Pickle Ticklers

Few things in New York surprise me anymore, so I was not that shocked when I was reading Time Out NYC and saw a listing for the International Pickle Day Festival. Yes, that's right, an entire street fair dedicated to the pickle.
So, Michael and I decided to venture down to the Village and check out this pickle fest.
It was so cool. Pickle vendors sat up their boothes and after standing in a cheery line (who wouldn't be cheery at a pickle festival afterall,) would give you a free pickle and tell you the history of their pickle and why their pickle was in fact the best pickle to be had in New York. Oh, and these picklers don't just pickle cucumbers. Oh no, there were pickled beets, turnips, shallots, ginger, cheese, mangoes, pineapples... The best though was the pickle tickler maker. He was a green clad man making pickle ticklers (sticks with green feathers supposedly plucked from the mythical schtickler) used to drive kittens (and older siblings) crazy.
Michael and I gorged ourselves on the pickled treats until the brine began to bother our tummies. Then on our way out he fulfilled my college day fantasies of being "pinned" by buying me my very own pickle pin. He's so sweet.