Editor:
Ten years ago, a small group of mushroom enthusiasts decided the Sunshine Coast needed some kind of event celebrating the fungal bounty found in our rainforests. The community responded favourably to the idea, and so in 2009 the Sunshine Coast Mushroom Festival was born. Several hundred people crowded into the Pender Harbour Community Hall on a Saturday in October to see the amazing variety of mushrooms on display, sample some delicious culinary treats, and marvel at the mushroom colours in the dyepots.
That first year we were fortunate enough to have David Arora join us as a featured speaker. With that kind of credibility and experience under our collective belts, the time was right to start a mushroom club: the Society for the Hunting, Recognition and Observation of Mushrooms (SHROOM). We continued the festival tradition, each year inviting a well-known mushroom expert to speak and help us learn more about this fascinating aspect of the natural world. We started a reference library for our members. Every fall, forest forays took precedence over pretty much anything else, and we began holding an annual “survivors’ dinner” to celebrate another successful season.
Last weekend marked the 10th annual mushroom festival, and it was also the last, in this incarnation anyway. And so I wish to thank all those who helped make it such a wonderful event over the years: the businesses who made generous donations to our group; members of the public who attended the festival; the many volunteers who gave of their time; and most of all, to the people who served on the SHROOM executive. You worked tirelessly to keep the group and the festival going; you shared your knowledge with others eager to learn about mushrooms; you led forays to out-of-the-way collecting spots; and we became friends.
We provided something special on the Sunshine Coast, and now, just as mushrooms know when the season has come to an end, it’s time for the festival and the society that put it together to make a graceful exit.
Thank you, my friends, thank you.
Ann Harmer, founding member, Sunshine Coast SHROOM
