CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In honor of its 125th Banana-Versary, marking 125 years in the banana business, Dole Food Company will host the inaugural Dole Great American Banana Challenge on Aug. 24 during the Great American Banana Split Celebration, Aug. 24-25, 2024, in Latrobe, Pa. The produce leader agreed to sponsor the annual Challenge through 2027.
According to Banana Challenge rules, the banana fan who peels and eats the most DOLE® Bananas in 125 seconds on the event’s Robindale Main Stage will receive the inaugural Dole Banana Challenge Belt, designed and produced by Andrew Lazarchik, founder and owner of Wildcat Championship Belts. Wildcat produces the championship belts for the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, the Pepsi/NFL Player of the Week and the WWE.
Banana fans can officially register for the Dole Great American Banana Challenge here.
The Great American Banana Split Celebration honors the 1904 invention of the banana split at Latrobe’s Tassel’s Pharmacy and has been a regular destination for banana and dessert fans since 2013 when the Pennsylvania Historical Society unveiled a marker at the downtown Latrobe site where it all began.
Dole helped organize the first Banana Split Celebration 11 years ago in conjunction with Aug. 25’s designation as National Banana Split Day, and sent a team of employees and Bobby Banana, the company’s 7-foot iconic mascot and healthy-eating ambassador. This year, in addition to serving as an unofficial Dole Banana Challenge judge, Bobby will cheer-on participants in the annual 5K Banana Run Aug. 24 at Latrobe Memorial Stadium.
“Dole is proud that our bananas have provided the foundation for countless classic and new-twist banana split recipes for years at Latrobe’s Banana Split Celebration – and prouder still to have introduced several great-tasting versions made better with berries, pineapple and other fresh fruit to the mix,” said William Goldfield, the company’s director of communications. “So, when we had the chance to help create a new, more nutrient-dense version of the quintessentially American eating contest that doesn’t sacrifice the fun, we were eager to participate.”
Banana split lovers wanting all the delicious indulgence of the famous dessert but in a healthier version are directed to Dole’s Berry Banana Splitz and Honey Pomegranate Banana Split recipes, and to a new, how-to blog post by Melanie Marcus, Dole’s health, wellness and communications manager.
The Dole 125th Banana-Versary continues throughout 2024 with in-store messaging, contests, partnerships, proclamations, recipes and appearances by Bobby Banana. A special highlight is “125 Ways to Be Bananas,” part of a web and social media series of banana hacks, tips and recipes, digital downloads, engagement opportunities and ways to share banana memories.
For continually refreshed and updated information on the Dole 125th Banana-Versary, go to dole.com/125. Use hashtags #DoleBananaVersary, #DoleBananas125, #BananasForTheFuture, #BananaVersary and #Fresh4Future to join in on the conversation.
For more info and to register for the Dole Great American Banana Challenge, go to https://bananasplitfest.com/events/banana-challenge/. For details on three-day Celebration, visit the event website.
About the Great American Banana Split Celebration
The Great American Banana Split Celebration has been an annual staple in Latrobe, Pa., since 2013, when the Pennsylvania Historical Society unveiled a marker at the former site of Tassel’s Pharmacy where a 23-year-old soda jerk named David Sticker invented a new dessert in 1904 called the banana split. Since then, the three-day festival has grown into one of the largest free food celebrations in the country. The 12th annual edition is Aug 23-25, 2024, culminating on National Banana Split Day on Aug. 25. For details, go to https://bananasplitfest.com/.
About Dole plc
Dole plc, is one of the world’s largest producers and marketers of high-quality fresh fruit and fresh vegetables. Dole is an industry leader in many of the products it sells, as well as in nutrition education. For more information, visit www.dole.com.
