Fill your spore time
Cap off a great fall with the Yachats Mushroom Festival
From the tiniest fairy parasols to the largest organism on earth, Oregon is home to a wonderland of fungal finds.
Go deep at the 2024 Yachats Mushroom Festival, this Friday, Oct. 18, through Sunday, Oct. 20.
Mushrooms, the multi-functional fungi, are on the forefront of space colonization and can be found in new health breakthroughs, plastics removal and toxic bioremediation. They are vitally connected to our futures as well as being an important part of our ecosystems.
And they’re pretty tasty, too.
Learn the differences in varieties, how to forage for and cook mushrooms successfully, gather some new knowledge to expand your culinary adventures and learn how to fuse a growing understanding of the forest floor with increased environmental sensitivities.
“Come get to know a yellow foot from a bolete, an elfin saddle from witch's butter and a tasty mushroom from a toxic toadstool,” said Nichole Lippincott, executive director of the Yachats Area Chamber of Commerce. “From fun to funky, from slippery to chunky, mushrooms are on the cutting edge of scientific discovery and rooted in the history of life itself.”
The festival kicks off on Friday night with a mushroom-themed reception at the Yachats Commons, featuring drinks and appetizers provided by Bread and Roses Bakery and Bayside Cellars alongside a presentation by keynote speaker Christian Schwarz.
Schwarz is an author, mushroom enthusiast and taxonomist, and citizen science advocate from Santa Cruz, California in what he terms the land of milk(caps) and honey (mushrooms). He spends his time photographing, teaching about, and making scientific collections of macrofungi. He is co-author of "Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast.”
Both Saturday and Sunday will see a full roster of speakers in the Yachats Commons and other locations throughout town. Meanwhile, the “All Mushroom Things — Artists, Cultivators, Creators and Gatherers” fair will take place in the Yachats Commons multi-purpose room.
Members of the Lincoln County Mycological Society will be on hand throughout the event, with large displays of regional mushrooms, while other regional mycologists will be available to help with identification. There will also be books for sale and other displays to help with identification. Visitors are encouraged to bring in their own finds from their yards and local forests for identification and to add to the displays.
“Mushrooms, found freely expressing themselves here in the Siuslaw Forest, include some of the world’s most delectable edibles, as well as a few that you are best to avoid eating all together,” Lippincott said. “Some mushrooms can cause upset stomachs and a few can be deadly. Knowing the difference can secure delight. Knowledge can be your friend. Attendees will come away delighted and informed.”
Back again this year are the popular Mushroom Walks. All festival walks are led by qualified mycologists, forest ecologists and naturalists. They vary from one to two hours long and are held on safe, easy trails in the coastal forest at Cape Perpetua and the Gerdemann Botanical Preserve.
The popular Mushroom Treasure Hunt also returns this year. Glass and porcelain mushrooms created by local artists will be hidden at the beaches and in forests through March 2. Hunters can check in at YachatsTreasureHunt.com and on @visit.yachats on Instagram each Saturday morning for locations.
During the festival, restaurants throughout the village will feature mushroom specialty dishes offered from local forests.
The Yachats Mushroom Festival is sponsored by Yachats Chamber of Commerce and hosted by the Lincoln County Mycological Society with support from the Cascade Mycological Society and North American Truffling Society. For more information on the festival and a comprehensive schedule and ticket signup, go to YachatsMushroomFestival.org.