A new tradition for Pine Island’s Cheese Festival

[anvplayer video=”5179721″ station=”998128″]

(ABC 6 News) – This weekend is the Pine Island Cheese Festival. A tradition for more than 80 years. Now, a new tradition is about to begin.

It’s the first Pine Island Cheese Festival Pickleball Tournament. The Pine Island Pickleball Association was formed last year and now has more than 300 members. The Association board brought the idea to Cheese Fest as a fundraiser.

“I think it’s really fun for people to be able to come and see live what pickleball is. A lot of people have heard about it but they don’t really know. It’s kind of a cross between tennis, badminton, [and] ping pong,” said Kari Toft, the President of the Pine Island Pickleball Association.

“It’s really, really interesting to watch.”

The tournament starts at 5:00 p.m. with mixed doubles teams. For a full tournament schedule, you can click here.