's competition and walks away with a trophy and $30. In the Tour De Pickle, participants pick between the 75 mile long Wayne County route, the 50 mile long Duplin County course, or the 25 mile Sampson County ride. Each option is geared towards a recreational bike riding pace, with scenic views, and inline skaters and young riders are also welcomed. Though, if a child is younger than 12, they must enter with an adult. Biking not your thing? How about running then? The Cuke Patch 5K has you covered there, a little fun run that doesn't have much information on the website, but I assume you get a pickle at the end as your participation prize. At least you better, or what kind of pickle fest would that be?! The mascot race sees mascots from around town (Mt. Olive Pickle, schools', even Chik-fil-A looked like it got in on the fun one year) compete to see who can run the fastest. Artisan Village supports local artists, giving them a place to sell and promote their work and the car show is put on by Wayne County Cruisers. On Friday the carnival starts up at 5pm and goes until 9pm with pay-one-price carnival rides and a ride all you want options for $12. The fest also features live music from local talent and a free shuttle from the University of Mt. Olive's Kornegay Arena every 15 minutes.
Interested in finding out more or attending next year's festivities? Head on over to https://www.ncpicklefest.org to discover more!
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