In Latrobe, the historic town about 40 miles east of Pittsburgh, the banana split isn’t just a dessert. It’s a civic identity—and the excuse for a full-blown hometown extravaganza. At the Great American Banana Split Celebration, which kicks off Saturday, banana-costumed runners will race in a 5K, home bakers will vie for top honors with their most ambitious banana-based pastries, food and drink vendors will serve up endless variations on the classic split, the newly crowned Banana Split Princess will meet-and-greet her subjects, crowds will snap selfies beside an oversize banana split sculpture crafted from body pillows and spray foam insulation, and the winner of the banana-eating contest will hoist aloft a hand-painted, 24-karat-gold-plated championship belt worthy of the WWE.

Why such a fuss over a frozen dessert that’s a staple of scoop shops everywhere?

“The draw is nostalgia, community, civic pride, and small-town identity,” says Briana Tomack, president and CEO of the Greater Latrobe-Laurel Valley Chamber of Commerce, which has been producing the event since 2013. “Plus it’s fun.”

How Latrobe Became the Birthplace of the Banana Split

Latrobe traces its banana split lineage back to 1904, when David “Doc” Strickler, a 23-year-old soda jerk working at Latrobe’s Tassel Pharmacy, concocted the dessert with a sliced banana, three scoops of ice cream, sugar syrups, whipped cream, nuts, and cherries. Priced at 10 cents, it cost twice as much as the other sundaes on the menu, but students at nearby Saint Vincent College went crazy for it, and carried the recipe back to soda shops in their far-flung hometowns. From there, the banana split spread beyond Pennsylvania and became an American classic—and gave Latrobe a claim to dessert fame it has been promoting for more than a century. 

Latrobe Puts Its Banana Split History On Display

Over the years, Latrobe’s banana split birthright found its way onto everything from candles to stainless steel tumblers—and, thanks to local artist and Latrobe native Jodee Harris, into a giant sculpture she hand-crafted in her living room using papier-mâché, brown house paint, pillows, paper towels, and an assist from her husband. Now one of the weekend’s most-recognized and most-photographed attractions, the colossal confection will be positioned in a prime spot near the merchandise booth, which Harris will help staff during the weekend. 

“People try to stand their kids on the banana split,” says Harris. “I spend half the time saying, ‘Please don’t touch that.’ ”

The Banana Eating Contest Winner Earns a Championship Belt 

The weekend’s banana eating contest may be the only sporting event in the country where the training regimen involves peeling. The fruit-gobbling showdown originally started as a banana-cream-pie-eating contest, but when Dole returned as a sponsor in 2023, pies gave way to whole bananas. Last year, Saint Vincent College student Leo Sun ate 11½ bananas in 125 seconds, but whether the reigning champ will return to defend his title in 2026 is still a mystery. “I’m not sure if he graduated,” says Tomack. “But if he’s still around, we hope he’ll be there.”

In Latrobe, that level of competitive eating comes with a championship belt. It’s the handiwork of Andrew Lazarchik, whose Latrobe-based company, Wildcat Championship Belts, supplies elaborate bespoke belts for clients including Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, the WWE, the Food Network’s Tournament of Champions, and the New York Mets. 

Lazarchik’s design features a bunch of bananas front-and-center and is crafted in brown leather—“it’s inspired by the color of a ripe banana,” he says—with space to engrave the name of each year’s champ. On Saturday morning before the competition starts, Lazarchik walks around downtown with the gold-plated, hand-painted belt, using it to drum up interest in the contest and recruit contestants. “The belt definitely grabs attention,” says Lazarchik.

Honoring the Banana Split History

Getting people excited about banana splits comes naturally to Lazarchik. His father Tom, a pharmacist, was the last owner of the iconic drugstore where Strickler invented the dessert. The elder Lazarchik, who owned the store from 1965 until its closure in 2000, was a lifelong booster for Latrobe as the originator of the banana split, offering free promotional pamphlets to customers and selling themed key chains. His enthusiasm was exceeded only by Joseph “Ice Cream Joe” Greubel, owner of the local Valley Dairy restaurant and ice cream parlor. An enthusiastic champion of the banana split and Latrobe’s place in culinary history, Greubel lobbied hard to secure official recognition of the dessert by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. His campaigning proved successful, and in a 2013 unveiling ceremony attended by native son Arnold Palmer, Latrobe erected its official historical marker as the birthplace of the banana split. 

Flash-forward to 2026, and the weekend celebration of the triple-scoop sundae now attracts tens of thousands of visitors to Latrobe. The street party stretches across six-plus blocks of downtown, and features more than 100 vendors, performers, and activities. The weekend kicks off Friday night with the Yellow Tie Gala, a fundraiser where attendees don semi-formal or yellow attire, sip cocktails, and dig into banana splits.

Lazarchik, who has been involved in the planning and promotion of the celebration from its earliest years, has watched the modest banana-split evangelism of his father’s era grow into something neither of them could have imagined. “If my late father could attend the celebration he’d be very surprised,” he says. “And very proud.”

What To Know Before You Go

• The Great American Banana Split Celebration takes place at 811 Ligonier Street, Latrobe. Admission is free.
• The hours are Saturday, August 22, 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. and Sunday, August 23, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. 
• Free parking is available in non-reserved spaces throughout Latrobe during the event, including on-street spaces, surface lots, and the downtown parking garage. 
• The Yellow Tie Gala is from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, August 21, at the Latrobe Art Center.
• The 5K Banana Run is Saturday, August 22. Registration opens at 7 a.m., and the race starts at 9 a.m. at Latrobe Memorial Stadium. 
• The banana-eating contest is Saturday, August 22 at 2 p.m., at the Robindale Main Stage.

Story by Kathleen Renda
Photos From Great American Banana Split Celebration

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