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No, your eyes won’t be deceiving you. That will be a giant pickle, as well as an oversized mustard container and spice jar, ambling through city streets on Saturday.

These life-size condiments, with humans inside, will serve both as mascots and adjudicators for what I’m calling the Great Deli Race, a scavenger hunt that will take 25 teams of four around town. This race celebrates the 90th anniversary of the Montreal Hebrew Delicatessen — much better known as Schwartz’s — on the Main.

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The winning team receives four first-class airplane tickets to Las Vegas as well as five-star hotel accommodations and tickets to Céline Dion’s show at Caesars Palace.

The Céline connection is no coincidence. The diva is a co-owner of Schwartz’s along with the city’s Nakis and Sara families. (The latter are relatives of Dion’s late husband, René Angélil.)

Schwartz’s is one of the granddaddies of Montreal restaurants. The only eateries older are the Montreal Pool Room, founded in 1912, and Old Montreal’s L’Auberge St-Gabriel, started in — yes — 1754. Not to detract from the fine fare at the latter restos, but neither can boast around-the-block lineups to match those of Schwartz’s.