A dill-ectible day for a festival
By Steve Herring
Published in News on April 28, 2018 9:45 PM
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The University of Mount Olive Trojan pulls ahead of his competition during the first round of the annual mascot race Saturday. The Trojan went on to the championship round and won, making him winner two out of three years the competition has been a part of the festival.
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Alyssa Lucas, 5, and Kyttalia Wells, 5, go down the giant slide with Kyttalia's mother Melissa Saturday night in the children's ride area of the North Carolina Pickle Festival.
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Overall winner of the N.C. Pickle Festival pickle eating contest Jessy Burritt jumps around lightly on her feet and holds her head back as she swallows one of the last few bites in Saturday's competition.
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Kinzlee Ashley, 1, smiles as she touches the fur of a goat in the petting zoo area at the N.C. Pickle Festival Saturday. Her mother, Jordan, holds up her cellphone to get a photo.
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Levis Jackson Shannon, 10, of Wallace, cleans the wheels on the Corvette owned by family friend Robert Allee prior to the start of the N.C. Pickle Festival car show Saturday in Mount Olive.
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Cousins Haley Rarick, 6, left, and AnnaKay Rarick, 4, shoot bubbles at each other as they walk along Center Street Saturday during the 32nd annual N.C. Pickle Festival in Mount Olive.
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Debbie Carlyle and Rick Ginn dance to the music of The Tazz Band in the streets of downtown Mount Olive Friday night.
MOUNT OLIVE -- Levi Jackson Shannon, 10, of Wallace, was on a mission Saturday morning as he polished the wheels of his friend's bright yellow 2013 Corvette ZR1.
Levi wanted to win a trophy at his first car show, and he said he didn't care about what kind it was, just as long as it was big one.
There were plenty of trophies to go around during Saturday's 32nd annual N.C. Pickle Festival that attracted tens of thousands to the self-proclaimed "Pickle Capital" and home of the Mt. Olive Pickle Co.
"I like Corvettes," Levi said, taking a break from his work. "This is my favorite."
What makes it even more exciting, he said, is getting to ride in the car that is owned by family friend, Robert Allee, also of Wallace.
Levi said the Lamborghini is his second favorite car.
Along with the popular car show, awards were also handed out to chili and salsa cookers, while cash and a year's supply of pickles were awarded for the best rendition of "Olie's Anthem," an ode to the cucumber.
Sponsored by the Mount Olive Area Chamber of Commerce, the day-long festival offered all things pickle -- a pickle-eating contest, a pickle-packing contest, a pickle derby, a pickle train, a wide variety of pickle-flavored foods and plenty of free Mt. Olive Pickles.
For anyone not interested in pickles, vendors sold just about any kind of food festivalgoers might want.
Vendors also sold arts and crafts and local groups held fundraisers.
Entertainment -- from dancers to live music -- was spread across three stages, and carnival rides were set up for the young and young-at-heart.
There was even a one-man band and the crowd-favorite mascot race pitting mascots from different companies against each other in a foot race.
For the adventurous, Unity Baptist Church set up an obstacle course next to the Habitat for Humanity build where volunteers put in flooring.
The festival officially kicked off Friday night with a free concert, the Cuke Patch 5K glow run, the first round of the chili cook-off and carnival rides.
Overhead, festivalgoers got a bird's-eye-view by taking helicopter rides.
Vendors began setting up before 6:30 a.m. with the festival going non-stop from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Bruce Beckman and family traveled from Cameron for the festival after reading about it in Our State magazine.
"So we certainly put it on our calendar and planned to come," he said. "We went through the bouncy house, had a free sample of ice cream, we found the restrooms, now we are waiting patiently for our balloon.
"It is terrific and a lot of fun. We got here early. Getting here early is important, I think, because I can imagine this afternoon it is going to be crowded and hot."
Having a festival dedicated to the pickle is great, he said,
With directions to the free Mt. Olive Pickles, the family moved on.
Don and Cheryl Rarick of Goldsboro were at the festival with their four grandchildren including cousins Haley Rarick, 6, and AnnaKay Rarick, 4, who a waged a bubble-blowing gun battle with each other as they walked down Center Street.
Cheryl laughed as she said that when they got home she was going to give the bubble-blowing guns to the girls' parents.
Grandson, Cody Rarick had two large blow-up bananas around his neck. Granddaughter Brianna Rarick was holding a prize, too.
Cheryl said they have been coming to the festival for several years, but Saturday was the first time they had been able to bring all of their grandchildren.
"We love the Pickle Festival," she said. "What's not to love about it?"
"Pickles are great," Cody said.
"We have fun," Cheryl said. "We have games, all kinds of great toys, lots of people, food."
Cody said he enjoyed the games, the prizes, all of the people and how much fun the festival is.
"It is a great time and a lot of enjoyment," he said.
Cheryl said she likes walking around because she gets to see people that she doesn't get to see every day.
"Of courses, the kids have had a ball, and that is our enjoyment," she said.
Coming just days after cooler, wet weather, the conditions could not have been prettier for the festival, said Lynn Williams, N.C. Pickle Festival co-chair.
"We have had fabulous crowds today," she said. "The weather has been spot-on perfect. This has been the smoothest opening, the smoothest Friday night that we have had."
There was so much going on that it is impossible to say what had been the most popular, she said.
The car show is always a festival favorite, and the antique tractor display enjoyed a large crowd as well, Williams said.
"There have been good spots all over the festival, so it has been a great day," she said.