This was the first time in the N.C. Pickle Festival’s almost four-decade history that a pickle costume contest was included on the roster of events. It took place in the Southern Bank Parklet at 1:30 Saturday afternoon, with 13-year-old Sabin Cortes taking top prize in the individual “Big Dill” category. His win earned him a Mt. Olive Pickle Co. gift pack, and a festival t-shirt and hat.
It seemed only natural to add a costume contest, since a number of folks showed up at last year’s festival dressed in pickle garb anyway. Melissa Kilpatrick, with Mt. Olive Pickle Co., organized the event, and the company’s mascot (and obvious costume expert) Ollie Q. Cumber served as the lone judge.
On a stage that had earlier in the day featured the pickle-eating contest, costume contestants gathered in all their pickle finery. Cassidy Bush, 22, from Augusta County, Va., sported your basic pickle pull-over; it looked pretty comfortable and apparently was, since it didn’t hamper her participation the previous evening in the Cuke Patch 5K Glow Run. Becky Murphy and Alicen Hogge went all-in with pickle-emblazoned t-shirts, green tutus, and green-sequined pickles accentuating their make-up. Also sporting a green tutu was contestant Katie Haynes from Youngsville, who happens to be the 2022 National Miss United States Agriculture Peoples Choice; she was in full head-to-toe regalia, from her Mt. Olive hat to her pickle-themed tights, socks and shoes.
It’s hard not to appreciate someone who goes to the trouble to look like a pickle, so all the contestants enjoyed the support of the crowd, but ultimately it was up to Ollie to pick the winners. They were as follows: in the Pair of Pickles category, 10-year-old Graham Smith and his 9-year-old sister, Morgan (they received a Mt. Olive gift pack and $25 gift cards to shop in the Mt. Olive Pickle Co. gift shop); in the Group of Gherkins category, the Rutland family from North, SC — yes, that really is the name of the town — (they received $25 gift cards to shop in the Mt. Olive Pickle Co. gift shop); and in the Baby Dills category, 19-month-old Ava Cooper-McGee, daughter of Marisa Aleshire (she received a stuffed version of Ollie Q. Cumber).
If you’re thinking, hey, I’ve always had a hankering to dress up like a pickle, keep your fingers crossed that the costume contest will become a permanent addition to the festival so that you can take to the stage in 2024.