The sixth annual Sunshine Coast Mushroom Festival saw the Pender Harbour Community Hall once again packed to capacity as people from up and down the Coast and beyond gathered to admire the vast variety of fungi that thrive in our rainforest paradise. And that wasn’t all. Savoury aromas enticed people to the gourmet cooking corner, while mushroom dyers coaxed lovely colours from steaming dyepots, children created works of art on “artists’ conks” (a special shelf fungus), and vendors sold their local wares, all to a slideshow backdrop of photos of Coast mushrooms. (See the winning images in this year’s photography contest below.) Taylor Lockwood, world-renowned mushroom photographer, delighted those who attended his presentations in Roberts Creek and at the Botanical Society’s hall. Participants in a guided foray were treated to a cook-up of the edibles they found, giving them an opportunity to see how it’s done and to taste the delicious results. This event has earned its place in our calendars as a festival not to be missed. – Ann Harmer
