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Mushroom and Seaweed Festival brings forays, lectures, food, more

Ruby Lake Lagoon Society
mushroom fest
Adam Butcher, CEO of Seaflora, a Vancouver Island company that produces a skincare line formulated from certified organic seaweed.

Mushroom season is on and the Ruby Lake Lagoon Society is hosting a Mushroom and Seaweed Festival the weekend of Nov. to 3 in Madeira Park. The weekend will also include the society’s 14th  annual BioBlitz.

The Lagoon Society has continued the event after the dissolution of the SC Mushroom Society last year. “As organizers of the original mushroom festival, we wanted to see it continue,” said Lee Ann Ennis, education coordinator for the Society. “We have added seaweed to the festival to reflect the wonderful biodiversity of our Sunshine Coast.”

The Festival begins on Friday evening with a mini-symposium at the Pender Harbour School of Music from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Presenters are Adam Butcher, CEO of Seaflora and Willoughby Arevalo, mushroom expert and author. This is a ticketed event, $15 Society members, $25 non-members.

Seaflora is a Vancouver Island company that specializes in the world’s first skincare line formulated from certified organic seaweed. The company was founded by Butcher’s mother, Diane Bernard. Butcher grew up in Sooke, B.C. He is an experienced seaweed harvester and an avid diver. He earned his PADI and SSI scuba instructor certificates and has taught internationally before returning to his home on Vancouver Island to reunite with the family business.

Arevalo is the author of DIY Mushroom Cultivation. He is a mycologist, artist, kitchen wizard, father, and educator who has been showing people how to work with fungi for the last decade. He’s been a presenter and co-organizer of the Radical Mycology Convergences, and has led workshops and forays at numerous mushroom festivals. He regularly teaches community workshops on mushrooms and serves on the Education Committee of the Vancouver Mycological Society. He grows mushrooms at his home in Vancouver, BC.

Saturday at the Madeira Park Community Hall from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. will be packed with fun family activities including a display of locally collected mushrooms, cooking demonstrations, food and craft vendors and live music. Entrance fee is $3. Saturday evening there will be a special four-course dinner and wine pairing at the Painted Boat Restaurant;  reservations required.

Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Community Hall, participants will be able to join in mushroom hikes, the BioBlitz survey and a delicious mushroom and seaweed lunch. Cost is $50 and reservations are required.

Tickets and registration for the symposium are available at www.openpods.com. Call the EarthFair Store at 604-883-9006 to reserve for the foray and lunch on Sunday. For Painted Boat dinner reservations, call 604-883-2456.

– Submitted