Every June, Wilmington, Ohio hosts the Banana Split Festival. In 1907, Ernest R. Hazard supposedly invented the banana split. He owned a restaurant in Wilmington, and he hoped that a new ice cream treat would attract students from Wilmington College.
According to legend, Hazard sponsored a competition to invent the new treat. Hazard's design featured a banana that was split in half, three scoops of ice cream, with chocolate sauce, pineapple, strawberry topping, nuts, and whipped cream placed on top. Hazard also added two red cherries to crown his dessert. Hazard won the competition, and business increased at the restaurant.