Pickle Fest: Mission Accepted or Dill-nied?

By Alexis Larsen, Dine Out Dayton Correspondent, June 18, 2025

Pickle Fest Mission Illustration

Once upon a briny time in a land called Austin Landing, the air was thick with anticipation… and vinegar. The 4th Annual Pickle Fest – JUST DILL WITH IT had arrived, and thousands of proud pickleheads descended like hungry seagulls on a picnic basket.

That once upon a time has come when Pickle Fest storms Austin Landing this Saturday and whether you’re a full-blown gherkin groupie or just here for the deep-fried chaos and to relish the moment, you’re in for one heck of a crunchy good time.

Over 50 food and vendor booths are rolling in, bringing everything from classic spears to gourmet pickle pops, pickle egg rolls, and fried pickles that might just change your life. It’s going to be wall-to-wall dill with no chill packed tighter than a jar of gherkins, overflowing with crunchy delights and briny fun. The lineup? Legendary. The vibes? Electric. The puns? Unrelenting.

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In honor of Tom Cruise and his latest Mission Impossible release and our military roots locally with Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, here is your top secret Pickle Fest mission should you choose to accept it … Our advice? Accept the mission. Embrace the crunch.

OPERATION JUST DILL WITH IT

FROM: Department of Fermentation and Festival Intelligence (DFFI)
TO: The Pickle Loving Public
RE: Pickle Fest 2024
LOCATION: Austin Landing
DATE/TIME: Saturday, June 21 | 1500–2200 hours
SECURITY LEVEL: High Sodium

MISSION OBJECTIVE: Deploy to Austin Landing and engage in full-spectrum pickle activity. The public is encouraged to embrace maximum dill exposure. No judgment, only jubilation.

Pickle Operatives:

  • Aime’s Gourmet Pickles – so good they probably have their own fan club.
  • The Crazy Cucumber – boldly going where no cuke has gone before.
  • Lang’s Classics – old-school pickles for new-school snackers.
  • Pickled Paradise – because your mouth deserves a vacation.
  • Pawpaw’s Pickles – like grandpa, if he was a pickle.

This isn’t your average backyard pickle party. This is full-on brine warfare. Snack Intel suggests: Pickle egg rolls, pickles on a stick, pickle back shots, pickle gourmet ice pops, deep-fried pickles and more. Warning: You may leave with an emotional attachment to a mason jar.

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On the Food Front:

  • 1776 Grill (taste the freedom)
  • Batter-Up Funnel Cakes (powdered sugar and patriotism)
  • Buckeye Kettle Corn (sweet meets salt meets crunch)
  • Dawghouse LLC (franks + fun)
  • Dayton BBQ Co (smoked dreams)
  • Eddie’s Roasted Corn (cobs of glory)
  • El Meson (Latin flavor fireworks)
  • Fatty Daddyz (don’t ask, just eat)
  • Frio Pops (freeze your taste buds in joy)
  • Groovy Sweets (vintage candy + new school cool)
  • Hamburger Wagon (a Dayton legend)
  • Kona Ice (a brain freeze in every color)
  • Lilia’s Outside Café (world flavors, local flair)
  • Little Boijon Asian Cuisine (bold bites in bamboo steamers)
  • Lumpia Queen (reigning queen of Filipino crunch)
  • McNastys (don’t take the name at face value, good grub)
  • Renny Hennys Wings (saucy royalty)
  • Road House Grill (no rules, just flavor)
  • Rolling Indulgence (decadence on wheels)
  • Squeaky Cheese Curds (squeaky. cheesy. necessary.)
  • Sweetumms (your dentist will understand)
  • Tasty Sips (because hydration can be fun)
  • Travelin’ Toms (cold brew heroes)
  • Victory Lane Pizza (cheesy checkered flags)
  • Whit’s Frozen Custard (smooth and delicious)
  • Wild Bill’s Soda (old-fashioned fizz)
  • Zombie Dogz (undead, over-the-top hot dogs)

FESTIVAL FEATURES:

  • Pickle Eating Contest: Confirmed. Crowd control advised. Ponchos recommended.
  • Kids’ Pickle Bobbing Contest: Training future operatives in vinegar resilience and hand-free extraction.
  • Live Music Surveillance: Classic Jam will open with Right Now, a Van Halen Tribute closing with some tight rock.
  • Vendor intel: When you’re not stuffing your face with spears, check out dozens of vendors selling everything from jerky to jewelry to hand-pickled dreams.

ENTRY ACCESS & COST:

FINAL BRIEFING:
This is not a drill. It’s a dill. Report for duty. Embrace the brine. Prepare for a vinegar tsunami. And above all— JUST. DILL. WITH. IT. Because sometimes, life hands you pickles and that’s when you crunch louder.

This message will self-dill-struct in 5… 4… 3…

Alexis Larsen is the Miami Valley Restaurant Association‘s Dine Out Dayton Correspondent and is The Dayton Dish food columnist for the Dayton Business Journal. Stay tuned for more articles from Larsen who has been covering local restaurants and food and dining for more than two decades. When she’s not out dining and writing on nights and weekends Larsen serves as the Chief of Philanthropy for Five Rivers MetroParks.