Northeast Washington Mushroom Festival Details

The Mushroom Festival is free and open to the public at the Happy Dell Park in Kettle Falls, WA from 7:00am to 8:00pm on Saturday May 27, 2023.

Festivities include Mushroom Contests, Mushroom Identification, Mushroom Foray, Vending &Trading.
Live Music by FungiLion and Friends. Dancing, Food, and Fun for the Whole Family.

Contest Registration is open the day of the event from 7:30am – 9:30am.

You can pre-register for the contests online and save.

Please Login or Sign Up in order to register online. Then return to this page to register.

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VENDING/TRADING AVAILABLE FROM 10AM – 8PM:

$10 for 10x10’ space if you register before 5/26 or $20 at the time of the event on 5/27. Food vendors are welcome and are responsible for meeting all required food safety requirements. Please pack in and pack out all your personal property and keep products and space family friendly.

 CONTEST ENTRY FEES:

The Mushroom Foray and Mushroom Culinary Contest entry fees are both $10 per adult and $5 per child if you register before 5/26/23 or $20 per adult and $10 per child at the time of the event on 5/27.

CONTESTS:

There are 2 competitions for the Mushroom Foray Contest: Mushroom Variety and Morel Mushroom contest which judges in 4 categories: Men, Women, Youth 3-11, Youth 12-17

Age 18+ Foray contest winners receive: $50 (1st), $30 (2nd) & $20 (3rd). Youth, Culinary & Variety prizes TBA

  • The Morel Mushroom contest will judge Height + Width = winner (ie: 4” tall + 3” wide = 7”). Stem is counted but only with no mycelium or roots connected; they must be cut clean. Use ONLY baskets and bags that let spores back into environment.
     
  • The Mushroom Variety contest gives a prize to the person who finds the largest quantity of different typesof mushrooms during the mushroom foray. Mushrooms in this contest will be displayed for identification during the festival. If the mushrooms cannot be identified, they cannot be entered in the contest.  We suggest keeping your mushrooms in a container that will keep them intact during transportation for best identification.

PLEASE NOTE: Anyone (whether in a contest or not) can bring previously harvested mushrooms from near or afar to put on the identification table but they are not added into the contest. We want to see and discuss as many types of fungi as possible. Thank you for making this possible.

  • The Mushroom Culinary Contest is open for taste-testing from 2:00pm – 4:00pm.(Entry fee $5/$10/$20) Chefs can bring ready dishes or prepare them anytime after 10:00am. All culinary entries must be vegan and contain organic/non-gmo ingredients to accommodate most diets. If you wish to be in both the foray and the culinary contest, please have your dish available for the taste-testing by 2:30pm. Please make small portions for 50+ people to sample and supply your own cups/utensils for taste-testing. Please also list ingredients for tasters to see. Winner receives $50, a culinary basket and free entry for next year’s culinary contest. Participants may bring a helper and is responsible for meeting food safety requirements.

    40 taste spots are open to the public for $5 per person the day of the event.
     
  • Mushroom Art Contest is open to all ages and is open for judging from 2– 4pm.No entry fee. Bring your mushroom art, drawing, photograph, painting, project, etc. Our judges will choose one person to win $20 and free entry to a contest at next year’s mushroom festival.
     
  • Mushroom Costume Contest is open to all ages and is open for judging from 2p – 4pm. No entry fee. Dress up as your favorite fungi and our judges will choose one person to win $10 and free entry to a contest at next year’s mushroom festival.

SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES ON 5/27/2023:

7:30am - 9:30am - Check-in and Register

9:30 - Mushroom Foray Contest Briefing & Map Hand-out

10:00am – Vending/Trading in Park & Mushroom Foray Hunting Begins

10:30am – 1:30pm – Mushroom Presentations and Children’s Activities (TBA)

2:00 – 4:00pm - Mushroom Identification Table and Discussion, Mushroom Culinary Taste-Testing, Vending/Trading

4:30pm -  Contest Winners Announced followed by Presentations on Mushrooms, Permaculture, Seeds and Earth Tending Education at the Main Stage

6:00 – 8:00pm - Music by FungiLion, Dancing, Trading/Vending, Food, and Fun for the whole family

At 9:30am, all mushroom contest participants will get a Mushroom Foray contest debriefing and review of guidelines. Maps for the mushroom foray hunt will be issued at this time. There are options of walking to places around town or driving to further locations. Contestants are encouraged to carpool and can self-assemble this at this time.

At 10:00am, contest participants leave for the mushroom foray hunt and return to the park by 2:00pm to enter their mushrooms into the contest; no exceptions. Any foul play like bringing in mushrooms not picked that day will result in immediate disqualification. Vendors may also set up from 10a – 8p.

From 10:30am through 1:30pm, there will be three 45-minute presentations from speakers on mushroom topics such as medicinal uses, wild crafting, growing & cultivating. Speakers TBA

Children’s Activities will also be available for free such as art and games. Volunteers appreciated for activities, face paint & fun. Parents are responsible for children throughout the event and activities.

From 2pm – 4pm, the Mushroom ID Table will be open for public display and discussion Mushroom taste testing will also be open to the public from 2pm – 4pm. Taste testing participation is $5 per person (only 40 tickets available at the time of the event).

At 4:30pm, all contest winners will be announced on the stage followed by a presentation and information on fungi, seeds, permaculture and earth tending.

From 6:00pm – 8:00pm, we’ll have live music on the stage by FungiLion, dancing, vending and trading open, and lots of family fun.

All participants need to have their items and trash picked up and packed up by 8:30pm.

Please bring your own chairs, water bottles, umbrellas, and mushrooms. Vendors, please consider a donation for the raffle to raise funds for future events. Drugs and alcohol prohibited.

Pre-register here: https://inlandnorthwestpermaculture.com/content/northeast-washington-mushroom-festival-information-and-registration-form

You can also send a check or money order made out to the Inland Northwest Permaculture Guild

at 2332 Scott Rd. Rice, WA 99167

This event is hosted by the Inland Northwest Permaculture Guild (INPG) and the Northeast Washington Permaculture Guild (NEWPG) in partnership with FungiPermastead, Fungilion, and the Children of Earth Coalition (COEC), BZ Farms, and Boundary Conditions. For questions, call Gabe at (509)738-2087 or email Kelly at childrenofearth@outlook.com.
More info at www.InlandNorthwestPermaculture.com and www.ChildrenofEarthCoalition.com

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