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Schedule of Events (Printable PDF) Deadly. Delicious. Magical. Medicinal. Psychotropic. The humble mushroom can wear many caps. Explore the mysteries of the mushroom at the 35th Annual Fungus Fair, presented by the Oakland Museum of California and the Mycological Society of San Francisco, Saturday and Sunday, December 4–5, on the museum’s first level. Museum hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday and 12-5 p.m. on Sunday.
Hundreds of freshly gathered native specimens will be part of the Fair’s displays, cooking demonstrations, and children’s activities. Visitors can learn the connection between fungi and Eastern spirituality, see how mushrooms are used to dye yarn and paper, and learn to recognize toxic and edible species. Natural science aficionados can talk with mycologists, attend a lecture, or learn about home cultivation. Mushroom crafts for kids include sculpting, painting, and jewelry making. Foodies can watch Bay Area chefs whip up fresh mushroom concoctions, or relax with a cup of mushroom soup from the Fair vendors. “We’ve noticed a growing awareness of the culinary aspects of mushrooms,” said Dan Long, co-chair, with Ken Litchfield, of the annual Fungus Fair. “Most grocery stores now carry several varieties—Bay Area produce markets may carry 10 or more. People are cooking with mushrooms!” During the Fair, the Mycological Society will present slide shows and lectures on mushroom hunting and identification, fungal diseases, and mushroom toxicology. Speakers include Dr. Tom Bruns, UC Berkeley professor of plant and microbial biology; Dr. Dennis Desjardin, professor of biology at SFSU; and Gary A. Lincoff, author of the The Audubon Society Field Guide to Northern California Mushrooms. Mushroom-centric items for sale include cultivation kits, books, clothing, cookbooks, and posters. What holiday would be complete without a mushroom placemat? Admission to the Fungus Fair is $8 general/$5 seniors and students/members and kids under 5 free, and includes access to the museum’s other exhibitions and galleries. (Admission to the What’s Going On?—California and the Vietnam Era special exhibition is $13 general; $9 seniors, students; members free.) The Mycological Society of San Francisco is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of educational and scientific activities involving mushrooms. Founded in 1950, the M.S.S.F. is the largest regional mushroom society in the U.S. The Society awards annual scholarships, tracks local mycological species, and assists Bay Area poison control centers. It slso leads mushroom identification walks and works to preserve cultural traditions of mushroom collecting. Visit www.fungusfair@mssf.org for details. |
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Saturday
and Sunday, December
4-5, 2004
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