It’s an age-old question that gave rise to an unyielding figurative battle: Which state is the birthplace of the classic banana split? Since the early 1900s, Ohio and Pennsylvania have relentlessly claimed the title, and Wilmington, Ohio refuses to back down. (They’ve gone so far as to produce photographic evidence of resident Ernest Hazard serving the dish in his local restaurant circa 1907.) Enter the Banana Split Festival, a silly themed bash with ’50s-era food, carnival games, a car show and a make-your-own banana split booth. Browse bunches of homemade crafts, compete in a split-eating contest and snap a photo with a pajama-clad banana.
4-10 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday. Free admission. 1326 Fife Ave., Wilmington, Ohio, bananasplitfestival.com.
