Shelves at the Mount Olive Area Chamber of Commerce are filled with Pickle Festival merchandise that is now for sale. As usual, t-shirts are available, but the wording on them differs from that on the shirt worn by Julie Beck, president of the Chamber and festival co-chair. Instead of large lettering spelling ‘North Carolina Pickle Festival’ and incorporating ‘007’ (which, festival organizers discovered, is trademarked), two different versions of t-shirts are offered: one that reads ‘pickled, not stirred’ and another that reads ‘license to dill.’ (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)
Among the Pickle Festival items currently for sale at the Mount Olive Area Chamber of Commerce are: tumblers, socks, garden flags, lick-and-stick tattoos, and stickers. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)
In a nod to the Pickle Festival’s theme, James Bond-inspired sunglasses, emblazoned with ‘NC Pickle Festival’ on the arms, are part of the merchandise line-up this year. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)
Limited edition totes ‘filled with all things pickly,’ according to Julie Beck, president of the Mount Olive Area Chamber of Commerce and co-chair of the Pickle Festival, will be offered for sale only on the day of the festival. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)
With less than a month to go before the annual North Carolina Pickle Festival, associated merchandise — at least, most of it — is now for sale at the Chamber of Commerce.
This year, there’s a mix of items traditionally sold at the festival, along with some new offerings. T-shirts, always popular with festival lovers, feature four different colors and two slightly different styles, reflecting the festival’s James Bond theme. The graphic on all shirts features a very pickle-like James Bond, sporting his trademark hat and sunglasses, behind the wheel of an Aston Martin. Shirts in red or black feature the words “pickled, not stirred,” a reference to Bond’s preference for martinis “shaken, not stirred.” For those who’d rather no alcohol reference, there are shirts in green or blue that state “license to dill,” in reference to the Bond movie, Licence to Kill. The original design for the shirts prominently featured “007” in the wording, but had to be changed because “007” is trademarked.
Other merchandise now available includes: hats, lick-and-stick tattoos, stickers, garden flags, socks, and tumblers. And, in a nod to the sunglass-wearing secret agent, sunglasses, with “NC Pickle Festival” along the arms, are also for sale.
For the first-time ever, VIP totes will also be sold, but these will not be available until the day of the festival.
Up front, what you need to know, according to Julie Beck, president of the Mount Olive Area Chamber of Commerce and co-chair of the Pickle Festival, is that “VIP stands for Very Important Pickle.”
The totes, she says, will “be filled with all things pickly.” She got the idea when she ordered a Pickle Box from HelloFresh, a company that sells meal kits. HelloFresh’s box included an array of pickle-flavored snacks, and, while the VIP totes will also include pickle-flavored eats — such as popcorn, chips, peanuts and cotton candy (yes, cotton candy) — they’ll also include lots of other items, like ornaments, lip balm and air freshener (for those days when nothin’ but the scent of a gherkin will do). “We’re trying to feature as many North Carolina products in here as possible, because we just think it’s important to support our own agriculture,” Beck states.
“We’re trying it for the first time ever this year,” she notes, pointing out that only 190 totes will be available, and she’s not taking any pre-orders. “It’s first come, first served. If it goes over well, we’ll do a whole lot more next year.” The totes will be priced at $75 each.
On the Saturday of the festival, all merchandise will be for sale at the information booth in front of the Chamber of Commerce.
