Mount Olive marks 2014 with pickle
By News-Argus Staff
Published in News on January 1, 2014 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/BOBBY WILLIAMS
Several thousand people turned out to watch the 15th annual Pickle Drop at 7 p.m. (midnight Greenwich Mean Time) at the corner of Cucumber and Vine streets near the Mt. Olive Pickle Co. on Tuesday evening.
The two brothers McMillin, Aaron and Jacob, already had a good relationship with the Mt. Olive Pickle Co. brand as fans of petite pickles.
They brought the pickle brand with them on a cruise through the Caribbean, and later in 2014, they might bring some with them when they move to California. They have even toured the facilities and the gift shop.
But Tuesday night, the 11- and 8-year-old were in Mount Olive to tick off another pickle event -- the New Year's Eve Pickle Drop.
The two were among the thousands who attended the 15th annual New Year's Eve Pickle Drop hosted by the Mt Olive Pickle Co. at the corner of Cucumber and Vine in Mount Olive early Tuesday night.
Individuals from across the country flooded into the Mt Olive Pickle Co. parking lot to watch a glowing three-foot long plastic pickle lower into a redwood pickle tank at the stroke of 7 (or midnight Greenwich Mean Time).
The event has garnered attention from national media throughout the years as one of the more different New Year's Eve celebrations.
And because of the national attention, it draws a crowd.
The brothers McMillin are from Bluffton, S.C. They were in town visiting their grandparents, Linda Jordan and Gene Rodenbeck, who live in Goldsboro. Mrs. Jordan said she knew that the highly energized boys needed something to do to occupy their New Year's Eve, so the family turned to the pickle drop.
"We knew that we were going to have to do something, and we weren't going to stay up until midnight," Mrs. Jordan said.
She said she especially liked the mainstay band, the Harmony Boys. The local group has been a staple at the event.
Bill and Beth Camilleri, both from New Jersey, were visiting friends in Goldsboro when they heard about the Pickle Drop being held on Tuesday night.
"I think it's a great idea," Mrs. Camilleri said after the pickle officially dropped. "It's early enough for children to celebrate, and it's something different.
"It's much better than Times Square," she said.
"And much more friendly," Camilleri added.