Bagel Street Deli, located at 27 S. Court St., is known for its steamed bagel-wiches and down-to-earth decor, but once a year, something else steals the spotlight. Last Friday, the bashful “Big Pickle,” an item found on the side menu, took center stage during the deli’s 25th annual Picklefest.
Friday morning, the deli closed early in anticipation of its biggest event of the year. Athens locals, Ohio University alumni and students of all ages crowded the sidewalk in front of Bagel Street Deli, anxiously waiting for the doors to open. Jack Hipple, a student at Logan High School, was among those hoping to participate.
“Mr. Meyer was talking about it in class and I thought it sounded really fun,” Hipple said. “He owns (the deli). He’s my current events teacher in government.”
Lenny Meyer, co-owner of Bagel Street Deli with Megan McElligott-Meyer, has taught in the Logan-Hocking School District for 26 years. Dozens of Mr. Meyer’s high school students showed up at the event in support and to participate.
The pivotal event of Picklefest is the pickle-eating competition. Participants compete to see how many pickles they can eat in 10 minutes. However, these aren’t normal sandwich pickles; they’re about as long as a toothbrush and as thick as a canned energy drink.
“We’ve done this for 25 years,” McElligott-Meyer said. “It’s kind of ridiculous, but it’s super fun.”
In addition to the festivity of the event, Picklefest is also a fundraiser. The competition winner allots approximately $500 to a charity of their choice, as well as creates and names their own bagel-wich to go on the menu.
15 minutes before the event began, the doors opened to the crowd outside. Bagel Street Deli employees, referred to as bagelers, rallied the crowd and registered participants for the pickle-eating contest. Carlotta Dattilo, a senior studying psychology, was one of the bagelers helping to organize the pickle and water table.
“It's a lot of work leading up to it,” Dattilo said. “But it's mostly just fun because it's all of us working together, which I think makes it really great. We get to design these T-shirts and all the proceeds go to charity, which I think makes the whole thing just way more fun.”
The small deli was abuzz, packed with dozens of witnesses and a handful of hopeful participants. Piles of pickles were placed in front of the participants, many whom already looked a little green in the face. When the clock hit 4 p.m., the event officially began and the rules of the contest were explained by Mr. Meyer.
The contestants had 10 minutes to eat as many pickles as they could. Three rules were announced before every heat: pickles must be completely finished to be counted, pickles cannot be twisted or mutilated and no “relish” can be made — what the bagelers called throwing up.
The first heat commenced with 13 participants. The time started ticking when the Ram's horn, blown by Meyer, sounded.
During the first half, Logan High School students and brothers, Brody and Colin Kittle, averaged a pickle a minute. But when Colin slowed down, Brody sped up.
At the end of the 10 minutes, Brody was tied with Quentin Cole, a senior studying anthropology and Asian studies, after eating seven pickles each. Despite losing, Colin only had good things to say about the experience and competing alongside his brother.
The second heat started off strong, with many competitors finishing pickles within the first minute. Two strong combatants emerged from opposing ends of the table, both receiving chants from their fans.
Audience members held up signs to support their friends and cheers broke out in support of the favored pickle-eaters. At the end of the second heat, one winner broke out, Stephen Orsini, a senior studying aviation, who ate nine pickles.
“My stomach’s poking a little bit, but we’re alright,” Orsini said. “I feel kind of OK, surprisingly … I told myself I was going to win.”
The third heat was equally as close. The bagelers yelled manifestations, promising the participants they could indeed “do it.”
Then, one person pulled ahead. In high spirits, Kyle Amann shouted “PICKLEFEST” as he downed his seventh pickle. Amann, who graduated from OU in 2011, won the third heat with nine pickles, tying for first place with Orsini.
“I’d be co-winners with Stephen, who won the second heat,” Amann said. “But I guess this guy’s done like 11, and he’s wearing goggles. This guy is probably going to win. He’s won the past two years or something.”
The goggle-wearer in question was Dylan Burke, a previous two-time Picklefest winner. In 2024, Burke ate 10 pickles and won in a tie. However, before Burke competed, the bagelers had a chance to become the pickle-ers.
The crowd cheered on the Bagel Street Deli workers as they competed in the employee round. Competitors stood on chairs and pickle costumes were worn proudly, but none were able to eat the seemingly unbeatable nine pickles.
The fourth and final heat kicked off shortly after. Burke began steadily, spurred on by the cheers of over a dozen fans. Then, around the sixth pickle, the dreaded event happened — Burke made relish, disqualifying him from the competition.
From the chaos, a new competitor arose. This pickle eater quickly pulled ahead with six, then seven pickles, leaving other participants in the dust.
When the horn blew, JT Whaley, a business student at Hocking College, had eaten ten pickles, which meant he could officially add “Picklefest winner” to his resume. As for how he’s going to utilize his prizes, Whaley has yet to make a decision.
“I literally have no idea,” Whaley said. “I signed up Friday … no training went into this whatsoever… I just decided to do it.”
The grand prize was a bagelwich of Whaley’s own making: JT’s BLT. The sandwich consists of bacon, pepper jack cheese, banana peppers, lettuce, tomato and chipotle mayo, smashed between an everything bagel. A charity donation of $600 will go to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
As the high-spirited crowd dispersed back onto Court Street, another successful Picklefest in the books, Whaley had one last thing to say: “I’m probably going to go throw up.”
