(ABC 6 News) – Friday marks the beginning of this year’s Pine Island Cheese Festival, a 3-day festival that has been going on annually since 1936.

The festivities kick off today at 5 p.m. with a carnival, food vendors, and a newly added cheese market. There will also be fireworks that will go off at dusk Friday evening.

Saturday morning, there will be a pancake breakfast at Trailhead Park and a cheese and wine gala happening at 2 p.m.

The community of the town takes great pride in the culture of Pine Island.

“We have a great community, great school district, great people; we’re growing and it’s great for us to all be able to come together, especially growing, having new people come in and getting to know them, and for people to just come and see and realize how great we are and a great place [Pine Island] to be,” said festival chair member Terrilynn Sutherland.

There will also be a rubber duck race in the Zumbro River underneath the Main Street bridge to see whose duck can get down the river the fastest.