Fungi Bring Fun-Guys and Gals to Ester Park for Annual Fairbanks Fungi Festival

Story by Amber McCain, photos by David McCain

A cluster of Oyster Mushrooms on display; a common edible fungi, and a good source of protein, fiber, Vitamin B and potassium.

Despite steady rain over the weekend, mushroom enthusiasts, families, mycologists, and artists gathered at Ester Community Park on Sunday for the Fairbanks Fungi Festival, an annual celebration of the vibrant and varied fungi that thrive in Alaska’s boreal forests.

With more than 150 mushroom species on display— from the gilled and grotesque to the delicate and edible —the event offered a glimpse into the hidden world of fungi.

“It’s been a really good year so far,” said visiting mycologist Noah Siegel, author of Mushrooms of Alaska. “This weather doesn’t bother me. Rain equals mushrooms.”

The festival's centerpiece was an expansive identification table where mycologists and volunteers showcased mushrooms collected during field forays the day before. With names like bleeding tooth, devil’s fingers, lion’s mane, and veiled lady, visitors were introduced to a strange and sometimes slimy cast of characters from the forest floor. Some are safe for sautéing. Others are deadly. All were marvels of nature.

“Someone brought in a shaggy mane yesterday, it had already started to dissolve into inky goo,” said Christin Swearingen, a conservationist and local mycology expert who coordinated the mushroom display. “People are welcome to bring in their own specimens for identification.”

Swearingen led several guided forays earlier in the weekend, helping volunteers collect and sort mushrooms by type.

Kadey Ambrose, whose work explores the cultural and ecological connections of basketry, brings her baskets and the stories woven into them, to the heart of the mushroom festival.

 “The goal is to get the displays ready before the festival opens so we can really focus on educating the public,” Swearingen said.

Local artist Kadey Ambrose, a basket maker from Fairbanks, displayed handcrafted foraging baskets woven from rattan, birch bark, cattails, iris leaves, and even scavenged plastic.

“Most of the work is in gathering and processing the materials,” Ambrose said. “There’s a saying in basketry, when your materials are prepped, your basket is halfway done.”

Ambrose’s work also included “gratitude baskets,” delicate woven pieces originally created during graduate school as a meditative practice. “When I was overwhelmed, I would just sit down and focus on gratitude,” she said. “These are kind of the children of that project.”

The day included family-friendly crafts and games tents, kids and adults alike made mushroom hats and played spore-themed games in addition to the costume contest.

For fungi fans with a thirst for knowledge, Friday and Saturday featured guided lichen walks in the boreal forest and rocky tundra, while Friday night featured a public lecture by Siegel at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Guest mycologist Shannon Adams also gave a talk Sunday afternoon on Alaska’s unique fungal ecology.

More than 30 vendors lined the park with items from dried morels and growing kits to crochet fungi, handmade jewelry, and lichen-inspired pottery. Food trucks brought a flavorful twist, including a limited-edition mushroom grilled cheese from Fireweed Bites n’ Things.

A small section of the over 150 mushroom species featured at the festival.

Live music filled the air in the afternoon, with performances by Vitamin U and Crossing the Heartland rounding out the day.

The Fairbanks Fungi Festival was sponsored by the Interior Alaska Land Trust and powered by a troop of local “shroomers,” artists, educators, and fungi foragers. While not yet an official mycology organization, organizers say the passion and curiosity of the community keep the festival growing year after year.

“People are amazed when they see the diversity of mushrooms right in their backyard,” said Swearingen. “The fungi are always out there, whether we notice them or not.”

UAF has its own Mycolocy club, more info can be found on Nanook engage under “Groups”.