Rain or shine, the Makanda Mushroom Festival took place during the rainy weekend of Oct. 1-3, 2021. 

The Makanda Mushroom Festival was located at Camp Manitowa at Cedar Point in Makanda, Ill. The event encouraged mushroom and foraging lovers of Illinois to come together and enjoy a 3-day event centered around guided mushroom foraging hikes, mushroom cooking workshops, educational classes, local art, live music and much more. 

Some of the events had to be moved around to account for the rainy weather. Despite the weekend’s sporadic rainfall, over 200 people attended the Makanda Mushroom Festival.

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This festival was hosted and organized by Michael and Jessica Hatfield, owners of Flyway Family Farm and local graphic designer/social media marketing specialist Katherine Accettura, who acted as event coordinator for the Makanda Mushroom Festival.

“The owners of Flyway Family Farm, Mike and Jess Hatfield, were inspired by the Telluride Mushroom Festival and they wanted to have a similar event here near their property where a lot of local mushrooms grow that you can forage for medicinal and culinary reasons.”Accettura said.

Anyone interested in the event could purchase a 3-day $80 adult ticket and/or a $40 Children’s ticket. One day attendees could purchase a $40 ticket at the gate. 

Gallery • 4 Photos

Dominique Martinez-Powell | @dmartinez_powell.photography

One of the various goods set out for sale by Maggie Taylor, the owner of Delight Flower Farms Oct. 2, 2021 at the Makanda Mushroom Festival in Makanda, Ill. “We’re primarily a cut flower farm. We sell bouquets and things like that. But we also grow a lot of herbs on our farm, so we brought some of our herbal goods.” Taylor said.

Genesis Self, a festival attendee that came from Chicago for the Makanda Mushroom Festival, accompanied her boyfriend to the event hoping to learn more about the mushrooms that exist in the state of Illinois.

“[I’m] trying to learn more about mushrooms that are within our state. I haven’t really explored Southern Illinois, only Northern Illinois,” Self said. 

Some of the mushroom centered events of the 3 day event included a presentation about Medicinal Mushrooms, a Tree ID hike with mycologists from the Missouri Mycological Society, culinary mushroom demonstrations and a presentation about beginners mushroom cultivation, and more. 

“We hope to share the beauty of Southern Illinois and the variety of local mushrooms that grow here in the forest.” Accettura said. 

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Many of the presentations included take-home items and workbooks that attendees were given as an included bonus with their ticket. There was also a Juried Artists’ Market and Mini Farmers Market on Saturday Oct. 2 festival attendees could go and buy local art and mushroom related foods to take home.

Vendors were protected from heavy rainfall with tents and many of the attendees came prepared with umbrellas and rain ponchos to brave the weather.

“I think the organizers did a fantastic job. They adapted very well to the rain and they didn’t let the rain stop them. I really appreciate that perseverance to create a beautiful experience for the community.” Marquez Scoggin, co-founder of Project Human X and a vendor at the Festival said. 

Flyway Family Farm hopes to host another Mushroom festival in the future. 

“There’s other festivals like this in other parts of the country and there was nothing here and we wanted to do something… It’s all here. Mushrooms are great. They’re delicious, healthy, and they play a vital role in the environment. Without mushrooms, nature doesn’t exist.” said Michael Hatfield.

Photographer Dominique Martinez-Powell can be reached at [email protected]. To stay up to date with all your southern Illinois news, follow the Daily Egyptian on Facebook and Twitter.

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