'Banana Quest' Kicks Off With Day 3 Of Community Hide 'N Seek

LINDENHURST, NY — Long Islanders are ready to go for day three of an elaborate game of hide 'n seek that involves hiding–and finding-a large stuffed Rasta banana dubbed "Benny" in Suffolk County.

Early this morning, Benny's fans began asking if his travels would continue on Monday on a Facebook page documenting his whereabouts that's garnered nearly 700 followers since it was created by Lindenhurst mom Jennifer Mackey-Aulino, who with her children were the first to find the banana.

By noon, Benny's followers were worried and shared their concerns on Facebook. Was he being held hostage? Should someone post missing signs? Did he have a bad hangover?

Around 11 a.m. a photo surfaced of Benny on a couch with an infant. But Benny's fans continued to worry, offering to pick him up.

Finally, around 12:45 p.m., a photo of Benny sitting by a rock was posted. And the race to find Benny kicked off.

"He’s been a lot of fun and he hung out with the kids this morning. Now he’s off to his new hiding space," Angelina Bridges, who took Benny to Target and a beach last night, told Patch.

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 in full force.

Rossetti said Benny has a note sharing his Facebook page name with anyone who finds him, and he quickly went viral on Snapchat.

On Saturday, Benny made his way through Lindenhurst while community members posted updates on Facebook. Then on Sunday, Benny visited more than 30 locations around his hometown, including a cemetery, bar, ice cream shop, a train station and even a firetruck.

Benny went wild, and so were the families escorting him around town.

"When I woke up this morning, if someone would have told me I'd be driving around hunting down a banana for two hours, I would have told them they were crazy," said Amanda Marie, who took him for an elevator ride.

Finding Benny on Sunday wasn't always easy. Amanda Marie said she missed him by a minute a few times when someone found him before her. Nikki Giordano, who took Benny out for a beer, spent hours trying to track the banana down.

"I found him at the eyeglass place. We were driving around for almost two hours trying to get him. Took us five tries," Giordano said. "It’s truly amazing, I love being a part of this community."

Frank Gioia's family had some close calls when it came to finding Benny.

"We had so much fun, driving around town looking for Benny, we had three near misses when finally we got him at 35th Street Deli. Two cars came flying into the lot behind us seconds too late. What a fun experience for the whole family, we haven’t laughed that hard in a long time," Gioia said.

For the third day in a row, the race to find Benny is on and it doesn't look like it'll slow down.

"This was such a fun journey chasing after Benny," said Lisa Solonchak. "It brought the community together, and brought a little joy and happiness for not just the kids of Lindy, but us parents as well."

A timeline of Benny's journey:

Saturday, March 8:

• Banana Quest begins with Benny in a tree between Albany and Buffalo avenues in Lindenhurst.
• Benny is found at his second stop between Hoffmann Avenue and Byrd Street.
• Benny is found at Triangle Park.
• The banana is placed between North Railroad and 109.
• The giant banana is spotted at the Lindenhurst Village Square.
• Benny is found hanging upside down in a tree at the Village of Lindenhurst Rainbow Center.

Sunday, March 9:

• Venetian Shores
• Fireman's Park
• Lindenhurst Middle School Track
• Old Village Hall Museum
• West Gates Elementary swing
• Venetian softball field
• Ruby Soho's drinking a beer
• Lindenhurst docks
• Between Hoffman and 31st
• Lindenhurst Memorial Library
• Brothers Deli
• South 7th Street
• Outside of Lindenhurst Fire House
• Fireman's Pavilion
• Having a Slurpee at 7-Eleven
• Lindenhurst train station
• Swinging in a school yard
• Carvel
• In the fire house in a fire truck
• Having a slice at Villas Pizzeria and visiting Saltee Fit
• Cemetery
• Lindenhurst High School pool
• 35th Street Family Deli
• Applebee's
• Lindy Eye Care
• Belfast Gastropub drinking a pint
• Elevator at Lindenhurst train station
• One of the "finger lakes"
• Capital One withdrawing cash for upcoming adventures
• Elite Dance Studio
• Target
• Benny has a sleepover with an unknown family

Monday, March 10:

• Benny has a late start at a random rock

Where will Benny go next?

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