Mohegan Sun and The Gray Goose Cookery also sponsoring the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center’s 14th annual celebration of all things fungi.
Big Y World Class Market is the lead sponsor of the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center’s 14th annual Wild Mushroom Festival, to be held 1-4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27 at the Center, 109 Pequotsepos Road, Mystic.
This is the first year Big Y, located locally at 79 Stonington Road in Mystic and 995 Poquonnock Road in Groton, has sponsored the popular festival, which combines wild mushroom walks, talks and exhibits with amazing mushroom dishes prepared by local restaurants. Last year, more than 450 attendees sampled mushroom beer, mushroom ice cream, oyster mushroom stew and sauteed mushrooms on crostini, plus lots more, prepared by a dozen vendors.
Also new as a sponsor of the festival this year is Mohegan Sun, which will also be staffing a food booth with some of its award-winning chefs. The Gray Goose Cookery in Olde Mistick Village is returning as a sponsor, and owner Suzanne Lane will again be offering her famous sauteed mushrooms on crostini at a food booth as well.
“We are thrilled to welcome Big Y to the Wild Mushroom Festival as our lead sponsor, “ said Maggie Jones, executive director of the Nature Center. “As the crow flies, Big Y and the Nature Center are a mere half mile apart, and a partnership on such a beloved local event as the Wild Mushroom Festival makes perfect sense. Also new this year as a sponsor is Mohegan Sun and we could not be more pleased to welcome them and their award-winning chefs. ”
Said Michael Beaudry, District Director for Big Y Foods, Inc., “Big Y is always honored to serve and participate within our local communities whenever possible. We are especially pleased with the opportunity to be involved with this year’s Wild Mushroom Festival. This is an outstanding local event, and we are proud to be a part of it.”
The CT Valley Mycological Society will have wild mushrooms samples on hand from a local foray the morning of the festival, and there will be lectures and walks led throughout the afternoon by Bill Yule of CVMS, Ryan Bouchard of the Southern New England Mushroom Hunters, and Walker Cammack, a former DPNC intern and forager extraordinaire. For the list of participating restaurants visit the Wild Mushroom Festival page.
Tickets are $20 for adults (includes 10 food tickets) and $10 for children under 12 (five food tickets). Tickets will go on sale Aug. 1 at https://dpnc.org/calendar/14th-wild-mushroom-festival/ or by calling 860-536-1216.
