Sample earthy flavors of fall at mushroom fest

The Oregon Coast, heck, the whole state is well known for it's abundance of mushrooms. They grow everywhere and provide Oregonians as well as the rest of the nation with some tasty morsels.

What better way to experience fall on the Oregon Coast than to sample some mushrooms at the 15th annual Yachats Village Mushroom Festival?

From 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 17 through Sunday, Oct. 19, the mushroom festival will be taking place at Yachats Commons with a number of different activities planned.

To kick off the event, a "funguys welcome bash and costume party" will be held in the Yachats Commons Auditorium beginning at 7 p.m. Prizes will be awarded for the best fungus amongus costume as well as for the most magnificent mushroom hat.

Throughout the weekend restaurants in Yachats will be serving special mushroom dishes for the annual fungi feast. A list of participating restaurants can be found here.

Scientific presentation and workshops open to the general public will be happening on Saturday and Sunday. At 9:30 a.m Saturday, join Dr. Nancy Weber from the Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society at Oregon State University to learn about the different lifestyles of mushrooms. A number of other talks are scheduled for the weekend, check out the list here.

For those who would like to get their hands dirty, some workshops will take place on Saturday and Sunday. Learn how to dye fiber with mushrooms, or felt wool into mushroom shapes, or how to grow your own gourmet mushrooms. A mushroom presentation will be available for children will start at 11 a.m. Sunday at the Yachats Commons Picnic Shelter.

On Saturday and Sunday, 26 guided mushroom walks are scheduled every half hour beginning at 10 a.m. All mushroom walks will be educational and instructional, so foraging will not be part of the event. All walks are free, but pre-registration is required.

A wide variety of activities are scheduled throughout the weekend, many of which are free. For additional information, or to sign up for one of the many events as well as for schedule information go to yachats.org/MFest2014.html.

If you go

What: Yachats Village Mushroom Festival

Where: 441 Hwy 101, Yachats

When: Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m

Cost: A $5 suggested donation for a festival wristband helps to pay for annual production costs and sustain the festival. Certain workshops and events cost

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