Whether you are a beginning mushroomer or long-time mushroom enthusiast, the Gary Lincoff Mid-Atlantic Mushroom Foray is the best way to expand your horizons.  This all-day event on September 15 will take place in the North Hills of Pittsburgh, PA.  The activities will be centered at Parish Hill in Allegheny County’s North Park. People registering for the foray will receive a packet of detailed directions and list of events. 

Registration Form

Featured speaker will be Gary Lincoff, author of the Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms.  Gary is the nation's best know mushroom expert. He is past president of the North American Mycological Association (NAMA). Join us for an exciting day of fungi, fun, and friends and mushroom exploration.  We will hunt and field-identify mushrooms. Gary Lincoff will give a slide show, talk and autograph his book, and we will taste mushroom cooking.

Special guest mycologist, Renee Lebeuf, is one of Canada’s premier mycologists and a mushroom photographer.  She identifies and does one day forays for the Cercle des mycologues de Montréal (CMM), the largest mushroom club in the Americas.

Special guest mycologist, Bill Russell, recently published, “Mushrooms of Pennsylvania and the Mid Atlantic.”  Bill has been studying and teaching about mushrooms for over fifty years.  Get him to autograph your book.

Special guest mycologist, Dave Miller, just retired from teaching biology and mycology at Oberlin College in Ohio.  He will be giving a program geared to the beginning mushroomer.

A host of other mycologists will be on hand to help you learn mushrooms, including: Fred Schrock, John Plischke III, Robert Boice, Kim Plischke, and La Monte Yarroll.

This major event of the Western Pennsylvania Mushroom Club gathers about 150 club members and guests in one location at the same time.  There are limitations on the number of people that can be handled at the facility.  Therefore, it is important to get your registration in promptly.  The cost of the event is:

• $23/person for members pre-registered before July 15, 2007

• $40/person for non-members pre-registered before September 1, 2007

• $50/person for members or non-members registering after September 1, 2007

Events

• Morning & afternoon guided mushroom walks in the local area  (During previous forays, walk leaders and identifiers have discovered a wide variety of productive mushroom habitats.)

• Informative talks by nationally recognized mycologists.  (Gary Lincoff’s talk has always been a highlight of the foray.)

• Mushroom cooking demonstration by Tom Chulick, Executive Chef of the Back Door Café in Johnstown, PA.

• Mushroom tasting by club cooks who have consistently supplied a wide variety of dishes featuring choice wild edible mushrooms

• Mushroom identification by expert and club mycologists.  A display of over 100 identified species is typical.  Gary Lincoff does a talk walk in which he comments on the various mushrooms that were found.

• Mushroom propagation information and techniques.  A display on several species will be manned which contains posters, literature, a video, and fruiting mushrooms in various media.  Shiitake mushroom logs will also be available for sale.

Schedule

• Registration starts at 7:30 AM.

• Program begins promptly at 8:30 AM

• Morning walks groups leave at 8:45 AM

• Lunch on your own from noon to 1:00 PM

• Various activities in the afternoon

• Mushroom tasting starts at 5:30 PM

• Table walk of mushroom collection by mycologist at 6:30 PM

• Cleanup by everybody, 7:00-7:30 PM

As you can see from the number of activities and the schedule, this is a full day of great mushroom activities.  Not mentioned is your interactions with club members at all levels of experience.  Our club motto:  Fungi, Fun, and Friends is truly taken to heart by our members.  They make this day a memorable experience for everyone.  Please submit your registration promptly so you can guarantee a place for this outstanding event.