Pickleballs and paddles will be replacing sticks and pucks at the Ken Houston Memorial Arena in Dresden this coming weekend for a fundraising event hosted by Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman TJ Brodie and his wife Amber.
The event, dubbed "The Rally at the Barn," will be raising money for the Lighthouse Foundation, which supports cystic fibrosis (CF) and multiple sclerosis (MS) research and awareness.
Pickleball may seem a bit out of place coming from such a hockey-focused family, but a family friend of the Brodies sparked the idea.
"One of TJ's dad's friends... has become a huge pickleball fanatic and kind of approached us with this and we thought, 'why not?'" said Amber. "We've since learned that there is a huge pickleball community within Chatham-Kent but we haven't had a tournament for everyone to join."
The event starts with a free youth clinic from 10am to 11am on Friday, July 22, followed by a ladies-only pickle and cider event, and a pickleball clinic Friday afternoon.
Registration is closed for team play, but there is still room for an open play clinic Friday evening. Tickets purchased for that will include entry to a Hot Stove Lounge Event.
"We are having some local athletes join us to talk about the importance of community involvement and competing," said Amber.
Local pro hockey player Jamie Schaafsma, former all-Canadian basketball player Amanda Curtis, and Chris R. Moynes from ONE Sports + Entertainment Group will all be on hand for the Hot Stove Event along with, of course, TJ Brodie.
Anyone who is interested in attending the event can register through the Taylored Pickleball Academy. You can click here for more information.