(OLIVE, Ky.) — A celebration decades in the making, Olive, Kentucky, will finally honor its most beloved namesake with the inaugural Olive Day Celebration, scheduled for the first Saturday in May 2026.
“For too long, we’ve lived in the shadow of our own name,” said event coordinator Doris Pemberton, clutching a bottle of extra virgin olive oil like a sacred relic. “People drive through here on the Olive-Hamlet Road and they think, ‘What’s so special about Olive?’ Well, come May, they’re gonna find out.”
The festivities will kick off at 9 AM sharp at the Old Iron Bridge on Dogtown Road, where the parade will assemble. The procession will wind its way through the junction of Highway 962 before culminating at Curd Road.
The parade’s grand marshal will be none other than Popeye the Sailor Man, though when pressed for details, organizers admitted they’re still “working out the logistics” of his appearance. “We sent letters to about fifteen different addresses,” explained volunteer Gary Hutchins. “Somebody’s bound to show up in a sailor suit.”
Following the parade, the real business begins: the Great Olive and Oil Exchange. Vendors will gather near the Grain Bins on Dogtown Road to trade olives, olive oil, and—in what some are calling a “natural extension of the oil theme”—motor oil.
“If it’s oil, we want it,” declared trading post coordinator Vernon Mills, who plans to bring forty quarts of 10W-30 and “maybe some kalamatas.” When asked if he saw any potential confusion between cooking oil and motor oil, Mills paused thoughtfully. “We’re gonna have separate tables.”
For the athletically inclined, the day will feature an arm wrestling contest held in Popeye’s honor. “Since he can’t really compete himself, being a cartoon and all, we figure we’ll do it for him,” said contestant Bobby Harper, who has been training by opening jars of olives. “Builds up the forearm real good.”
The Long Drive Golf Competition will take place in a field near the Grain Bins, where participants will attempt to drive golf balls as far as possible without hitting any agricultural equipment or startling livestock. “It’s not your fancy country club golf,” admitted sports coordinator Hunter York. “But it’s honest work.”
Rounding out the day’s attractions will be a baseball card show. Vendors are expected to bring cards featuring players whose names sound like olive varieties: José Oliva, Bobo Olivo, and “anybody else we can think of,” according to card show promoter Dennis Watts.
Olive native Jason Darnall said that Olive always will have a special place in his heart, “My Grandad used to take me and my cousin Jeremy up to John Marshall’s store for a Co-Cola and that’s where we learned what a ‘can of corn’ was.”
