Great Dining & Welcoming Staff Offer

a Cool Vibe on the Beachfront

A new look welcomes all to Banana's Beach Club on Beach Drive at our Main Beach. New seating, lighting & sound presents a fresh look and very cool beach vibe.

Not only does Bananas offer great views of the World's Longest Freshwater Beach, the bay and those glorious sunsets, but with Lazaro Vakanis in the kitchen, you know your taste-buds will be in for a treat. Laz's offerings have a reputation in town, and you know he enjoys living up to it with his menu items at Bananas. The menu boast a truly international flavour with many items to choose from, like Moroccan Cigars (lean ground beef rolled in filo pastry), Fish Tacos, Falafel Wrap and the must try Cowboy Brisket Burger, that has to be the best in Simcoe County!

The Cowboy Brisket Burger is just one of the amazing items on the menu. An Angus beef patty topped with smoked brisket, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and red onion.

Gil Machaly is a “hands on” owner/operator of Bananas and is proud to boast about his amazing staff. A staff that goes out of their way to welcome all to this great Wasaga Beach experience. Gil speaks of Laz in the kitchen, where everything is smoked in house, and his reputation for good food. He praises his bar staff and servers, that keep customers happy and his entertainment that keeps people dancing. Jay Prez, a performer and recording artist, not only tends bar, but is MC and DJ, and has a true following of fans.

We ask Gil how the Canada Day Weekend was for Bananas, and his thoughts on the beachfront this year. He tells us; “I'm really, really excited by the fact that the new Beach Bar is open, and I wish them mush success. The beach now looks at full capacity. Competition is actually a good thing! It raises the bar, it brings it to a different standard. So what happened in the last five years at the beach? Nothing, Now we see the life back and it's rewarding for businesses, locals and our visitors!” He continues; “I made this this town my home for the last 22 years and I want it to thrive. This will always be my home. I'm always going live here. So with that being said, yeah, it just emphasizes the change that has happened and it's so noticeable this year.”

With a visit to Bananas, it's easy to see they are eager to welcome everyone. First time visitor, tourists who return year after year and of course locals, who now enjoy coming to see the fun and the action that has returned to our revitalized beachfront. Several staff members speak French, to welcome our Quebec visitors. Locals visiting Bananas are encouraged to let their server know that they are Wasaga Beach residents, to enjoy a 15% discount on any of the delicious items on the food menu.

Bananas is just one stop along our busy and vibrant main beachfront, but a stop you don't want to miss. Drop in and enjoy the “vibe”, along with a “beachy beverage” and one of Laz's menu items.

Joe Bickerstaff

ProactiveCommunication& CooperationAvertsUnauthorized RallyatMainBeach

Council Votes to Use Proceeds From Casino to Fund

Community Health Centre & After Hours Clinic

Time and again I hear the old complaint as to why as a municipality, are we participating in funding health services like doctor recruits, after hours clinic and also services like affordable housing needs and education. It is fine to say that this should fall under the province's responsibility, but in reality municipalities over the years have had to pick up the slack for the incompetence of our provincial & federal governments. After-all, even hospitals are partially funded municipally & through donations, and now school boards are looking at funding partners when there is a new build happening.

I can say without a doubt that I am proud to see our Mayor, Deputy Mayor and council step in and say; look... we need to help our community members here and bring back the much needed services like the after hours clinic or, waiting for the province to step in, it may never happen.

Luckily the funds provided by the casino work well towards achieving this goal. How proud Ron Ego would be to see the clinic come back after his hard work to implement it during his term as councillor from 2014-2018. I am sure he is smiling from above.

A new Council canceled the popular walk-in clinic even though a survey showed how well it was performing & at such a low cost to taxpayers. Below I have added a quote from the Association of Municipalities in Ontario over the concerns of lack of provincial funding as we are not the only small town experiencing this.

“Municipal governments have stepped in to fill the gaps when needed, especially in serving the most vulnerable and marginalized members of our communities. To meet community needs, many municipal governments fund above their required cost-share and provide additional health care services using property tax revenue.”