14th Annual King Boletus Mushroom Festival
Hunt for the King Bolete at a two-day mushroom seminar
Back in 1996, Jim and Carol Sanford conceived of the King Boletus Mushroom Festival as a fundraiser for Buena Vista Heritage, combining two of their passions. Although mushroom forays and historic preservation seemed an unlikely pairing, the event has been a success in every year except 2002, when it was cancelled due to drought conditions.
More than its success as a fundraiser, however, the King Boletus Mushroom Festival has educated hundreds of participants on the fine art of hunting for and identifying mushrooms in the Upper Arkansas Valley and throughout Colorado. It has also brought together mushroom hunters of all ages and levels of experience to share their passion, tips and success stories.
Oh, and did we mention that it’s fun?
This year's Mushroom Fest will be held on Aug. 21 & 22. The cost is $80 per person, $70 for BV Heritage members. The cost includes lunch on Saturday, as well as the wine and cheese reception (with mushroom soup!) on Saturday evening. There is no one-day rate.
Schedule
The seminar starts on Saturday, Aug. 21, at 8:30 a.m. at the American Legion Hall, 338 N. Railroad Street, Buena Vista. Mycologist Ellen Jacobson and other members of the Colorado Mycological Society will present slides, display tables, handouts and expert information on locating and identifying mushrooms. After lunch, attendees will carpool to the local mountains to go on mushroom forays.
In the evening all will gather to compare and identify the mushrooms they have collected, followed by a wine-cheese-and-mushroom soup reception at the historic Turner Farm, 829 W. Main.
The festival will continue on Sunday at 8:30 a.m. There will again be forays into the mountains to find mushrooms. Then, participants return to the Legion Hall for more identification, question-and-answers session, and a light mushroom-based lunch.
Please register by August 13, 2010.
For more information, call 719-395-8458.