Banana Days back for 15th year
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The Town of Melita is set to bring back a summer tradition starting tomorrow.
From Friday through Sunday, Melita Banana Days returns with a carnival, live performances, a beer garden, a car show and more.
The event is becoming ingrained in the fabric of the rural community, Banana Days president Kelly Lewis told the Sun in a phone interview Wednesday.
A flash mob dances to music during Melita Banana Days in 2016. The annual three-day event is returning for its 15th year starting Friday. (The Brandon Sun files)
“I think it’s becoming a real tradition as well for families,” she said. “This is when they come home and have a bit of a gathering, and some classes plan their reunions and things like that around the weekend.”
For the 15th anniversary, a celebration will be held with a cake on Friday night. Organizers have also reintroduced a banana baking competition, and have arranged for a history display to showcase the event’s past.
Melita took on the “Banana Belt” nickname for having some of the warmest weather in Manitoba. Organizers named the event in keeping with that nickname, and the title “Banana Days” has established a recognizable brand over time that is noticed in other communities.
“I think it’s got us some traction to kind of put us on the map a bit,” Lewis said. “It’s worked for us. I guess folks are hearing about it.”
The three-day celebration drew between 4,000 and 5,000 guests in recent years.
This year’s event will be supported by up to 200 volunteers, when all involved groups are taken into account, and allows the small community to come together and promote the strength it has, Lewis said.
“It’s a chance to celebrate our community and all of the good things we have going for it,” she said. “I think it’s nice to remind everybody that we do have a lot going on here still, and it’s important that we stick around here and support things as well.”
Friday’s activities include a junior golf tournament, toonie bowling, a Texas Hold’em tournament, a glow volleyball tournament, a toonie movie, glow swim, bingo and more.
Saturday, the busiest day for the event, will see free banana splits at the Sunny the Giant Banana Monument, a 30-foot-tall, 6,200-pound statue, as well as bouncy play structures, a dunk tank, carnival, horse rides, petting zoo, sparkle tattoos, a hypnotist, lawn axe throwing, karaoke, a beer garden, a barbecue, fireworks and more.
Sunday will start with a pancake breakfast, and a car show will be held at Central Park late in the morning and running into the afternoon. A duck dive will take place in the afternoon. Live entertainment will be on site.
Youth wristbands for kids aged two or older are $10 for the weekend to gain access to all events, though some events are free.
» cmcdowell@brandonsun.com