June 7 – Banana Split Festival in Wilmington, Ohio

Posted June 7, 2013

Apparently there are those who claim that the banana split was invented by a young man in Pennsylvania.

There are those who celebrate National Banana Split Day on August 25.

But the folks of Wilmington, Ohio, give no credence to that nonsense! They stand by their claim that local restaurant owner Ernest Hazard invented the banana split—both the dessert and the name—in 1907. And they created an entire festival to celebrate the invention!

From pony rides to sing-alongs, from a Fun Run to a car show, from the Masters Competition in which chefs build their own versions of banana splits to a make-your-own banana split booth, the Banana Split Festival sounds like a ton of fun!

Necessity is the mother of invention?

Many people say that “Necessity is the mother of invention,” meaning that when people need to get something done, they often end up inventing something in order to do so. But lots of inventions are not thought up to solve a specific problem. Instead, they are the result of play and creative experimentation.

That's what happened with the banana split. Hazard was having a downturn in business at his restaurant, so he started a contest with all of his employees: they could have unlimited access to ingredients as they try to come up with an unusual yet delicious dish. Hopefully, lots of customers would want to come try the new dish!

Hazard ended up winning his own contest with his long dessert treat. He also came up with the name “banana split,” and he stuck with this idea even though a friend told him that nobody would ever order something called a banana split.


Celebrate with your own mini-festival.

Of course, you want to create your own build-a-banana-split bar. Invite your friends and family to enjoy ice cream, bananas, syrups and toppings, whipped cream, nuts, and cherries!

You could have a no-hands sundae-eating contest...if you don't mind a mess!


FreeBirthday Treats has a few other ideas for your mini-festival, such as a cute relay race. 




This healthy "banana split" is made with cottage cheese,
nuts, and strawberry jam. I can see it being made with
yummy vanilla-flavored Greek yogurt, too.
Also on this date:























Plan ahead:

Check out my Pinterest pages on June holidayshistorical anniversaries in June, and June birthdays.

And here are my Pinterest pages on July holidayshistorical anniversaries in July, and July birthdays.






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