Pittsburgh’s Picklesburgh 2017 is a Big Dill

/ Jodi
Pittsburgh's Picklesburgh is a Big Dill! #Picklesburgh2017

Pittsburgh's Picklesburgh is a Big Dill!

Though I reside in a little town called Mars, our "big city" is Pittsburgh.  Just 30 minutes from Mars (hard to believe eh?!), Pittsburgh is really where all the "action" is.

This past weekend (July 28-29, 2017), one of Pittsburgh's 446 bridges (the Roberto Clemente or 6th Street Bridge) was closed down to automobile traffic and opened up for a dill-lightfully dill-licious celebration of all things pickle!  Picklesburgh 2017.

So what to do at "life in between?"  Why visit Picklesburgh of course!

Why Pickles?

Pittsburgh has a particularly popular pickle-loving history beginning almost 150 years ago when the H. J. Heinz Factory was built.  I remember going on a Heinz factory tour as a grade school field trip and receiving one of the now iconic pickle pins.  (My granddaughter now has one in her Grandma Memory Jar from our visit to Picklesburgh this past weekend.)

Picklesburgh celebrates EVERYthing pickled!  You could find pickle-flavored sodas, pickle beer and moonshine, and pickle-flavored cocktails.

Dill-acacies included pierogies with pickles, pickled funnel cakes, pickle-flavored custard, and deep-fried, bacon-wrapped pickles on a stick.  There were pickles and dip and grilled cheese sandwiches with pickles.  There was pickle fudge and pickle peanut butter cookies.

There were pickle balloons – small and large – including a giant flying Heinz pickle balloon, custom built by a team that also crafts balloons for Disney and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.

There were pickling food demonstrations

And pickle samples from local farm-to-table shop small vendors like Epic Pickles

and the Pittsburgh Pickle Company,

where I bought one of each flavor!

And if you don't have one yet, who could live without a dill pickle talk-to-text Linabag?

It sure was a dill-leriously dill-lectable way to spend a Saturday afternoon!

Thanks Picklesburgh!  Next year, I may just try that Pickle-flavored Italian Ice……

Maybe….

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

46 thoughts on “Pittsburgh’s Picklesburgh 2017 is a Big Dill”

  5. When I lived in Gettysburg, Pa., I never missed their Apple Harvest Festival. That pales in comparison to a Picklesburgh festival!! I would be pickled-pink to attend this pick-a-licious event! I love pickles!! Pickle pierogies – now, that I would try. Actually everything sounds tempting, but I think that a big bottle of Tums should be close at hand. I remember a tour of the Heinz Factory, that and a tour of the Hershey Factory were Pa. childhood delights. You make me nostalgic for Pa.! Benjamin wants a pickle balloon, the big one!! Is this an annual event? Who would not make this journey for the sake of honoring the noble pickle? Thank-you!

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    • It is an annual event. This was only the third, but by the size of the crowd, it will surely continue. I would have loved to try the pierogi, but the lines were so long, and my DIL and I were trying to navigate crowds with a stroller and baby in tow. It was so worth it. Super fun!

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  7. I’ve only been to Pitts…Pickleburg once and really loved it. What a fun city and fun post. I love pickles and pickles on my food, but… pickle beer? Pickle funnel cakes? Pickle custard? Umm… yum? Ha ha. Looks like the whole city got into it and what a great excuse for some fun and celebration. Thanks for the morning giggles. 🙂

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  9. OH Wow! They really do go all out don’t they! We will have to come next year, Brad would love trying all those pickle foods and drinks. Me on the other hand, I would just have fun watching him. LOL! I am not a pickle fan, but who knows maybe I would like something there 🙂

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  14. Well, having lived in a town that considered itself the Zucchini Capital of the world. And another town that has a Corn Festival that last a week, with the mayor fully dressed in corn attire. I can only marvel at the creativety of pickles. Great community experience with art and music and fun. Love it

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  17. One of my fondest childhood memories is of those field trips to Heinz in the early 60’s! We’re not too much into pickles at our house, but would NEVER think of having another ketchup (NOT catsup please!) in our home other than Heinz. We just got back from visiting our grandkids in Chicago, and my son and DIL have some sort of organic Whole Foods ketchup they use. Gross! Where did I go wrong…? 🙂

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