Show Page 24 — The Herald Journal Logan Utah Wednesday November 22 199b Only in California — banana shrine ALTADENA Calir (AP) — If it peels bruises and comes in a bunch Ken Bannister has something that looks smells or tastes like it I'hcse are a few of 15500 items you can find in his Banana Museum: A banana phone Banana pajamas toothpaste Banana warmers from Germany A banana nose Banana C'hristmas lights Banana popcorn Banana-flavore- d Bannister’s prize is the “Petrified Banana ” a black and shriveled specimen discovered in a friend’s closet five years after disappearing Bannister’s prize is the “Petrified Banana’’ a black and shriveled specimen discovered in a friend’s closet five years after disappearing For the last 15 years it has hung framed in the museum Yes Ken Bannister has some bananas — today and every day He is a man with a peel and a mission “I don't think it’s ludicrous I think it’s entertaining” says the banana curator who prefers to be called “Bananastcr" And in fact the Banana Museum and its sister organization the International Banana Club are not chiefly about fruit They are about laughter Bannister wears yellow slacks and a teal smilpolo shirt emblazoned with a he banana he When a visitor ing greets clutches a spent banana peel in one hand and a banana golf putter in the other “I think it’s crazy I love this I get so wound up talking about it I'm just an guy who believes in the need to keep people’s spirits up to exercise one’s sense of humor daily” Ilis museum he says is sorely needed “in a world gotp bananas” lb-in- ch ed Bannister 56 sells photographic equipment in his other life He is married and a father of three and says his family fully supports his role as banana booster the at me” Curry says of his Pasadena fast-foo- d restaurant “and we’ll start laughing My laugh gets him going he gets me going It's kind of a mutual deal” In extremely rare cases members arc family puts away six to eight bunches a week and during a recent interview Banawarded instant doctorates for extraordinister ate three nary acts or contributions In the late 1970s Bannister got a roll of Gcri Lorenzo of Tulare earned the dis10000 Dole banana stickers from a stevetinction recently by collecting thousands of dore and started giving them out at trade stickers found on bananas from around the shows In exchange people started giving world him banana stuff and he needed a place to But the most spectacular act of bananistry put it 11 years ago with the infamous came His Banana Museum which opened in “human banana flambc” 1975 is a total banana experience Yellow — Lee (Wadcil) the Stunt Banana LSB claptrap is strewn on tables nailed to yel- — earned a PhB on the spot at the 1984 low walls and piled high on a yellow annual Banana Club Picnic and Games by couch It smells faintly fruity near the himself on fire running 50 yards setting “Notions” section and throwing Bannister a burning banana An aging stereo blares banana songs “I inside: “I want my 500 with a Like Bananas Because They Have No BMs andmessage my degree” Bones” “My Wife Left Town With a “That was the most Outrageous and Banana” and the classic “Yes Wc Have No shocking stunt I’d seen to earn BMs” BanBananas” permanently top the charts here nister says “Usually people just send me Most of the museum’s visitors (admission stuff” is free) arc members of the International And so the man who says he wants his Banana Club — the bunch that built this ashes sprinkled across a banana plantation collection slowly builds his shrine and tends his flock Bannister the club's Top Banana awards — 8500 members around the world 436 degrees in “bananistry” based on members’ contributions of banana gizmos and Already however he has become a on their attitudes sought-afte- r character He extols the virtues For a $25 lifetime membership fee memat grocery store lectures and has bananas of bers get an iron-o- n transfer a bumper stickon several national talk shows nickname preferably appeared er and a In October Bannister signed an agreeone that lends itself to a memorable ment with a Chatsworth company to proacronym Los Angeles resident Paula duce a line of night shirts and handle for example is BABE with his patented banana other clothing — Banana Admirer Banana Eater logo on them The items are due in stores For a master’s degree a member needs soon 100 “banana merits” or BMs 500 merits Bannister reminds his audiences that the earns a “PhB” “pulpy elongated curvaceous maligned “He’s a real kick this guy" says Pat fruit” is also the world's most perfect Curry a PhB known as the BLD — snack Banana Laugh Director so named because “Yeah it’s made fun of and kicked his giggle has kept Bannister around" he deadpans “But it comes in its own wrapper and it doesn't squirt squeak laughing for 15 years “He'll come in here and throw a banana or leak" degree-holde- self-chos- Ce(e6ration of Traditions presents ‘Big ‘Band Sound ftoCiday ‘Dance featuring tfie Crestmar£ Orchestra Saturday Night December 2nd Tickets available in advance or at the door ($2500 per couple) rs en Ticket Order form Return to: Celebration of Traditions 1400 N 500 E Logan Utah 84321 Bor-chardt- ’s high-pitch- ed Name: Address: City : Plume: Please make checks payable to Celebration of Traditions Picasso t-sh- Open ? irts By London Thanksgiving Day Observer Service Sale starts today You may have worn Ralph Lau- - ren polo shirts you may have splashed on St Laurent Rive Gauche and you may even have given a Hermes tic or two to impress the boss Bui what you won’t have done yet is wear the most chic name of all the label that sums up all that is creative colorful and contro- versial about our age That's about to change The heirs to Pablo Picasso the Spanish genius who died in 1973 at the age of 92 have reached agreement with a firm of Chica-go-hasmanufacturers to market a series of products from shirts to teacups which will bear the master’s name and in many cases n carry reproductions of his works Coyness if not secrecy surrounds the proposal hut the first goods are expected in shops in time for Christmas Jack Childers president of Talent Enterprises Inc the firm involved has indicated that the best-know- first products will include sweatshirts men’s golf shirts and polo shirts The ladies’ line will also include “blouses and skirts and ensembles’’ His tirm is also working on “porce- lain and napkins” The potentially lucrative deal has been a long time in the mak- ing owing to a dispute within Picasso's family which gave the impression that some of its younger generation seemed more interested in exploitation of the images than in maintaining a seemly setting for such great woiks as “The Weeping Woman" or the early Cubist masterpieces Picasso left a staggering number of works — INK) paintings sculptures 7000 drawings 300INI prints and 3000 ceramics Alter the French government had taken 3KOO works in settlement of 50 million dollars of death duties the remainder were divided between his widow three children two grandchildren and a After the artist's daughter-in-ladeath the family fragmented Despite this a French organization SPADEM (Socictc dc la artistiques dcs dcssins ct modclcs) was given the job of granting reproduction rights on Picasso's works and of chasing and prosecuting pirates who pro- Look for the red white and green dots Save 50 30 or 15 off the original price on hundreds of selected namebrand toys! w pro-pric- duced merchandise te Imenm ma'fctawnt may ham been taken without Kids’ Electronics authority SPADEM has been taking an increasingly militant line n piracy and has brought a number of court actions in several countries It even tried to stop Merchant Ivory using Picasso's images in its forthcoming feature film on the amst In-li- ne 753-380- Skates 0 -Open: Thurs 9sm 6 pm Frf & Sat 7 am -- 11 pnv Sunday 8 am -- 11 pm I L Games Plush Action Figures Dolls Wsnpnpp: rrttiiklii iftiiiiwl rtr iilmft wid b&idiuLmam& i i irinrVfW-Ti-imM- i Prices good through Sunday Nov 26 1995 We reeenw Vie to tone euenWee AMttonal quanmwe af eew name noth thnna eveiietoe et effuar ptoe |