Credit Ella Abbott / IPB News
The town of St. Joe, Indiana kicked off its 25th annual Pickle Festival on Thursday, beginning the three days of festivities with food, vendors and a pickle derby.
Last year, the festival was canceled due to COVID-19, making it the 25th year of the Pickle Festival, but only their 24th celebration.
“My phone rang off the hook after they greenlighted everything to start happening again,” said Jeffrey Studebaker, the Pickle Festival president. “‘Hey, you having the festival?’ I said, well, of course we are.”
On Thursday night, community members showed up to eat, shop and play games on the grounds of Riverdale Elementary School. At one corner, the St. Joe-Spencerville Lions Club served ice cream, including a bright green pickle flavor.
COVID-19 vaccines are not yet available for teachers in Indiana, a point Madison Consolidated Schools board president Jodi Yancey spoke on at Wednesdayâs meeting of the school board.
âI am just a little bit disappointed in our state legislation that we are one of the very few states that are not vaccinating our teachers.â Yancey said. âWe want to be in school, our teachers want to be in school, the kids want to be in school, and they are not letting our teachers be vaccinated, which I just think is a travesty. I think itâs terrible.â
âEvery state around us has got teachers in the first tier of being vaccinated. In Indiana, our teachers are in the last tier. If they are expecting them to go to work, and try to stay safe, it just irritates me. I am sorry to all of our teachers and our staff,â she said adding, Madison teachers âhave been working their tails off since last March to try to stay in school, and we have nothing. I am sorry that