The students of West Chester University proclaimed April 21, 2004 to be the 8th Annual “Banana Day.” Almost everyone on campus was affected by Banana Day, whether by word of mouth, receiving a banana, or enjoying the entertainment provided by students and community members. Students may have seen the large banana, gorilla and “Rammy” around campus handing out bananas that day.The idea of Banana Day first came from a WCU senior, Rodolfo P. Tellez, in 1996. After some planning and many confused looks the first Banana Day became reality and 3,000 bananas were distributed campus-wide. Another student by the name of Robert Perino took on the project of organizing Banana Day in 1997 and after months of planning, the second Banana Day came to life.
1n 1999, Banana Day returned to West Chester University and for the past few years has become a highly-anticipated day for students. Over 28,500 bananas have been distributed and 300 hours of community service have been completed. Millions of people in the tri-state area have heard of Banana Day through radio, magazines, newspapers and television.
Different organizations and individuals from West Chester University came together to carry out Banana Day. This day brings unity into the community and allows everyone on the West Chester campus to have something in common: bananas. “Banana Day is about spreading unity through bananas,” said Joey Coombe. But why exactly does Banana Day unite students? “Because they have potassium,” said Miss WCU, Liz Seymour.
The events of this past Banana Day included a banana eating contest, relays and much more. To see pictures from this event, visit the WCU Banana Day Web site at http://iws.wcupa.edu/bananaday/index.html.