Visiting the Town of Mount Olive

Growing your town’s population from 4,500 to up to 40,000 in one day is no small undertaking. On Saturday, April 23rd the Town of Mount Olive, North Carolina will once again play host to the North Carolina Pickle Festival, an event that draws tens of thousands to its downtown.

We are proud of all three of our presenting sponsors – the Mt. Olive Pickle Company, the University of Mount Olive, and the Town of Mount Olive. We are particularly appreciative of our gracious host, the town, which opens its doors wide for the North Carolina Pickle Festival.

Mt Olive Pickle Company

The town’s staff, especially the public works, fire and police departments, work hard ahead of time to prepare for the big day, and they remain vigilant throughout the day to ensure everything runs safely and smoothly. At day’s end, it sweeps the streets and sidewalks spotlessly clean – so much so that on Sunday morning there’s not much to indicate such a large gathering was ever in downtown the day before.

It’s no secret that pickles have played a key role in our community, so we gather together every year to celebrate our roots and snack on dill-icious pickles all day. This years marks our 30th annual celebration.

The Town of Mount Olive is proud to host pickle fanatics traveling far and wide to celebrate this milestone with us. While you’re here for the weekend, here are a few things you don’t want to miss:

The Tour de Pickle Bike Ride, with 25, 50 and 75-mile routes throughout scenic Wayne, Sampson and Duplin counties. Registration for the ride starts on Saturday morning at 8 at the Mt. Olive Pickle Distribution Center.

The Cuke Patch 5K through Mount Olive’s charming downtown early on Saturday morning. Registration starts at 7 a.m. and the run takes off at 8.

The David John Aaron Teaching and History Museum, open throughout the day on Saturday. Take in the history and heritage of our beautiful small town, from the railroad to the pickle company and beyond.

See all of Mount Olive from the air! Helicopter rides will be available all day Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. from the University of Mount Olive for $25 a person.

For complete details on all of these events, go to www.ncpicklefest.org. Like our Facebook Page for more information, fun bits of news, and updates.

To learn more about our community, be sure to also visit the Town of Mount Olive’s website at www.townofmountolivenc.org and the Mount Olive Area Chamber of Commerce’s website at www.mountolivechamber.com.

We are so excited for the dill-lightful weekend to come. See you soon, pickle lovers!