Thanks Taylor for the photo!! This 6-6 red haired Scotsman is a wee fella its true compared to this Irish-Saxon but he makes great leather. He made me a belt last year after Linda met him at the fest and its the best ever. Now I need more holes, after losing weight!
The Mendocino Coast Fungi Fest is back in full bloom this Sunday, running 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., with favorite vendors, mushroom-inspired treats, and a lively talk from the scientist who proudly calls himself the “Fun Guy for Fungi.” He’ll share his insights and sign copies of his book—adding a dash of wit to the day’s discoveries. For deeper background and highlights, see yesterday’s article.
A huge thanks to Taylor Wisherd, who provided most of the photos below—including the main shot. I had to head to work before the festivities kicked off, so Taylor’s lens captured what I missed. Last year we went all-in: paid admission, joined the mushroom club, and Linda happily spent about $500 at the vendor booths. So this year we’re cheering from the sidelines and saving our return for next season, lol. Also be sure to check out the mushroom walk at the MC Botanical Gardens Monday at 12:30 pm
POLICE CHIEF—What does that have to do with mushrooms?
Maybe nothing… or maybe everything, if you believe in the strange spores of community life. While the Fungi Fest wraps up with laughter and lectures, Fort Bragg’s council is preparing to choose its next police chief. Final interviews are set for Monday and Wednesday, with both inside and outside candidates in the mix. Our hunch leans toward interim chief Eric Swift—whose guarded yet expressive nature and impressive resume stood out when we sat down to discuss Flock cameras—but we’ll admit, we can’t really read the council’s minds. So consider this a cliffhanger: mushrooms today, a new chief tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Among the stars at Fungi Fest has been Robert Douglas, offering guided morning mushroom hunts nearby in Caspar Demonstration State Forest. Superstars of both were Pryo and Rye, the two truffle digging dogs, brought into the forest with a special perimt to research whether there were truffles. There were!
Enjoy this gallery from the mushroom festival! The standout shots aren’t mine, but come courtesy of two generous mushroom club members. Check the cutlines for all the details.
I could not really mushroomm hunt because I had two dogs towing me. Fabulous truffle dogs rye and pyro could not have done their work if Brutus and Caesar had been trying to kiss the frantically, so we went off on our own hike. Brutus checks out the trail named by local indigenous people.The face of the woman in the down vest said it all when this woman brought her cauliflower mushroom out in Jackson. She found it elsewhere and brought it so people could see this delicious local variety (if we have it right!) When i saw blue “mushrooms” coming up through the duff, I steered the dogs that way. It turned out to be the coolest fungi in the forest. Fungi digested this blue safeway fizz water box into something useable by the ecosytem. I did pick up garbage all day but left this, as its covered with fungi and life and no longer something artificialLOOK at that tunnel some forest spider made CREEPY and coolBrutus and Caesar met many new friendsShared a long chat with this gentleman about the many ways to cook chanterelles—and which ones taste best.She joined the foraging group, gathered a basket of delicious boletes, and headed home to turn them into dinner.We alI found good friends and mushroom goddesses at mushroom fest as alwaysDinner in my backyard! The Shaggy Main it must be eaten quickly after harvesting, as it disintegrates into a black, gooey substance. Lots more people came this year, too many to take the dogs with any group but TONS of tourists had FUN!! and locals tooThe kill!!! The hunters have returned with dinner for the tribe!!The surveyors had their surveys and I had my dogs so none of us got to get any mushroomsThe elephant in this room is a KING BOLETTE!! wow, but too old to eat.Eric Schramm is one of the local mushroom godsHonked in hopes of sanity’s return while passing the Saturday protest crew.We all made new friends on Saturday The Cispers showcased their pottery and art, with Julian’s favorite piece featuring the only non‑local animal—a hedgehog. It’s a nod to the Midwest, where Mom once kept one as a pet when she was a girl.
Frank Hartzell has spent his lifetime as a curious anthropologist in a reporter's fedora. His first news job was chasing news on the streets of Houston with high school buddy and photographer James Mason, back in 1986. Then Frank graduated from Humboldt State and went to Great Gridley as a reporter, where he bonded with 1000 people and told about 3000 of their stories. In Marysville at the Appeal Democrat, the sheltered Frank got to see both the chilling depths and amazing heights of humanity. From there, he worked at the Sacramento Bee covering Yuba-Sutter and then owned the Business Journal in Yuba City, which sold 5000 subscriptions to a free newspaper. Frank then got a prestigious Kiplinger Investigative Reporting fellowship and was city editor of the Newark Ohio, Advocate and then came back to California for 4 years as managing editor of the Napa Valley Register before working as a Dominican University professor, then coming to Fort Bragg to be with his aging mom, Betty Lou Hartzell, and working for the Fort Bragg Advocate News. Frank paid the bills during that decade + with a successful book business. He has worked for over 50 publications as a freelance writer, including the Mendocino Voice and Anderson Valley Advertiser, along with construction and engineering publications. He has had the thrill of learning every day while writing. Frank is now living his dream running MendocinoCoast.News with wife, Linda Hartzell, and web developer, Marty McGee, reporting from Fort Bragg, California.
