Lower East Side Pickle Day to Return in April 2012
With the first annual Peck Slip Pickle Festival rearing its head this Sunday at the New Amsterdam Market, rumors abound regarding the future of the Lower East Side forerunner. We’ve fielded much correspondence these last few weeks asking about the fate of the neighborhood celebration. The negative talk is unfounded, though. Today we can safely say that the International Pickle Day as you’ve known it for the last decade will march along, but not in 2011. According to Bob Zuckerman of the Lower East Side BID, the tentative date for the event is April 29, 2012.
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This sudden split is attributed to an organizational divestment by longtime event supporter NYC Food Museum in the face of mounting public pickle popularity. Henceforth, management of the International Pickle Day and Peck Slip Pickle festivals will respectively be handled by the BID and New Amsterdam Market. So now the city boasts two such seasonal celebrations roughly seven months apart. Uh-oh, a little bit of competition!
Meanwhile, Nancy Ralph recently spilled the pickles, if you will, on the official website:
Some exciting news – over the years, the annual New York City International Pickle Day spawned much interest and activity. Consequently, we’ve branched out to two events; with new leadership, new energy and new interpretations! While the NY Food Museum supports both these efforts, and will be making some contributions to programming, management of the festivals celebrating traditions and innovations of pickling will be headed separately by two different organizations, the New Amsterdam Market, and the Lower East Side Business Improvement District.
Thanks for your 10 years of support for NYC International Pickle Day. Please bring your energy to these new events, and have a briny old time!
Cheers,
Nancy Ralph