The Mountain View and Packwood Timberland Libraries are thrilled to be a part of the first ever Gifford Pinchot Fungi Festival, occurring from October 24th-26th! Both locations will be offering special mushroom-themed storytimes we're calling Sporeytime. We’ll share delightful picture books all about marvelous mushrooms, followed by a hands-on craft perfect for little mycophiles in the making. Families can also pick up kid-friendly Mushroom Bingo cards on Friday to take along on your weekend forays — return it to the library after the festival to collect a fun mushroom sticker! Mushroom Bingo cards will be available at both libraries, and also during festival registration at Longmire Springs.
Join us at the Packwood Timberland Library on Friday, October 24th at 3:00 PM, and then again at the Mountain View Timberland Library on Saturday, October 25th at 3:00 PM. Both of these special Sporeytimes are completely free and open to the public. Come celebrate the wonder of fungi with stories, creativity, and community.
About the Fungi Festival 🍄
Working with the festival organizers has been a delight. Amy Besunder, one of the lead organizers for the festival, had this to say when asked about how the festival got started:
"The inspiration for the Gifford Pinchot Fungi Festival grew from a small group of women who share a deep passion for fungi and the unique ecosystem of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. We came together with a vision to highlight this wonderful resource not only as a seasonal food, but also as a symbol of resilience, regeneration, and connection. Our all-female, all-volunteer committee is dedicated to bringing this vision to life.
We wanted to create a gathering where mycologists, foragers, chefs, artists, and nature lovers could come together to learn, share, and celebrate. By shining a spotlight on mushrooms, we hope to inspire curiosity about the hidden networks that sustain the forest, while also honoring Indigenous traditions of stewardship and the cultural and culinary creativity that fungi inspire.
Equally important, the festival helps bring people to our small town of Packwood during the shoulder season, a time when local businesses often struggle. By drawing visitors to the area, the festival generates much-needed revenue for small shops, restaurants, and lodging providers, strengthening the fabric of our community."
This is the first year of the festival, and we were thrilled to be asked to participate in the youth programming for the event. Mushroom foraging has always been a popular hobby in Southwest Washington, and particularly so in East Lewis County, and there are plenty of locals like us who are excited to learn about and celebrate mycology. Though the festival itself is a ticketed event, library programs are always free and open to all! We hope to see you there!
Discover the 'fun' of fungi! These books will tell you all about the wondrous wild mushrooms that can be found in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.
