To help mark the 20th dropping of the pickle in Mount Olive, a 10-minute fireworks display will immediately follow the drop, and food trucks will be available.

The New Year’s Eve Pickle Drop, first held and attended in 1999 by a handful of Mt. Olive Pickle employees, annually draws several thousand. The family-friendly event gets underway with live music at 5:30, and the glowing, three-and-a-half-foot pickle drops from the Mount Olive Volunteer Fire Department’s tower truck promptly at 7 o’clock.

In addition to the fireworks and food trucks, the evening includes the staples that have been a hallmark of the event for years: line dancing, free pickles, cookies and hot chocolate, and a canned food drive for the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina. Those bringing canned food or making a financial contribution receive a chance to win door prizes from the Mt. Olive Pickle Company gift shop at the evening’s end. The grand prize is a pool pickle similar to the New Year’s Eve pickle.

“We’ve always said get here early, the whole’s thing’s over at 7:05. While the fireworks will extend the evening just a little longer this year, we will still wrap up shortly after 7 o’clock,” Mrs. Williams said. “That’s been the best part of it for 20 years: it’s early, it’s quick, and it’s just a lot of fun.”