'Banana Quest' Goes Strong On Day 5 Of Community Hide 'N Seek

LINDENHURST, NY — Benny the Banana had a close call on Tuesday evening when a detour to New York City nearly sabotaged his first celebrity appearance at Lindenhurst's High School's Community Night.

The 5-foot tall stuffed Rasta banana hit the road early on Tuesday morning for his fourth day of an elaborate game of hide 'n seek that has adults and kids alike hiding–and finding-him around Lindenhurst. He spent the day cruising around town to visit pre-K students, sunbathed, shopped at King Kullen and even got a treatment at a local dermatologist's office.

Somewhere along the way, community members requested that he attend the annual school event on his Facebook page, which documents his whereabouts and has garnered over 1,100 followers since it was created by Lindenhurst mom Jennifer Mackey-Aulino, who with her children were the first to find the banana.

It all began on Saturday when Jenn Rossetti's family was doing a little spring cleaning and decided to have some fun with a 5-foot tall stuffed banana her son won on a class trip to Adventureland.

"I told them it’s time for the banana to go. My son was like, 'noooo.' But he was just kidding, he knew it was time. It’s just too big and has moved all around the house," Rossetti told Patch. "My kids and I love a good adventure, so we came up with the idea to post it on Facebook with a picture and a hit to its location to see if anyone would take it and keep it going."

Immediately, Benny hit the road and "Banana Quest" was born.

Tuesday looked like it'd be another normal, fun-filled day for the big banana, as photos surfaced showing Benny making his way around his hometown of Lindenhurst.

But as the hours passed, people eager to meet him at Community Night tried to nail down his location and get him by 6 p.m. There were offers to pick him up, inquiries about where he was, until a post rocked the Banana Quest page.

In an unexpected turn of events —Benny was on his way to NYC.

His followers were shocked. Posts of protests filled the Facebook page. Somewhere in Lindenhurst, a crowd of children awaiting his arrival were left hanging.

Benny's future was uncertain. But as panic started to set in, the people of Lindenhurst came together and brought Benny home.

Mackey-Aulino, who still manages Benny's Facebook page and keeps up with his adventures, reached out to his NYC chauffeur and coaxed her into bringing the banana to the school.

"She wanted to take him on a NYC adventure, but she did understand the kids wanted the banana," Mackey-Aulina said. "She was a little scared to drop it off, but eventually showed up in front of the high school and turned him in."

Needless to say, Benny was a hit at Community Night where he mingled with teachers and students, and met the mayor of Lindenhurst.

When the event was over, police escorted the banana home.

Wednesday was a fresh start for Benny, tired from his public appearance and narrowly escaping a (potential) life on the mean streets of New York.

His day started with a visit to West Gates Avenue Elementary with Jacqueline Herig and her daughter, Juliette, who'd been "tracking" the bananas since Monday night.

"I went on a wild goose chase last night so I could be the last one to find him for the night so I would have him for the morning," she told Patch. "As luck would have it, while I was out following him—and lost him—my older son, Jax, and his girlfriend, Kenz, found him around 9:30 p.m., but I felt like it was too early to take him in for the night."

So Herig let Benny keep moving, but stayed on his tail, which included "a lot of waiting and driving in circles." After Benny changed hands several times, she recouped him around 10:45 p.m. and took him home for the night—just in time for his 11 p.m. bedtime set by the Banana Quest group.

After Benny's second school visit, his followers have some advice for those looking to organize an appearance.

"My advice is, if you want him to make an appearance at a school, make arrangements with your building's principal for drop off and pick up so people don't bombard the school," Herig said. "Make arrangements with the last person of the night to retrieve him so you aren't driving all over town."

As of 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Benny appears to be going strong. He's been spotted all over town, including up in a tree, having a beer at a bar (again), kicking back on a family's couch and having fun on a playground.

"This is loads of fun. There truly is nothing better than seeing the smile on the kids' faces and the sparkle in their eyes when they get a chance to have a turn hiding Benny," said Savannah Figueroa, who took him to McDonald’s for a Happy Meal.

But Benny isn't just for kids, even though something about Banana Quest does bring out the inner child in everyone trying to find him, like college student Ariana Ostafiychuk.

"My friends and I are Lindenhurst High School alumni and are all busy in college. But when we heard about it we knew we had to go," Ostafiychuk said. "It was something fun to do on a Tuesday night and it turned into a little adventure! We actually parked on Wellwood, patrolling Benny and waiting for someone to post."

In just five days, Benny has become Lindenhurst's icon. He's been nominated to be the St. Patrick's Day Parade's grand marshal, AI called him a "symbol of the community" and Banana Quest merch is being made.

Benny is expected to keep going strong until his bedtime at 11 p.m. tonight to rest up for a strong day six since Banana Questers don't appear to be slowing down.

"My son was saying, 'I’m gonna miss you Benny. I had so much fun.' But it’s so sweet how he knew it was time to pass the torch and let someone else get a turn with Benny," Figueroa said. "I think this was such a great way to bond as a community and make it stronger. Every town deserves a Benny."

Where will Benny go next?

Let Patch know and send your photos to jade.eckardt@patch.com