The return of fall spore-ts
By Gretchen Ammerman
Oregon Coast TODAY
Are you the type that gets excited when leaves turn from green to yellow, and the summer warmth gives way to chilly mornings and rainy afternoons, because you know that these are the conditions needed for the Pacific Northwest’s best edible mushroom species to appear? Then you’ll probably love this weekend’s annual Yachats Village Mushroom Fest, where mushroom vendors, collectors and experts come together to celebrate this truly sustainable product.
Many of the events that visitors look forward to during this fungus-filled weekend, including the speakers forum, workshops, guided mushroom walks and large mushroom displays, had to be canceled this year due to COVID-19.
Nonetheless, you can still be educated and entertained by online presentations, thanks to the team of scientists and educators who volunteer each year to teach the public about mycology and forest ecology.
Online resources will include a series of downloadable publications by mushroom expert Dave Pilz as well as presentations from the Mycological History Lecture series, including “Can my space mushroom?” by Dr. Steven Carpenter; and “Wild mushrooms, an introductory presentation” by Pam McElroy and Anna Russo of the Lincoln County Mycological Society.
Local restaurants will offer chef’s specials and menus loaded with varieties of wild and cultivated mushrooms. This year's spots include the Beach Street Kitchen, Drift Inn Cafe & Pub, the Green Salmon Coffee Company and Luna Sea Fish House.
The Yachats Farmers Market will be open both Saturday and Sunday from 9 am to 2 pm on W 4th Street, featuring mushroom vendors including locals Rain Forest Mushrooms and My Mushroom People, who will have fresh and dried mushrooms and mushroom products for sale.
Go on a personal scavenger hunt by searching for fungi books, arts and crafts, tools and other treasures that will be featured at businesses throughout Yachats.
In town with kids? Get them out in the woods with a fun activity for the whole family: a Trail Quest. You can find a quest map for the Cape Perpetua Discovery Loop Trail Quest and many others on the Oregon Coast by going to communications.oregonstate.edu and searching for “quest.”
The printable Cape Perpetua Discovery Loop Trail publication even includes a little bit about lichens and mushrooms.
And after the festival is over, you can still mix with fellow fungi fans by joining the Lincoln County Mycological Society (LCMS).
“We have started doing walks again, but have made some new rules for people that want to join them,” said long-time member Anna Russo. “It’s been dry so far, but we are probably looking at some good days ahead.”
The new rules include a requirement that you must be a member of the LCMS, and though you won’t need to wear a mask at all times, you must be prepared to carry one and use it when social distancing isn’t possible.
To become a member and join these walks, go to the LCMS page on Facebook. Though the page is fairly quiet, messages are checked and answered regularly.
“People want us to be more active on social media,” Russo said. “But we’re just a group of people that are better at finding mushrooms than we are at posting about it.”
For more information about the Yachats Mushroom Fest, go to yachats.org.