This weekend: Orion launches first-ever Rocket City Pickle Fest

• Torian Blackburn and Laina Mayer, who make up The Orion's Community & Culture Team, spearheaded the event's development. Blackburn says Pickle Fest is about bringing the community together around a beloved, if unexpected, culinary icon.

What they're saying: "Pickle Fest was designed to be something joyful and completely out of the ordinary," Blackburn, The Orion's community outreach and events organizer, tells Axios.

• The idea was to create a space for local music, inventive food and playful experiences to highlight Huntsville's creative energy.
• "It was just a fun idea," Blackburn says. "At the time, Laina was pregnant, eating pickles, and I love pickles."

Zoom in: The lineup this weekend includes two live music stages featuring local acts like Local Brand, Them Damn Dogs, The Gifted and Carver Commodore.

• One stage, curated in collaboration with the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library's BLAST program, will showcase emerging talent including Ava Perryman, Hunter Blake McClendon, Uncle Emmington and Katlyn Barnes.

• Featured drinks include a pickle beer brewed specifically for this event by Yellowhammer Brewing, and pickle-twisted classic and frozen margaritas.
• Tito's Handmade Vodka is sponsoring a martini bar, and Ole Smoky Distillery will host a boozy pickle sample station.

☔️ My thought bubble: Go early and bring an umbrella, as the forecast is calling for likely showers after 1pm.

The bottom line: Pickle Fest runs 11am-5pm on Sunday, June 29. Tickets are $25, and kids 12 and under get in free. Parking is also free.