Pickle planners prepare for another festival of fun
By Kelly Corbett
Published in News on January 17, 2012 1:46 PM
Committee members for the 26th Mt. Olive Pickle Festival are heading to Charlotte this weekend for the Carolina Showfest to attend workshops and, hopefully, to take home multiple awards.
Chairperson Julie Beck said the festival is competing in about 15 categories, with nominations ranging from Best T-shirt to Best Event of the Year.
"There's a variety of categories," Ms. Beck said. "One year we won as many as five (awards)."
The first pickle festival meeting was held in November, and festival officials will hold a pickle meeting once a month in January, February and March and once a week in April to prepare for this year's event.
"We talked about some possible changes," Ms. Beck said. "We talked mainly about our theme so we can get our T-shirt designed. We have the idea, the vision and share it with the people in Montana, and they create it for us."
The theme for this year will incorporate iPads and smart phones and the T-shirts will be designed by Graphic Imprints of Montana, she said.
Last year, the festival marked its 25th milestone bringing around 35,000 to 40,000 people to Mount Olive.
"We get people coming from every which direction," Ms. Beck said.
Lynn Williams, public relations manager of Mt. Olive Pickle Co., said the challenge of having the festival every year is coming up with something new and keeping it fresh, which she said Ms. Beck does a good job doing.
An Air Force band from Langley will hold two rhythm and blues jazz performances on Saturday. Ms. Beck said in addition to a performance by the Band of Oz, another band might also perform on Saturday night.
"We don't normally do anything on Saturday night," Ms. Beck said.
She said ideas of having a photo booth and a zorb ball at the festival this year have also been discussed.
"I don't know if we're going to get these, but we're going to try," Ms. Beck said.
The festival is held on the last full weekend in April and will begin on April 27 and last through the Mount Olive First Pentecostal Holiness church service April 29.
"We're just looking forward to another great weekend, another great festival this year," Mrs. Williams said. "They are a lot of fun."