International Banana Festival
From Giftypedia
When Celebrated
Always on September 21st
Gifty-ness
About the Holiday
International Banana Festival has it's roots on the Kentucky-Tennessee border in the twin cities of Fulton, KY and South Fulton, TN. Thanks to refrigerated box cars, in 1880, tropical fruit, like bananas, that previously weren't available in the Midwest were being transported from the tropics. Back then The United Fruit Co, now Chiquita, began shipping bananas from South America via ship to New Orleans. Once there they were loaded onto rail cars with blocks of ice to keep them fresh for the trip up north. Fulton had the only ice house in route to Chicago so the trains always stopped to refill. Fulton became known as the "The Banana Capital of the World" or "Banana crossroads". At one point 70% off all all U.S. bananas passed through Fulton.
By the late 1800s Fulton started having International Banana Festival to celebrate this fruit. Today we celebrate this easy to eat fruit that is a favorite of infants to elderly and athletes. Bananas are a good source of potassium, manganese, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, and fiber. Athletes love these high energy fruits because they are one of the best sources of potassium. The banana is an herb plant not a tree.
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