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Kids and adults celebrate the banana split in Latrobe | TribLIVE.com
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Kids and adults celebrate the banana split in Latrobe

Patrick Varine
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Patrick Varine | Tribune-Review
Lee Intachi of Latrobe, on the right, poses for a photo with a Great American Banana Split Celebration staffer and festival mascot Bobby Banana on Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023, in downtown Latrobe.
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Patrick Varine | Tribune-Review
From the left, Lincoln Connelly, 4, Matt Hauser of Pittsburgh, Beth Straka of the Latrobe Police Department, Latrobe City Councilwoman Ann Amatucci, Anita Hauser of Latrobe and Edison Connelly, 2, post for a photo at the Great American Banana Split Celebration on Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023, in downtown Latrobe.
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Patrick Varine | Tribune-Review
Children try their hand at a climbing wall during the Great American Banana Split Celebration on Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023, in downtown Latrobe.
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Patrick Varine | Tribune-Review
Festival-goers at the Great American Banana Split Celebration watch the East End Kids perform on Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023, in downtown Latrobe.
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Patrick Varine | Tribune-Review
Holly McIntosh and David Klobcar of J&D Cellars in Eighty Four poses for a photo in their booth at the Great American Banana Split Celebration on Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023, in downtown Latrobe.
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Patrick Varine | Tribune-Review
From the left, Alex Blystone and Chris Stewart of Valley Dairy were hard at work preparing banana splits at the Great American Banana Split Celebration on Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023, in downtown Latrobe.
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Patrick Varine | Tribune-Review
Sas performs at the Great American Banana Split Celebration on Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023, in downtown Latrobe.
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Patrick Varine | Tribune-Review
From the left, the Gilbert sisters of Latrobe — Lily, 6, Anna, 4, and Eva, 8 — show off their face paint at the Great American Banana Split Celebration on Saturday in downtown Latrobe.
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Patrick Varine | Tribune-Review
Vendors, food trucks, children’s games and live entertainment are the order of the day at the Great American Banana Split Celebration taking place throughout this weekend in downtown Latrobe.

How early is too early to enjoy a banana split?

“Anytime is a good time,” said Eva Gilbert, 8, of Latrobe as she enjoyed lunch with sisters Lily, 6 and Anna, 4, at the Great American Banana Split Celebration, which runs through Sunday in downtown Latrobe.

Clearly, 11 a.m. is not too early, if the Valley Dairy booth was any indication Saturday morning.

“We usually buy about 25 cases of bananas to bring here every year,” Valley Dairy’s Alex Blystone said. At roughly 100 bananas per case, the dairy will go through more than 2,500 bananas this weekend.

“We’ll serve probably 3,000 splits,” Blystone said.

Over in the adults-only area, Holly McIntosh of J&D Cellars has just the right beverage on tap. That would be a banana split wine slushie.

“It has white wine, a strawberry-banana mix that I developed, with chocolate sauce and whipped cream for good measure,” McIntosh said.

From children’s games to live music and more, the festival marks the 1904 creation of the famous dessert by local pharmacist David Strickler at Tassell Pharmacy. Next year will mark its 120th anniversary.

Blystone said it is easily the most lucrative event Valley Dairy attends during the summertime.

“This is our hometown, and we look forward to it every year,” he said. “Especially on a day like today when the weather is so nice.”

The festival will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. For a full schedule of events and more information, see BananaSplitFest.com.

Patrick Varine is a TribLive reporter covering Delmont, Export and Murrysville. He is a Western Pennsylvania native and joined the Trib in 2010 after working as a reporter and editor with the former Dover Post Co. in Delaware. He can be reached at pvarine@triblive.com.

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