2017 Mushroom Festival & Visitors Guide

32nd Annual

Complimentary Complimentary Copy C opy

Mushroom Festival

September 9-10, 2017

& Visitors’ Guide

Kennett Square, PA - The Mushroom Capital of the World

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4 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

2017

Mushroom Festival & Visitors’ Guide Table of Contents

6

Top 10 Suggestions For This Year’s Festival

20

Spotlight: R.M. Crossan, Inc.

26

Festival Honorary Chair: Carol Lowe

28

Spotlight: Wm. P. McGovern, Inc.

30

Street Food, Mushroom Festival Style

38

Volunteers at the Mushroom Festival

44

Mushroom Festival Board of Directors

48

The Children’s Stage

52

Mushroom Festival Awards Grants

59

Mushroom Festival Schedule

64

To-Jo Mushrooms: Partners in Education

72

Festival Sponsors

74

Pride in Pennsylvania-Grown

78

10,000 Maniacs to Perform

80

2016 Cook-off Winner

82

32 Interesting Facts About Mushrooms

87

Meet the Mushrooms

92

Mushroom Recipes

104 A New Season at Longwood Gardens 110 Battle of the Brandywine 114 Bike the Brandywine

6 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

The 32nd Annual Mushroom Festival: Mushrooms galore and a whole lot more!!

M “Mushroom Galore and a Whole Lot More!” is the theme of the 32nd Annual Mushroom Festival. As such, here’s a Top 10 list for mushroom festival ideas, plus a Top 10 list of the other highlights at Kennett Square’s fungi celebration on Sept. 9 and 10.

By Carla Lucas

Top 10 – Mushrooms Galore

1

Eat your way along the Street Fair. There’s so much to sample – mushroom fries, portabella cheesesteaks, mushroom soup, mushroom mac and cheese, mushroom pierogies, and mushroom spring rolls, mushroom popsicles, and mushroom ice cream, just to name a few.

2

Talk to area growers about the mushroom growing process, from raw materials and composting to harvesting. Plus, see how all the exotic varieties of mushrooms are grown, including shiitake, maitake, royal trumpet, oyster, and beech in the Grower’s Exhibit (Broad Street on Saturday and Sunday).

3

Get great tips and recipes for cooking with mushrooms in the Culinary Tent when you attend one of the many demonstrations on the Giorgi Kitchen Stage. (Broad Street on Saturday and Sunday). Three regional chefs, winners of the 2016 James Beard Foundation Blended Burger Project, will share their winning blended burgers in the Culinary Tent on Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m.

4

Buy the freshest mushrooms around! Visit one of the Mushroom Sales booths, place your order, and we’ll keep them cool and fresh in a refrigerated mushroom truck until you are ready to leave.

Continued on Page 8

Photo by Chris Herring

Scenes from the 2016 Mushroom Festival.

All photsos courtesy unless otherwise noted

8 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

Mushrooms Galore Continued from Page 6

5

Devour Buona Foods’ breaded fried mushrooms as a contestant in the National Fried Mushroom Eating Championship, or cheer on the competitors in the Special Events Tent (State and Willow streets, Saturday, 3 p.m.).

6

Sample mushroom soups from local restaurants and wines from regional wineries at the Soup and Wine Event. The festival will crown 2017’s “Best Mushroom Soup in the Brandywine Valley” and “People’s Choice Best Wine” at the Mushroom Festival based on visitor votes. (Special Events Tent at State and Willow streets, Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.).

7

Shop ‘til you drop. The Street Fair is about one mile long and filled with hundreds of vendors – most have something mushroom-themed – from jewelry and clothing, to indoor and outdoor decorations and garden statuary.

The Mushroom Festival’s Souvenir Booth at Broad and State streets sells the annual souvenir T-shirts, stuffed Fun Gus dolls, mushroom cookbooks and more.

Photo by Chris Herring

Continued on Page 11 Photo by Chris Herring

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Top 10 – A Whole Lot More

Mushrooms Galore Continued from Page 8

8

Place a bid on a Painted Mushroom. Local artists have risen to the occasion and created unique works of art with these 108-pound concrete garden stools. Check them out. Even if you don’t want to bid on one, there’s a People’s Choice award to the artist who receives the most votes. (State Street, near Broad Street).

1

Magic, comedy, puppet shows, music, dancing and fun are what it’s all about on the Children’s Stage. The acts are presented for the younger crowd, but enjoyable by all. New location: Lafayette Street.

2

Sit a spell and listen to talented artists and bands from across the region on the Community Stage. New location: South Union Street, near Cypress Street.

9

Try the Official Mushroom Soup of the Mushroom Festival. Based on a local mushroom grower’s family recipe, it is a stew-like soup loaded with sliced mushrooms. Members of the Kennett Square Masonic Lodge prepare the soup and host the event in their air-conditioned meeting room. (Center and Cypress streets, Saturday and Sunday).

10

The region’s growers bring the best of their mushrooms to the Growers’ Tent on Sunday morning for the annual Mushroom Judging. Bragging rights for 2017 Best Mushrooms are on the line with the Best of Show ribbon. After judging, these best-of-thebest mushrooms go up for sale. Mushroom Judging sales starts at 1:30 p.m. These mushrooms sell out fast!

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Continued on Page 15

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Mushroms Galore Continued from Page 11

3

The Antique and Classic Car Show brings some really cool, unusual vehicles to Kennett Square. This year’s featured car is Jungle Jim Lieberman’s ‘73 Vega Funny Car (Broad and Cypress streets, Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m).

4

The Annual Mushroom Run and Fun Walk is a great way to start your Mushroom Festival Sunday. Organized by the Kennett Area Parks and Recreation Board, this family-inclusive race gives everyone the chance to enjoy a run or walk along the Red Clay Creek.

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10,000 Maniacs are coming to the Mushroom Festival for the Saturday Evening Concert in the Special Events Tent. The Kennett Flash is producing the event and tickets, if still available, may be purchased from their website (www.kennettflash.org).

6

The Old Fashioned Carnival is a great way to extend family time in Kennett Square. Walk the midway filled with carnival foods, games, and rides. (600 S. Broad St., Friday, Saturday and Sunday).

7

Kennett Square’s shops and restaurants are excited to welcome Mushroom Festival guests. It’s a great time to check out all the merchants and their wares as you stroll through town.

8

Take time to talk with our promotional vendors along the side streets of the festival. Most are local small businesses promoting services you might be looking for, like home improvements, schools and services.

Continued on Page 18

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16 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

Dear Mushroom Festival Fans:

I

t’s hard to believe the 32nd Mushroom Festival is here!

Thank you to everyone who has made this Festival a reality. We couldn’t do it without our generous sponsors, our vendors and our volunteers. We especially couldn’t do it with out the support of the Kennett Square community, as the Festival bursts into the Borough for the weekend. A special thank you goes out to all the residents of Kennett Square Borough whose usual routines are disturbed for the weekend. We appreciate the dedication of Kennett Square’s police department and borough employees for helping to make a successful Festival possible each year.

This is a weekend to celebrate the crop that dominates the local economy. People often ask why Kennett Square is the Mushroom Capital of the World. The answer is in its history and the economy. The first cultivated mushrooms ever grown in the United States were grown right here in town in the basement of a carnation-growing facility on Willow Street. Mushrooms are the number one cash crop in Pennsylvania, and over half of the mushrooms grown in the United States come from the Kennett Square region.

The Mushroom Festival’s impact stretches well beyond our September celebration. Through the Mushroom Festival’s Grant Program, we have awarded more than $886,000 in grants since 2000, the first year the Festival gave grant

awards. This April, we awarded $86,100 to 50 unique nonprofit organizations to enable them to improve or continue their work throughout the region.

We’re looking forward to seeing you Sept. 9 and 10! Don’t forget about our Community Parade with Dining and Dancing in the Streets on Friday, September 8, too.

Kathi Lafferty Festival Coordinator

2017 Mushroom Festival dedicated to the memory of Ed Zunino The 32nd Annual Mushroom Festival is dedicated to the memory of Ed Zunino, Kennett Square’s long-time Police Chief. Ed was a great supporter of the Mushroom Festival.

His leadership and enthusiasm for Kennett Square and the mushroom industry was evident from the Festival’s beginnings in 1985. He will be sorely missed.

Courtesy photo

The 2017 Mushroom Festival is dedicated to Ed Zunino, Kennett Square’s longtime police chief.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 17

18 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

Mushrooms Galore Continued from Page 15

9

Check out the Cute-As-A-Button Baby Photo Contest booth (near the Children’s Rides by Meredith Street). Vote for your favorite baby photo with your pocket change. All donations go to WSTW’s Help Our Kids Radiothon.

Bragging rights as 2017’s Cutest Button, Cutest Crimini and Cutest Portabella are earned through the most donations collected.

10

More shopping and eating. Not everything at every vendor’s booth is mushroom related. Festival foods abound, like curly fries, hot dogs, and water ice. Unique treasures and creative art pieces await the savvy shopper. Many guests find special gifts for friends and family as they stroll the Street Fair.

The Mushroom Festival’s website, www. mushroomfestival.org, has schedules, maps and up-to-the-minute news. Like the Mushroom Festival on Facebook (The Mushroom Festival) for breaking news and festival reminders.

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Spotlight on R.M. Crossan, Inc.

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By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer If the air-conditioning breaks down at a mushroom house on a hot summer day or the heat stops working in a young family’s home on a cold winter morning, they need a reliable company to turn to for help. As the third-generation owner of R.M. Crossan, Inc., a fullservice heating, air conditioning, plumbing, and fuel oil company, Bryan Crossan understands the

Courtesy photo Richard M. Crossan founded the business in 1946.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 21

importance of responding quickly to a customer’s needs.

Ever since Bryan’s grandfather, Richard M. Crossan, founded R.M. Crossan, Inc. in 1946, the company has built its reputation on providing quality service to customers.

The company’s motto for years was “The success of our business is service,” and while that motto is no longer widely used, it remains the goal for each of the company’s employees.

“We strive to provide high-end quality service in a prompt manner,” Bryan explained during an interview at his office in Toughkenamon. Today, Bryan is the president of the company that still bears his grandfather’s name and continues the legacy that Richard M. Crossan and Harvey Crossan built one satisfied customer at a time over the course of the last 71 years.

For the first decade of the company’s existence, there was a heavy emphasis on working with businesses in the mushroom industry. Richard M. Crossan designed a special air-conditioning unit, a Typhoon air conditioner, that was widely used in the mushroom industry. Over time, R.M. Crossan, Inc. started taking care of the mushroom company owners’ homes as well as their businesses. As Richard’s son, Harvey, became the second generation of the family to work in the business, the company continued to expand its services in southern Chester County.

Bryan started working for the family’s business during the summer before he entered ninth grade.

“I was about the same age that my father was when he started working at the business. I was about 13, I think, and I decided that I was going to work for my dad.”

He remembers being very excited for the first day of work, thinking that his father would send him out to tag along on repair jobs. Instead, he was asked to pull weeds,

Courtesy photo Richard M. Crossan and Harvey Crossan worked together to build the business through the years.

trim the hedges, and do other general maintenance work on his grandfather’s property that was adjacent to the business. After handling those kinds of tasks for a few weeks, he did start helping out on some air-conditioning calls. He eventually became a technician.

In addition to learning from his father, Bryan’s grandfather was still active in the business at the time he was learning the ropes, doubling up on the education he was receiving about the business.

“Everyone was very supportive,” Bryan said. “We had a very good working relationship.”

One thing that was instilled in him by his grandfather and father was the importance of having all the employees in the business to treat customers with respect and to have a dedication to meeting the customers’ needs. He also learned the importance of treating the employees well as they go out to represent the family business.

“I view all my employees as family members, and we all work together to achieve customer satisfaction,” Bryan said.

Through the years, the company has expanded its focus so that the commercial work and residential work is more evenly balanced.

“We’re very diversified now,” Bryan said. “We do a lot of residential work now. We’re diversified enough to handle the simplest projects, a leaky faucet in the kitchen, for example, to any major industrial projects for the mushroom industry.”

The company maintained a strong relationship with the mushroom growers in the area.

“The mushroom industry is a 24/7 business,” Bryan said. “My grandfather established relationships with many of the growers. When my father came on board, Continued on Page 22

Photo by Steven Hoffman A picture of the original R.M. Crossan, Inc. building.

22 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

R.M. Crossan, Inc. Continued from Page 21

he continued those relationships. Now, I’m working with third- or even fourth-generation growers. It is neat when I talk to some of the growers and I hear stories about how my grandfather came out at night one time to fix their airconditioning. I hear the same stories about my father. It’s nice.”

Harvey Crossan was a big supporter of the Mushroom Festival during the time that he ran the company, serving as a board member for the festival and helping out with

Courtesy photos R.M. Crossan, Inc. has now been utilizing bus shelter advertising longer than any other company in the state.

whatever was needed. After Harvey passed away in 2011, the 2012 Mushroom Festival was dedicated to him. R.M. Crossan, Inc. has maintained the close relationship with the Mushroom Festival and the mushroom industry. As the company approaches its 75th anniversary, Bryan said that there is a potential for a fourth-generation of the family to take over the business at the some point.

As for the reason why the family business endures Continued on Page 24

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R.M. Crossan, Inc. Continued from Page 22

through constant changes, he points to the motto “The success of our business is service.”

“I’ve continued that mentality and that has helped build the business into what it is today,” Bryan said.

To contact Staff Writer Steven Hoffman, email editor@ chestercounty.com.

R.M. Crossan, Inc.

Courtesy photo Bryan Crossan and his family. Bryan Crossan is the third-generation owner of R.M. Crossan, a full-service heating, air conditioning, plumbing, and fuel oil company.

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 25

2017 Mushroom Festival Board of Directors Randy Lieberman, President Gus Carozzo, Vice President Michelle Gazdik, Treasurer Gina Puoci, Secretary Jennifer Basciani Lori Gebert Carl Lowe Carla Lucas Bill McDougall John Morris Samantha Snyder Kathi Lafferty, Festival Coordinator

26 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

Carol Lowe is 32nd Annual Mushroom Festival Honorary Chair During Mushroom Festival weekend, Carol Lowe is in full volunteer mode.

From Friday’s Community Parade through to the final clean-up sweep of the festival, Carol is there, lending a hand to get things done. She is always bursting with energy and has a huge smile on her face. Her enthusiasm is infectious.

“I volunteer because I love Kennett Square and being a part of the Kennett Square community,” she says. “It is fantastic working with like-minded, caring people who work hard to showcase our community during the Mushroom Festival.”

Among the responsibilities she’s taken on during the Mushroom Festival is that of Chief Recycler. She corrals a group of student volunteers each year and works to see that as much of the festival’s trash as possible is recycled. The crew changes the recycled trash bins often and even separates recyclable trash from the regular trash as needed. It isn’t the most glamorous of jobs, but it is necessary and greatly appreciated.

Carol and her husband, Carl, are longtime residents of Kennett Square. They raised two children here, Chelsea (KHS Class of 2009) and Carl, Jr. (KHS Class of 2013). Carol is a social worker with a private practice, specializing in working with adolescents and troubled teens. She is also on the Board of Directors for Family Promise of Southern Chester County. She was on the Demons Light Committee that was responsible for lighting Kennett High School’s stadium and continues to volunteer at the high school as well as St. Patrick’s Church.

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Carol Lowe (center) at last year’s festival, with volunteers Theresa Roberts and Donna Miller at the Soup and Wine event.

“I believe the work the Mushroom Festival does is invaluable,” she says.

“It is an integral part of the community I am proud to serve.”

Give her a wave when you see her driving by on the Gator she uses to collect recyclables during the festival.

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Four decades of a family-owned company

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer The headquarters of Wm. P. McGovern, Inc. is a 68,000-square-foot former Pepsi distribution warehouse in West Chester. With a staff of 76 employees and more than 200 pieces of equipment, it provides a variety of services, including septic pumping and portable restroom rentals to bulk waste hauling, excavation, and on-site installation and repair to thousands of customers in a 200-mile-radius service area that comprises four states.

And yet, at its core definition, Wm. P. McGovern, Inc. is a family business, connected by three generations.

McGovern’s oldest son, Bill, Jr. is a service technician; middle son Stephen is a diesel mechanic and in charge of the company fleet; youngest son Andrew, 26, holds an engineering degree and does a lot of the company’s refinery work; and in between business school classes, daughter Morgan handles bookkeeping work.

And then there is Bill’s mother Helen, now in her 90s, who continues to report to the company’s headquarters four days a week to do payroll and bill paying. It’s an industry career that dates back to 1958 -- when Bill was just two years

old. Following the death of her husband, Helen took a job with John F. Lynch Septic, in order to support her four small children. Very often, young Bill would accompany his mother to work, and over time, the young McGovern learned about the septic business.

When Bill first began Wm. P. McGovern in 1974, Helen went with him. He was just an 18-year-old kid from Kennett Square, fresh from a youth spent working in the mushroom industry, alongside friends and family.

Now, after nearly 40 years running one of the most successful businesses in Chester County, McGovern is still, in many ways, the kid from Kennett Square, and every year when he walks up and down State Street at the annual Mushroom Festival, he sees those familiar faces again, and it’s like coming home.

“My roots are in Kennett Square,” McGovern said. “I was born and raised there, and although our headquarters are in West Chester, we still have a satellite office in Kennett Square. I have a lot of friends and family in the mushroom industry and grew up as a kid working there. It’s an industry that is still very close to me and my family.”

In fact, the McGovern family’s association with the Mushroom Festival goes back so long that McGovern is unable to pinpoint the exact year the partnership began. The years, however, are not important. The friendship between the company and the festival, however, is.

“The Mushroom Festival to me is all about the people,” said McGovern, whose company will provide the festival with portable restrooms and sinks, golf carts, and will dispose of

Courtesy photo Wm. McGovern, Inc. provides service to homes and businesses within a 200-mile radius of its West Chester headquarters.

Courtesy photo Bill McGovern, with his sons Andrew, Steve and Bill, Jr.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 29

used cooking oil used in food preparations and displays. “It’s an opportunity to see everyone who we all grew up with and went to high school with -- people we don’t get a chance to see much of at any other time. When you know this many people in a small town, a festival of this kind becomes not just an event, but a reunion.”

Courtesy photo A long-time friend to the Mushroom industry, Wm. McGovern, Inc. regularly supplies equipment and materials to the Mushroom Festival.

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30 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

Street food, Mushroom Festival style

By Carla Lucas How many ways can you enjoy mushrooms at the Mushroom Festival? Let’s see: Crabstuffed portabella mushrooms, portabella cheesesteak, mushroom spring roll, mushroom mac and cheese, mushroom soup, fried breaded mushrooms, mushroom burgers, mushroom risotto, mushroom chili, mushroom wraps, mushroom salad, mushroom chips, mushroom popsicles and mushroom ice cream.

The variety is endless and paradise for the mushroom lover.

Anchoring the food vendors along the Street Fair are the restaurants of Kennett Square.

Headquartered in the Mushroom Capital of the World, Kennett Square’s dining establishments use fresh, locally sourced mushrooms yearround, acquiring them from the farms just outside of town. According to Nick Quiroz, owner and chef at La Madera Bistro, it is

Photo by Chris Herring Portabello’s Restaurant of Kennett Square (115 W. State St.) developed a cheesesteak sandwich, featuring portabellas, that makes an appearance at the street fair and can be found on their menu throughout the year. It might be the best cheesesteak you’ll ever eat.

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amazing for a chef that he can call a local grower and have mushrooms cut that day and delivered to his door. The freshest of the fresh mushrooms used at the local restaurants bring great flavor to the mushroom dishes they’ve created.

For the Mushroom Festival, each restaurant’s booth on the street features delicious, creative and unique mushroom dishes. On the street, you will find offerings from the Kennett Inn, LaMadera Bistro, Talula’s Table, Lily’s Asian Cuisine, Nomadic Pies, and Portabello’s Restaurant of Kennett Square. Grain, new to the Kennett Square restaurant scene, will be on the street with WTF (What the Fungus) Nachos!

Caterers and food vendors from outside the borough come to the Mushroom Festival with great festival foods tweaked with one or more mushroom offerings, too. In total, there are more than 35 food vendors, most with at least one mushroom offering.

Locally, The Meat House, from Chadds Ford, serves beef tips and mushrooms in a sandwich or over rice. Kennett Square’s Country Butcher’s booth features a sausage, peppers, Continued on Page 32

Photo by Chris Herring Talula’s Table (102 W. State St.) brings its famous mushroom mac and cheese out to the festival, as well as its creamy version of mushroom soup and mushroom risotto that is served year-round in its marketplace.

32 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

Street food Continued from Page 31

onion and mushroom sandwich.

Other food vendors come from around the region. From Philadelphia, The Cow and the Curd’s food truck features fried cheese curds with a special mushroom dip offered just at this festival. Burris Country Kitchen, of Lancaster County, will cook up their mushroom-based meatless burger mix and offer sandwiches this year. Maison Crepes, from New Jersey, brings a mushroom crepe to the streets to complement their sweet offerings. Gosia’s Pierogies, based in Maryland, has homemade mushroom pierogies at the festival, as well as other standard fillings. Katja’s will offer a mushroomstuffed empanada this year.

The original breaded, fried mushroom from Buona Foods, served at the festival since the very beginning, is always a favorite. Not only do they offer their original breaded, fried mushrooms, but also a grilled mushroom burger. Buona supplies the breaded, fried Continued on Page 34

Photo by Chris Herring La Verona (114 E. State St.) is known for its mushroom martini, but you can only get that inside at the bar. Out on the street, the offerings include portabella fries and mushroom burgers.

Lambert Spawn is proud to support the Mushroom Festival on its 32nd Anniversary. lambertspawn.com

34 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

Street food Continued from Page 32

mushrooms for the annual National Fried Mushroom Eating Championship, too.

New this year, Perdue’s food truck will offer a chicken mushroom Swiss sandwich and a chicken meatballs in tomato sauce sandwich.

Best of all, Perdue will donate the proceeds to the Kennett Food Pantry.

On the sweet side, a trip to the Mushroom Festival is not complete without a stop to Woodside Creamery’s truck for a scoop of one of their three mushroom ice creams. Or stop

by La Michiachona’s booth for one of their mushroom popsicles, made especially for the festival. Hint: Frozen mushrooms taste like nuts.

Slightly off the festival’s main street, at the Masonic Lodge (the corner of Center and Cypress streets), you can try the “Official Mushroom Soup of the Mushroom Festival.”

This soup is thick and creamy, almost like a stew, and is absolutely loaded with sliced Continued on Page 36

Photo by Chris Herring La Madera Bistro (104 E. State St.), offers a Mediterranean flair to mushroom-based dishes in the restaurant. Outside this year, look for local favorites such as Mexican roasted corn on the cob.

Congratulations on the 32nd Mushroom Festival 510 W. State St. Kennett Square, PA 19348

Phone: 610-444-2170 Fax: 610-444-2173

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Street food Continued from Page 34

button mushrooms. The members of the Masonic Lodge make it from a family recipe of one of Kennett Square’s local growers.

Save your appetite for your stroll through the Street Fair, and try all the great mushroom delicacies the Mushroom Festival has to offer.

Photo by Chris Herring Lily’s Asian Cuisine (104 W. State St.) brings mushroom lo mein, mushroom fries, and a mushroom roll to their booth.

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OLUNTEER V S MAKE THE MUSHROOM FESTIVAL POSSIBLE

By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer On each morning of the Mushroom Festival, students from Kennett High School can be seen carrying large bags of ice to the vendors who are setting up along State Street. Other student volunteers help those vendors unload their goods from their cars and carry them to the stands set up along the street fair. Students help sell the admission wristbands and staff the refrigerated trucks

Courtesy photo Students wait at the information booth for their next request for help.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 39

where fresh mushrooms are sold.

It takes an army of volunteers to plan and stage the Mushroom Festival each year, and high school students play an important part during the days of the event, when there might be as many as 350 or 400 volunteers working to ensure that visitors have a good time.

“There are many ways that Kennett High School students get involved,” explained Joe O’Sullivan, a teacher at the school who works with Lori Gebert to coordinate the student volunteers. “We take great pride in being able to support the effort.”

Gebert, a current board member of the Mushroom Festival, Inc., has volunteered at the festival in various capacities for more than ten years. One of her primary duties for the 2017 Mushroom Festival is coordinating the activities of the student volunteers.

Some of the students from Kennett High School who volunteer are members of the school’s Walk In kNowledge (WIN) program, which provides after-school studying opportunities for students. It is from this group that volunteer team leaders are selected to oversee the other student volunteers.

O’Sullivan said that the WIN leaders usually spend about ten hours planning and organizing the other volunteers before the festival even starts, figuring out what jobs will need to be accomplished.

O’Sullivan usually arrives at around 6 a.m. on the first morning of the festival, and the student leaders show up shortly thereafter to start handling the many tasks. One important early job is helping the vendors to bring their wares to the stands where they are setting up. This allows the traffic to keep moving in town. According to O’Sullivan, it used to be a major issue at one time as vendors would have to line up their cars to unload their wares, creating a traffic jam. Now, with the help of an army of students, the task gets accomplished much more smoothly.

“It’s a good experience for the kids. We always have more pupils show up to work than signed up,” O’Sullivan explained. “Friends bring others, and the manpower is never wasted.”

During the course of the weekend, students will help set up tables and chairs for performance areas, take care of the recycling and trash collections, and run errands whenever they are needed. One of the more labor-intensive activities is delivering the 40-pound bags of ice to vendors.

“Vendors throughout town have contracted that service with the organizers,” O’Sullivan explained. “The hotter the day, the faster the ice melts - ―usually in waves. In some years, the calls are fast and furious. Teams cycle throughout the festival area and pick up trash or provide directions to the town’s guests. Shifts of students are available for whatever Continued on Page 40

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Mushroom Festival Volunteers Continued from Page 39

odd job happens to pop up―and there typically is always a need for something.”

Students also assist with the effort to make the festival’s announcements in English and Spanish so that all the attendees of the event can understand them.

Occasionally, the volunteers’ tasks might be a little extra demanding. After a big rainstorm on the Saturday afternoon of the 2016 event, high school students were called on to help drain the excess water from the inflatable slides and the inflatable bounce houses.

Courtesy photo Student volunteers act as runners between the Growers’ Exhibit and the refrigerated trucks to keep mushroom judging entries refrigerated until it’s time to judge them.

“It was cold and the water was colder, but it was a necessary function for the attendees to be able to have a good experience,” O’Sullivan explained.

On Sunday morning of the festival, high school students will do laps around the borough, picking up any trash or debris that might have been left during the first day. Soon, it’s time to close out the festival.

O’Sullivan explained, “As vendors begin to pack up, our students are on deck. Between the hours of 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., our town goes back to normal. Everything that was put out on

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 41

Saturday is broken down on Sunday. Teams of kids don work gloves and do a massive sweep of town, from Willow to Garfield Streets, to pick up debris. The barricades are cleared by our police and Kennett returns to normal awaiting the next festival.”

In addition to the learning experience, many of the students who help out at the festival are able to satisfy a significant portion of the graduation project that mandates at least 40 hours of community service.

According to O’Sullivan, the students who help out during the festival have had nothing but positive experiences. It’s a good way to showcase how good the students in Kennett Square are.

Continued on Page 42

Courtesy photo Students from Kennett High School volunteer in many different ways during the Mushroom Festival.

Courtesy photo Some high school students serve as ice runners. They wait for texts from food vendors saying that they need ice and then deliver the heavy bags to them.

42 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

Mushroom Festival Volunteers Continued from Page 41

O’Sullivan grew up in town and is very proud of the Kennett High School students― and the town.

Esbeiry Cordova, a 2015 Kennett High School graduate who is now a rising junior at Indiana University of Pennsylvania majoring in biology, is a good illustration of the kind of leaders that WIN provides year in and year out, according to O’ Sullivan. Cordova served as a volunteer coordinator for two years, organizing and overseeing the student volunteers who helped out at the Mushroom Festival.

“I think it was a fantastic experience,” Cordova said. “I learned a lot about working with others and what it entails to take on a leadership role.”

Like O’Sullivan, Cordova really liked the fact that students from Kennett High School were involved with the effort to make announcements at the festival in both English and Spanish. Cordova said that making the bilingual announcements was a good way of saying to the Hispanic community that, “It’s your community, too.”

According to O’Sullivan, the involvement with the Mushroom Festival helps the students feel connected to the community, and also makes the community more aware of the good students who are growing up in Kennett Square.

“The Mushroom Festival has been a fantastic venue for us to showcase ‘our kids’ to both the Kennett community and visitors alike,” O’Sullivan said. “By the end of the festival, we typically have about 200 to 300 students who work at least one shift for the Operations Committee. Our leadership team is there for the entire event― as Lori’s right-hand people― and they log approximately 30 hours each over the weekend.

The Kennett High School’s partnership with the Mushroom Festival is one that I’m proud to facilitate. In many ways, it showcases what is best about my hometown.”

The festival also raises a significant amount of money each year to support nonprofit organizations in the community.

The Walk In kNowledge program is one of the ones that has received grant funding from the Mushroom Festival.

The funding is utilized to support the program’s activities, including arranging college visits for students.

The students’ work during the festival makes a real difference to the Kennett Square community because it helps make the town’s most popular event a success.

“It’s a great festival for Kennett Square,” Gebert said. “It brings in a lot of people to show off our town a little bit. It’s a really nice event.”

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Meet the Mushroom Festival’s Board of Directors The Mushroom Festival’s all-volunteer Board of Directors works diligently throughout the year to plan a Mushroom Festival where everyone can have a great experience. Here’s how each member contributes to the success of the festival.

Randy Lieberman, Board President Years volunteering at festival: 9, board member since 2010 Day job: Newspaper and magazine publisher “I have always been an enthusiastic supporter of the festival,” Randy said. “When I was asked to sit on the Board of Directors, I jumped on the chance.

I enjoy connecting and giving back to my community.”

Randy is the festival’s president and is involved and knowledgeable about most events. He spearheaded organizing the National Fried Mushroom Championship and is chairman of the Parade Committee. His company, Ad-Pro/Chester County Press, publishes the annual Mushroom Festival Guide, a free publication handed out before and during the festival each year.

Michelle Gazdik, Board Treasurer Years volunteering at the festival: 15, board member since 2006 Day job: BBT Market Leader, AVP – Avon Grove Branch “I find [being involved in the Mushroom Festival] rewarding in so many ways,” Michelle said. Watching the crowd as people are out and about in the community, trying new foods, meeting people and being entertained by all the great things the festival has to offer are among her favorite things about the festival. “I also get a good feeling when we donate money back into our community through our grant process,” Michelle said. “To see all the local organizations that benefit is so amazing for a small-town festival run by dedicated volunteers.”

Michelle is the festival’s Children’s Entertainment chair. She works hard each year to bring children’s entertainment to the festival. Be sure to check out the new location for the Children’s Stage on Lafayette Street this year.

Gus Carozzo, Board Vice President Years volunteering at festival: 20+ years, board member since 2015 Day Job: President, Mushroom Spawning Services, Mushroom Casing, Inc., and Hillendale Peat Moss “I volunteer to help our community,” Gus said. “I have been in the mushroom industry all my life, and I take pride in where this little town has grown, and how we can call ourselves The Mushroom Capital of the World.”

Gus handles a major part of the festival’s set-up, tear-down and logistics. “As a team, we all help to make the festival run as smoothly as possible,” he said. “We all work together. I am amazed how, for three days, so many people come to our town from all over to have fun and enjoy themselves. Then when it’s over, how fast the town is cleaned up, thanks to many people, and we go back to our daily life.”

Gina Puoci, Board Secretary Years volunteering at festival: 10+, board member since 2011 Day job: Office manager “I think the Mushroom Festival is a great event that Kennett Square has year after year,” Gina said. “It brings people from all over to our town for a weekend full of events.”

All the board and committees work very hard to get this event planned every year, said Gina, who is responsible for organizing the Soup and Wine event, one of the festival’s premier events. It is always held on festival Sunday. “We have restaurants prepare 50 gallons of mushroom soup and wineries do a the wine tasting,” she said. “You vote for your favorite soup and wine. It is a fun event to come and relax and listen to music.”

Jen Basciani Years volunteering at festival: Not sure -- at least 10, board member since 2011 Day job: School lunch manager “I enjoy knowing that all the hard work we do all year gives back to so many in the community,” Jen said. “Plus, I love mushrooms, so watching chefs prepare them in so many different ways is awesome!” Each year, Jen schedules the local, regional and celebrity chefs who come to the Mushroom Festival and share their mushroom recipes and cooking tips on the Giorgi Kitchen in the Culinary Tent. Since the kitchen is used only one weekend each year, she must stock it with everything needed for the chefs to prepare their dishes – from ingredients, to utensils, to pots and pans. She also organizes the annual Amateur Mushroom Cook-Off, which features six finalists cooking a mushroom dish based on the year’s theme. This year, the theme is Mushrooms and Chicken.

Her favorite thing about being at the Mushroom Festival is running into old friends and family. “Since I grew up in the community, it’s always like a reunion,” Jen said.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 45

Lori Malchione Gebert Years volunteering at festival: 15+, board member since 2006 Day job: Director of sales at the Hilton Garden Inn Exton/West Chester “My family owned a mushroom farm in Toughkenamon growing up, and my brother is still a grower in Kennett today,” Lori said. “For me, the festival is a way to stay connected to that part of my past and help others experience a little bit of what I grew up with.”

Before the festival Lori, organizes the festival’s SignUp Genius campaign to recruit volunteers. During the festival, she can be found either in the center of town, coordinating volunteers and answering questions at the information booth, or leading a group of high-school students in set-up or take-down jobs during the festival.

“I love the street fair,” she said. “I think it’s amazing to walk through town with all of the fantastic food and craft vendors, and all of the shops and restaurants in town, open and bustling. It’s great to see so many people coming through town.”

Carla Lucas Years volunteering at festival: 13, on the board since 2008 Day job: Freelance writer/photographer and Mushroom Festival administrative coordinator “I attended the Mushroom Festival for years before volunteering,” Carla said. “After covering a Mushroom Festival press conference when they gave grants to 20 different organizations in the community, I decided I wanted to volunteer for this organization that makes a difference in our community.”

As the administrative coordinator, she is responsible for updating the website as needed, writing festival press releases and other public relations and advertising projects, supporting the various committee chairs, and working closely with the festival coordinator in seeing that details are in order. As a member of the board, Carla chairs the Grants Committee and organizes the annual Cute-As-A-Button (Mushroom) Baby Photo Contest. During the festival, she can be found at all events, with camera in hand, photographing the happenings around Kennett Square. Her favorite part of the festival is finding a few minutes to check out the craft vendors. A yearly tradition is a stop to the Polish pottery booth to find a piece to add to her growing collection.

Samantha Snyder Years at the festival: 3, board member since 2017 Day job: To-Jo Mushrooms account executive “I love the Mushroom Festival attendees. People come from all over the world to learn about this fantastic fungi,” Sam says. “The festival has the best food. As a mushroom lover, I enjoy the variety of vendors and delicious dishes.”

Sam first came to the festival when she worked as the PA Preferred Coordinator for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Marketing. PA Preferred presented a booth in the Growers’ Exhibit. Recently, she joined the To-Jo team and her main focus is now mushrooms. This is her first year on the board, and she is lending a hand to help where needed as she learns how the festival works.

John Morris Years volunteering at festival: 10+, board member since 2011 Day job: Streets Department Foreman for Borough of Kennett Square “I volunteer at the Mushroom Festival because the festival supports so many wonderful local service organizations,” John said. He is a great liaison between the Borough of Kennett Square and the Mushroom Festival. “My responsibilities mostly entail logistics and infrastructure, many coinciding with my public works job,” he said. One of his many contributions was suggesting the traffic pattern for the Community Parade that has been used for the last two years. Congestion around the closure on State Street has improved immensely.

Carl Lowe Years volunteering at festival: 15+, board member since 2017 Day job: Kennett High School football and track coach “I love Kennett Square,” Carl said. “The spirit of this town is fantastic. I love the people and I want to see it succeed.” Volunteering at the Mushroom Festival has been a family affair for years, as he worked side-by-side with his wife (this year’s Honorary Chair) and his two children. He can be found helping where needed to see that the festival runs smoothly – from carting tables various venues, to working with the youth volunteers, to helping collect the recyclable trash at the festival. He’s great at recruiting teen volunteers to help with a lot of the heavy lifting associated with the festival. On his first year on the board, Carl is acting as the liaison for the Mushroom Run and Fun Walk and working on festival logistics.

Bill McDougall Years volunteering at festival: 20+, board member since 2015 Day job: Meridian Bank commercial lender Bill started volunteering at the Mushroom Festival by helping mark the streets for vendors on Labor Day (a yearly event), and has supported the festival in a variety of ways ever since. He works to connect with sponsors, and helps to promote the festival in neighboring towns.

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The Children’s Stage is packed with fun for all ages

By John Chambless Staff Writer When Kennett Square is packed with visitors and activities during the Mushroom Festival, one of the happiest spots to visit is the Children’s Stage, where kids and families can enjoy some music, magic and giggles. This year, the stage has a new home. Michelle Gazdik, children’s entertainment coordinator, talked recently about what makes this part of the festival so much fun.

Q.: Realizing that mushrooms may not be at the top of every child’s list of favorites, what does the festival offer younger visitors who might not be fascinated by mushrooms?

A.: We do realize that not everyone loves mushrooms.

Can’t imagine! But certainly there’s so much more to our

great festival. For the kids, there’s the Children’s Entertainment stage, carnival rides, vendors selling just about anything you could want, and tasty food for all that isn’t mushroom flavored!

The carnival area is certainly one of the big attractions for kids -- are there any new rides or attractions for the coming year?

The carnival is put on by Houghton Enterprises, and every year they try to include different rides, so there will be some different ones to enjoy this year. They offer $25 allday wristbands. You can get $5 off if you purchase them online prior to the opening of the carnival. We also have Inflatables R Fun set up in the parking lot at 410 W. State St. The cost is two tickets for each inflatable, for as long as you want to stay. There’s a link on our website (www. mushroomfestival.org).

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 49

The stage for live entertainment is moving this year to Lafayette Street. What was behind that change?

We are trying to centralize the children’s activities this year. That way, the families with kids that are interested in seeing a show won’t have to go too far from the other fun things to do on the west end of town.

Do you have a lineup for this year?

For the Children’s Stage we have a Mushroom Festival staple, Dan and Galla’s Musical Show. They will be master of ceremonies both Saturday and Sunday, as well as entertaining with songs, games and interactive performances. New acts this year include Horn’s Punch and Judy Show, which is a unique act featuring puppetry, magic and splendid amusements run by Professor Horn and Pittman Magic. It’s a magic/variety show performed

by Dr. Julian Pittman and Melody Pittman. We also have Gary Stolz with a wildlife presentation for all those nature and animal lovers. You can see the scheduled times for all these great acts at www.mushroomfestival.org. Also, for everyone’s enjoyment,

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Children’s Entertainment Continued from Page 49

there will be rides from Majestic Midways, featuring new rides this year – Bees, The Barnyard, The Hustler and Super Shot. Looking forward to seeing them in person! A favorite of many brave souls will be Far Flung Bungy, returning this year for a thrill. We will also have The Happy Heart Clown twisting balloons, and Characters with Character doing cartoon caricature portraits.

Are there some returning favorites this year?

Dan & Galla are making their 10th appearance at the festival. The Children’s Stage would not be the same without them! They do an amazing job getting the crowd actively involved, introducing the acts and promoting whatever else is going on around them. I know I couldn’t keep the energy up as well as they do – so thank you Dan & Galla for everything! I also have to mention Eric and Dave, from Far Flung Bungy.

What great guys. They love our festival as much as we love having them. And I do believe they’ve been coming for about 10 years as well. Many people have been attached to their bungy cords and jumped on those trampolines throughout the years.

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Is the lineup targeted to all ages of kids -- youngest to pre-teens?

Absolutely. This is a family-friendly and fun-for-all festival. We try to have something for everyone in the children’s area. Folks of all ages will enjoy, especially if you are a kid at heart.

Do you get a chance to see the performances each year -- or at least some of them?

I always try and watch a performance by every entertainer I hire. It’s great to see the crowd engaged in the acts and the look in the children’s eyes is priceless. I really can’t say I have a favorite. They all bring a different skill to entertain us with. Whether it’s juggling, magic or comedy that even the adults get a chuckle out of – it’s all good!

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52 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

Mushroom Festival awards $81,600 to 50 local non-profits At their Spring Grant Recipients Dinner at Loch Nairn Golf Course on April 13, the Mushroom Festival Board of Directors awarded grants totaling $81,600 to 50 local non-profit organizations through their annual grants program. This included a special donation of $1,000 to the Avondale West Grove Rotary Club. It was selected by last year’s Honorary Chairman Louise D’Amico for the annual Honorary Chairman’s Charity of Choice award. Since 2000, the Mushroom Festival has given around $886,000 in grants and donations to local organizations.

Photo by Carla Lucas

Representatives from the 50 organizations receiving 2017 Mushroom Festival grants gathered at Loch Nairn Golf Course for the Grant Recipients Dinner.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 53

Organizations receiving grants and how the grants will be used are as follows: The Adult Literacy Program at Kennett Library: Funds to purchase materials for the English as a second language and tutoring programs

Chester County Council, Boy Scouts of America:

ALS Association:

Funds to help their elementary and middle school participants attend National Youth Leadership Training or Provisional Scout Camp

Funds to purchase needed equipment for Chester County patients with ALS

Community Volunteers in Medicine:

Avon Grove Regional Management

Funds for dental hygiene supplies for their mobile dental site at St. Rocco’s Center

Funds to purchase a portable generator and laptop computer to support their mobile emergency operations trailer

The Crime Victims Center:

Avondale Fire Co. No. 1:

Funds to support their Southern Chester County outreach with emphasis on counseling for children and teen victims of sexual abuse

Funds to upgrade the audio visual equipment for training

The Barn at Spring Brook Farm:

Delaware Zoological Society/Brandywine Zoo:

Funds for program supplies for their summer camp program serving 96 children with physical disabilities and autism

Funds to purchase supplies to make animal enrichments for the zoo animals

Bournelyf Special Camp: Funds to cover transportation costs associated with their summer camp program for children and young adults with special needs

Brandywine Valley Chorale: Funds to commission a world premiere choral work celebrating their 10th anniversary

Camp Dreamcatcher: Funds for three camper sponsorships for children in Kennett Square

Canine Partners for Life: Funds to purchase custom service dog harnesses to hold documents and needed materials for their human partner

Chenoa Manor Animal Sanctuary: Funds to be used to convert an existing building into a tropical environment for tortoise and parrot residents

Domestic Violence Center: Funds to support the Kennett Square Outreach Office

Family Promise of SCC: Funds to purchase shelving and cabinets for their new Family Resource Center

Friends of White Clay Creek Preserve: Funds toward the restoration of a 300-foot stone wall around the historic London Tract Meeting House

Good Neighbors: Funds toward the roof repair for a low-income homeowner in Kennett Square

Historic Kennett Square: Funds to cover part of the expenses of having the Memorial Day Parade

JAM Christian Daycare: Funds to purchase a mushroom cottage and rubber mushroom stools for a new mushroom-themed outdoor playground for toddlers Continued on Page 54

54 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

Grant Recipients Continued from Page 53

Kennett Flash:

Jonathan Beech Memorial Concert:

Funds to purchase equipment and furnishings to support programs

Funds to cover part of the expenses to hold this annual event

Kennett Symphony:

Kennett After-School Association:

Funds to create a new concert series for senior citizens and first-time symphony attendees

Funds toward transportation costs associated with the After-the-Bell program

KHS Friends of Music:

Kennett Area Community Service: Funds to support participation in the 16-week Getting Ahead workshop

Kennett Area Park Authority: Funds to produce the eight-week free summer concert series at Anson. B. Nixon Park

Kennett Fire Co. No. 1:

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Funds toward the purchase of a Gator and small equipment trailer to support the marching band at games, parades, and competitions

KHS- Walk in Knowledge: Funds to support transportation costs for college and special field trips

La Communidada Hispana: Funds to purchase supplies for their new Dental Center such as disposable gloves, floss, fluoride treatments, and dental sealants for children

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 55

The Land Conservancy for Southern Chester County: Funds to purchase archaeological tools and supplies for their new program

Lighthouse Youth Center: Funds to support the rewards program for the Lighthouse Learning Hour

Longwood Fire Company: Funds toward the purchase of a new ambulance

Meals on Wheels: Funds to purchase hot meals for 10 elderly residents at Luther House who are unable to make their full contributions

Operation Homefront PA/DE/NJ: Funds to help Chester County veterans experiencing a financial crisis

Oxford Area Neighborhood Services Center: Funds to purchase food for the Food Assistance Program

Oxford Arts Alliance: Funds to purchase supplies for their summer camp programs to keep the costs the same as last year for participants

Paws for People: Funds to purchase supplies for Goldie’s Gang Summer Program at Kennett Library

The Penn State University/Chester County Cooperative Extension 4H program: Funds to cover bus transportation to the 4H Fair for youth participating in their summer program

Quest Therapeutic Services: Funds to purchase five saddle pads for new therapy horses Continued on Page 56

56 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

Grant Recipients Continued from Page 55

Reins of Life: Funds to help with the medical costs of the horses used in the program to help children with special needs.

Smart Drive Foundation: Funds to purchase two PrimeKart Pedal Karts for their Distraction and Reaction course

Southern Chester County Emergency Medical Services:

Volunteer English Program in Chester County: Funds to purchase books, workbooks, and supplemental CDs to support 25 student-tutor pairs.

Wings for Success: Funds to purchase work/career appropriate attire for participants

YMCA Camp Tockwogh:

Funds to purchase new helmets and personal protective coats to replace equipment that is over a decade old.

Funds to send Kennett Middle School students to summer camp

The Garage Community & Youth Center:

YMCA of Greater Brandywine, Kennett Branch:

Funds to purchase supplies for the after-school programs at both the Kennett and West Grove Garages

Tick Tock Early Learning Center: Funds for program supplies and special activities to enhance curriculum and overall program services

Funds toward program materials to send 20 low-income borough children per week to Y Summer Camp

58 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 59

2017 Mushroom Festival

Schedule of Events & Map Friday, Sept 8 Community Parade Join us for our annual Community Parade on Friday evening, September 8. Our theme: Mushrooms on Parade.

Dining and Dancing in the Streets Come into Kennett Square Borough for the parade and then stay to enjoy the sounds of Good Foot, one of the area’s favorite dance bands. State Street restaurants will have special tables lining the Community Parade route where you can watch the Parade while you enjoy your dinner.

Old Fashioned Carnival Take a trip down memory lane when summer meant the carnival came to town. Houghton Enterprises brings their carnival and midway to the Genesis parking lot (South Broad

Street) with rides, games, and carnival foods bringing the sights, sounds, and scents of this great family tradition back to Kennett Square. 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Saturday, Sept 9 Street Fair Nearly 250 vendors from all over the country will line the streets with arts, crafts, food and more. Restaurants in the downtown area will prepare their mushroom specialty dishes.

The Street Fair spans from Willow Street to Garfield Street.

10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Antique and Classic Car Show Shady and spacious Broad Street, with its numerous examples of Victorian architecture, provides the backdrop to our Antique and Classic Car Show. This year’s Feature Car is Jungle Jim Lieberman’s ’73 Vega

*All events are tentative, check the website: mushroomfestival.org for up-to-date information

Funny Car. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Culinary Events The Culinary Tent, at the corner of Broad Street and Cypress Street (next to the Growers’ Exhibit), brings a wide range of chefs to Kennett Square to share their love of cooking with mushrooms. Guest chefs sharing their tips and recipes on the Giorgi Demonstration Kitchen this year include: • 1 p.m.: James Beard Foundation Blended Burger Project: Meet three chefs from this year’s Blended Burger Contest and sample their blended burger creations.

• 4:30 p.m.: Ray Maxwell, owner and master chef of the Brown Derby, Toughkenamon, Pa. Mushroom Growers’ Exhibit See mushrooms come to life from the tiny spore to the mature, ready to eat fungi! Walk your way through

the mushroom growing exhibit, where you will see how white button, shiitake, maitake, oyster, and royal trumpet mushrooms grow. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Mushroom Soup at Masonic Lodge Everyone asks for Mushroom Soup when they attend the Mushroom Festival. Our good friends at the Masonic Lodge sell a traditional mushroom soup made from a mushroom grower’s family recipe.

It’s overflowing with fresh Kennett Square mushrooms. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Painted Mushrooms Silent Auction Artists become very creative with these 108 lb. toadstools – perfect for your garden or home. Cash prizes are awarded to the top three Continued on Page 60

60 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

Celebrating our 32 Anniversary

2017

D

NEW LOCATIONS

Children's Stage: Lafayette Street Music Stage: S. Union Street @ Cypress

(purchase wristbands here)

artists. Everyone can vote for their Festival Favorite-- the winning artist receives a cash prize, too! Painted Mushrooms are displayed at State and Broad Streets. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Cute-As-A-Button (Mushroom) Baby Photo Contest Who do you think is the Cutest Button, Crimini and Portabella?

Vote for your favorite contestant/ photo with your pocket change in this baby photo contest near State and Meredith Streets. All proceeds benefit the A. I. DuPont Children’s Hospital through WSTW’s “Help Our Kids” radiothon. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Mushroom Sales All types of mushrooms can be purchased at the Mushroom Sales Booths (see map for locations).

Refrigerated trucks hold your mushroom purchases fresh until you

are ready to leave the Festival. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Last pick-up is onehalf hour after Festival closes.

Live in Kennett Square on the Community Stage Throughout the weekend there will be continuous live music for your listening pleasure at our music venue’s new location – South Union and Cypress Streets.

• 12:30 p.m.: Hot Breakfast • 2 p.m.: Steely Jam • 3:30 p.m.: The Jolly What?

• 5 p.m.: Pepperwine Groove • 6:30 p.m.: Native Maze Children’s Entertainment Great entertainment is scheduled on Saturday for children of all ages.

Check out the Children’s Stage at its new location: Lafayette Street!

• 12 p.m.-12:20 p.m. – Dan & Galla’s Musical Show

FP1 & FP2 - Festival parking provided at these locations for a $5 donation. Shuttle provided to and from the main festival area.

Everyone 12 and older is required to purchase a festival admission wristband– proceeds benefit local non-profit organizations and cancer research.

In 2016, the Mushroom Festival awarded $81,600 in grants to 50 local non-profit organizations.

Since 2000, the Mushroom Festival has given over $886,000 to local non-profits through our Grants Program.

Bags are subject to inspection.

• 12:30-1:00 p.m. – Horn’s Punch and Judy Show • 1:15 p.m.-2:00 p.m. – Pittman Magic, Juggling and Comedy Show • 2:15 p.m.-2:45 p.m. – Horn’s Punch and Judy Show • 2:45 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. Dan & Galla fun • 3:15 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. – Pittman Magic, Juggling and Comedy Show • 4:15 p.m.-5:00 p.m. – Gary’s Wildlife Exhibit • 5:10 p.m.-5:30 p.m. – Dan & Galla’s Musical Show Dan & Galla will be on hand all day as the event’s Master of Ceremonies. Visit the Children’s Stage between performances for some extra fun with Dan & Galla.

Old Fashioned Carnival Take a trip down memory lane when summer meant the carnival came to town. Houghton Enterprises brings their carnival and midway to the Genesis parking lot (South Broad Street) with rides, games, and carnival foods bringing the sights, sounds, and scents of this great family tradition back to Kennett Square. 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Saturday in the Special Events Tent Amateur Mushroom Cook-off Watch the Finalists face-off in the Special Events Tent to see which dish wows the judges. This year’s theme: Mushrooms and Chicken.

Mushrooms are provided by our local growers and the chicken by Perdue.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 61

First prize is $500 and a ticket to the World Food Championships in Orange Beach, Alabama this November! Contestants are judged on originality, taste, presentation, and ease of preparation. Starts at 10:30 a.m. Judging at 11:30 a.m.

Fried Mushroom Eating Championship Buona Food’s original breaded fried mushrooms are a Festival favorite every year! But only a few have the opportunity to eat copious amounts of the crunchy, mouth watering snacks during the National Fried Mushroom Eating Championship. To beat the World Record a contestant will have to eat more than 11.5 pounds of fried mushrooms in just 8 minutes! The local amateur record was set last year at 4 pounds. Join us in the Special Events Tent to watch the spectacle and cheer on the contestants as they challenge the 11.5 pound World Record!

Saturday Evening under the Tent – 10,000 Maniacs Concert Extend your stay at the Mushroom Festival with an evening concert.

This year 10,000 Maniacs comes to Kennett Square. This is presented in partnership with Kennett Flash.

Tickets, if available, are purchased through the Kennett Flash’s website.

Doors open at 7 p.m. Concert starts at 8 p.m.

Sunday, Sept 10 Mushroom Run and Fun Gus Walk Join us for an early morning run/ walk through Kennett Square. All ages are welcome. Race starts and finishes in front of Kennett High School on South Street. Registration opens at 7 a.m. Race begins at 8:30 a.m. sharp!

Street Fair Nearly 250 vendors from all over the country will line the streets with arts, crafts, food and more. Restaurants in the downtown area will be out

on the street with their mushroom specialty dishes. The Street Fair spans from Willow Street to Garfield Street. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Culinary Events The Culinary Tent, at the corner of Broad Street and Cypress Street (next to the Growers’ Exhibit), brings a wide range of chefs to Kennett Square to share their love of cooking with mushrooms. Guest chefs sharing their tips and recipes on the Giorgi Demonstration Kitchen this year include: • 10:30 a.m.- Elizabeth DavisCerami, owner and chef at Yo’R So Sweet, Kennett Square • Noon- Barry Crumlich, PA Governor’s Executive Chef • 2 p.m.- Jim Del Vescovo, owner and chef, Aurora Pizza Kitchen, Jennersville, Pa. • 3:15 p.m.- Jim Berman, Executive chef Grain Craft Bar and Kitchen, Kennett Square , Pa. Soup and Wine Event Come enjoy part of your day at our annual Soup and Wine Event. Cast your vote for the “Best Mushroom Soup in the Brandywine Valley” presented to you by local chefs.

Enjoy PA wines and vote for your favorite. There is music throughout the day, too. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Special Events Tent @ State and Willow. Last admission is at 3:15 p.m.

Mushroom Growers’ Exhibit See mushrooms come to life from the tiny spore to the mature, ready to eat fungi! Walk your way through the mushroom growing exhibit, where you will see how white button, shiitake, maitake, oyster, and royal trumpet mushrooms grow. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Mushroom Judging Top growers in the county will enter their best mushrooms for judging.

There will be ribbons awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, although the growers are more interested in “bragging rights.” Prize mushrooms

will be available for purchase by festival attendees. Judging starts at Noon; sales begin around 1:30 p.m.

Mushroom Soup at Masonic Lodge Everyone asks for Mushroom Soup when they attend the Mushroom Festival. Our good friends at the Masonic Lodge sell a traditional mushroom soup made from a mushroom grower’s family recipe.

It’s overflowing with fresh Kennett Square mushrooms. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Painted Mushrooms Silent Auction Artists become very creative with these 108lb. toadstools – perfect for your garden or home. Cash prizes are awarded to the top three artists. Everyone can vote for their Festival Favorite-- the winning artist receives a cash prize, too! Painted Mushrooms are displayed at State and Broad Streets. Last bid taken at 4 p.m.

Cute-As-A-Button (Mushroom) Baby Photo Contest Who do you think is the Cutest Button, Crimini and Portabella?

Vote for your favorite contestant/ photo with your pocket change in this baby photo contest near State and Meredith Streets. All proceeds benefit the A. I. DuPont Children’s Hospital through WSTW’s “Help Our Kids” radiothon. 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Mushroom Sales All types of mushrooms can be purchased at the Mushroom Sales Booths (see map for locations).

Refrigerated trucks hold your mushroom purchases fresh until you are ready to leave the Festival. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Last pick-up is onehalf hour after Festival closes.

Live in Kennett Square on the Community Stage Throughout the weekend there will be continuous live music for your listening pleasure at our music venue’s new location – South Union and Cypress Streets.

• 10:15 a.m. – Community Yoga with Kate Steller • 12:30 p.m. – Hurricane Hoss and the Perfect Storm • 2 p.m. – Swing That Cat • 3:30 p.m. – Josh Komorowski and the Sons of Thunder Children’s Entertainment Great entertainment is scheduled on Saturday for children of all ages.

Check out the Children’s Stage at its new location: Lafayette Street!

• 11:00 a.m.-11:20 a.m. – Dan & Galla’s Musical Show • 11:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. – Horn’s Punch and Judy Show • 12:15 p.m.-1:00 p.m. – Pittman Magic, Juggling and Comedy Show • 1:15 p.m.-1:45 p.m. – Horn’s Punch and Judy Show • 2:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. – Dan & Galla’s Musical Show • 2:45 p.m.-3:30 p.m. – Pittman Magic, Juggling and Comedy Show • 3:45 p.m.-4:30 p.m. – Gary’s Wildlife Exhibit • 4:40 p.m.-5:00 p.m. – Dan & Galla’s Musical Show Dan & Galla will be on hand all day as the event’s Master of Ceremonies.

Visit the Children’s Stage between performances for some extra fun with Dan & Galla.

Old Fashioned Carnival Take a trip down memory lane when summer meant the carnival came to town. Houghton Enterprises brings their carnival and midway to the Genesis parking lot (South Broad Street) with rides, games, and carnival foods bringing the sights, sounds, and scents of this great family tradition back to Kennett Square. 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Meet Fun Gus Fun Gus, the Mushroom Festival’s mascot, makes a few appearances during the Festival. Keep your eyes open for an 8-foot, red-capped mushroom strolling down the street.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 63

Come Visit Us At

Rockee’s Mushroom Outlet Open 7 days a week Monday - Saturday: 8:00 - 4:00 • Sunday: 9:00 - 3:00

Located on SherRockee Mushroom Farm 170 SherRockee Lane Lincoln University PA 19352

We offer fresh white mushrooms, crimini, protabella, shiitake, oyster mushrooms by the pound or by the box.

We also carry dried mushrooms.

610-869-8048

64 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

To-Jo Mushrooms: Partners in education A longtime friend of the Mushroom Festival gives Saint Joseph’s University students first-hand experience in the industry “As a senior at my third and final co-op placement, I can honestly say that I have truly enjoyed working for a company that cares so much about its employees and values the work each employee puts in to make To-Jo the great company that it is.”

Adriana Palombit, who served an internship at To-Jo Mushrooms through a partnership between To-Jo and the Food Marketing Cooperative Program at Saint Joseph’s University, Fall 2016

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

A

little more than a year ago, when she was a student in the Food Marketing Cooperative Program at Saint Joseph’s University, Adriana Palombit attended a trade show sponsored by the Produce Marketing Association in Atlanta.

Based in Newark, De., PMA is one of the largest global fresh produce and floral supply chain fruit and vegetable trade associations in the world, and its annual Fresh Summit trade show is the largest of its kind in the United States.

It was there that she met Peter Wilder, marketing director at To-Jo Mushrooms, and it was there that Palombit’s professional career began to take shape.

Beginning in the fall of 2016, Palombit became the fifth St. Joe’s student to serve a co-op internship at To-Jo, and in the process, she became the latest beneficiary of a threeyear partnership between To-Jo Mushrooms and the Food Marketing Cooperative Program, that provides students with

a six-month, hands-on introduction to the food marketing industry.

“Going to the PMA conference allowed me to see a fresh new side of the food industry and I was really interested in exploring that, so having the opportunity to be selected into the Saint Joseph’s-To-Jo program was really exciting for me,” said Palombit, 23, who began as a full-time member of the sales and marketing staff at To-Jo two months ago. “I learned about the business-to-business aspect of the food industry, which previously had been a gray area of my education. Coming to To-Jo, I was able to further develop my knowledge of how b-to-b marketing is different than business-to-consumer marketing.”

The vibrancy of the co-op program is seen most keenly in the hands-on reliance that Wilder and his staff have on the students who work with the department. It begins early, with on-boarding sessions that expose students to all aspects of the company, such as packaging, growing, harvesting and operations.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 65

“Working at To-Jo was a great work experience for me because it was like working with a big family. Everyone is so hard working, dedicated and always willing to help. Through working at To-Jo I gained many different marketing and management skills through shadowing and working closely with the people in all different areas of the business. By doing so I was able to learn in a “hands on” way from some of the best employees. Working here, I was given a lot of guidance, while still having the freedom and encouragement to take on projects on my own.”

Aram Keshgegian, Spring 2016

“During my time at To-Jo, I truly valued every person I came across. One of the main highlights was the ability to become introduced to such a wide range of occupations, in one co-op experience. I learned about the fresh side of production, foods side of production, transportation, merchandising, accounting, strategic planning, sales, and marketing. By shadowing each department, it allowed me to be more useful throughout my time at To-Jo, in addition to identifying what I wanted to do with my food marketing major!

At the end of my co-op, I was able to direct my interests towards the produce-side of the food industry, with a particular interest in food safety!”

Broghan Heron, Spring 2015

“Our on-boarding program allows students like Adriana the opportunity to grasp names, and nomenclatures and acronyms associated with our products, so by the time she gets to sales and marketing, she understands how the products are grown and produced,” Wilder said. “Every co-op student who has come through the program previously had no idea about the logistics and details behind our transportation division, and the logistics of our various product development projects. Department by department, they learn that there is a whole other side of the industry that exists.”

The partnership between Saint Joseph’s and To-Jo was first conceived by To-Jo owners Anthony and Joseph D’Amico, who approached Wilder with the idea that strengthening the company’s sales and marketing efforts could best be done by tapping the skill sets of college students.

“They believe that instead of hiring someone right out of college, let’s go to a university and see if we can get Continued on Page 66

66 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

To-Jo Continued from Page 65

young people involved,” Wilder said. “We’re trying to be a progressive company, and we’re always looking for a fresh perspective. These students think about food in a different way. They think about retail in a different way, and this program allows us to tap their minds when considering new retail or value-added products and how to market them.

“All of our students are expected to speak up in meetings, and over their six months, they become a working, functioning part of the sales and marketing team, not just relegated

to observing and performing routine tasks.”

“From a student’s perspective, this co-op program allows them to have a leg up on a lot of other students, and from our company’s perspective, we get to create a future pipeline of talent for down the road,” said Kevin Delaney, To-Jo’s vice president of sales and marketing. “There are so many things that are changing in terms of consumer trends, and a co-op student comes in with fresh perspective, so it gives us another added piece of creativity.”

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@chestercounty.com.

Continued on Page 68

“I can honestly say it was one of the best experiences of my life.

Unlike other companies, at To-Jo, I felt like my role meant something and that my job was just as important any anyone else’s.

The people at To-Jo want the best for the company because the company makes them feel like a part of a family. I went to work every day and tried my best to make the company better–not for a paycheck, but because I truly cared about the well-being of To-Jo Mushrooms and its employees. It was an unbelievable experience, and I am a better person and employee because of it.”

Julia Cieri, Fall 2015

68 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

To-Jo Continued from Page 66

To-Jo in the Community To-Jo Mushrooms has provided assistance to the following local organizations during the last year: • Assumption BVM Night at the Races • Blood Drive for American Red Cross • CAC Golf Outing • Casa Guanajuato Kennett • CCCBI Annual Dinner Sponsorship • Center for Growing Talent by PMA Annual Campaign Continued on Page 70

“I couldn’t have asked for a better first internship than To-Jo. The work challenged me and helped me to prosper in my career and future internships. I never felt like I was working because I had a say in what I did and had fun every day doing it! I love the family aspect of To-Jo; they truly care about every employee as if they are part of their family. At the end of the day they are always there to support you and help you learn and grow.”

Ann Bredin, Fall 2014

Vallorani Casing Material, LLC and

Vallorani Mushrooms proud supporters of the

32nd Annual

Mushroom Festival!

1042 Newark Road, Toughkenamon, PA 19374

70 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

To-Jo Continued from Page 68

• Chester County Catholic Education Dinner sponsor • Cinco de Mayo Kennett • #Growingfuture’s Farm To School Mushroom Education Program • KAU Softball Tee-Ball Team • Kennett Square Cupboard Food Drive • March of Dimes Salute to Women of Chester County Sponsorship • MS Walk Sponsor • Muscular Dystrophy Black-N-Blue Ball • PMA Career Pathways Mentoring Program • Produce For Kids annual campaign • Salesianum School For The Boys • Save the Tata’s Campaign with the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition • Serviam Academy Pars for Stars • Southern Chester County Police National Night Out • Southern Chester County School Artwork Contest • Toys For Eli Christmas Toy Drive

72 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

32ND ANNUAL MUSHROOM WHITE BUTTON

PORTABELLA

CRIMINI

• 6abc.com • WJBR, WMGK, Ben FM, WMMR, WPEN • Kennett Township • McGovern, Inc. • Mushroom Farmers of PA, AMI • Perdue • WSTW, WDEL, WXCY

• Challenge Butter • Country Fresh Mushrooms • Genesis Healthcare • Modern Mushrooms/Sherockee • Murray Securus • Penn Medicine • Phillips Mushroom Farms LP • Scotts Canada • Sylvania Automotive • Sylvan America, Inc. • WDSD, WILM

• Basciani Foods Inc. • Bob’s Crane • B B & T Bank • Exelon Generation • M & P Custom Design, Inc. • Manfredi Logistics Service • Needham’s Mushroom Farm • PA Department of Agriculture/ PA Preferred • PNC Bank • To-Jo Mushrooms & Food Products

SHIITAKE

E

• Richard M. Crossan, Inc. • Diver Chevrolet • Giorgi Kitchens • Giorgio Fresh Co, • Greenwood Mushrooms • GreenRoots Landscaping • Hagley Museum • Hillendale Peat Moss • Hilton Garden Inn Kennett Square

OWING T GR R EE

TH

• Amycel / Spawn Mate • Beacon Technologies • Bella Portofino • C.T. Bartoli Mushrooms, Inc. • Buona Foods Inc. • Chadds Ford Climate Control • Chester County Press • Comcast

• Honest Tea • Laurel Valley Farms, Inc. • The Mushroom Cap • NRG Energy • South Mill Mushroom Sales.

• Trash Tech • V.P. Electrical Contracting, Inc. • WHYY • YoSign Guy

Be sure to visit...

Chester County’s Choice Source for Mushrooms Mushroom Festival & Midnight in the Square Headquarters

TOY SHOP Largest Selection of Melissa & Doug in the Area Bruder • Calico Critters • Charm It Child to Cherish • Laser Pegs Name Trains • "You Name It" Barrettes Usborne Books and more...

Balloons too!

Free Gift Wrap - Free Parking

610-444-8484 www.thegrowingtree.com 114 W. State St. (lower level), Kennett Square

Best Kept Secret Under “The Mushroom Cap”

Featuring: Fresh Kennett Square Mushrooms SnackNShrooms • Gourmet Food Products • and More!

Open 7 days • 1st Fridays until 9pm

(610) 444-8484 www.themushroomcap.com 114 West State Street, Kennett Square, PA

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 73

FESTIVAL SPONSORS OYSTER

MAITAKE

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• Atlantic Tractor • Corrado American/ Corrado Construction Co. • Gateway Nursery Center • Hadley Fund • Herr Foods • Kennett Glass Company • Keystone Paving and Sealcoating, Inc • LGB Properties • Mushroom Supply & Services, Inc./AgSolutions • P. A. Lafferty and Sons • Regester Mushrooms, Inc. • John R. Stinson & Son, Inc. • SECCRA • W. A. C. Mushrooms • WSFS Bank

• Buck Run Builders, Inc. • Carlino Mushroom Company • East West Label Company • Heritage Concrete • R.L. Irwin Mushroom Company • K. L. Madron Well Drilling, LLC • Ogorek and Company • Sila Heating and Air • The Tri-M Group, LLC • Vallorani Mushrooms • Wolfe Supply & Services • WaWa

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Photos by Becca Gray

74 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

Pride in Pennsylvania-grown: PA Preferred

By Carla Lucas

H

ave you seen the PA Preferred blue-and-yellow logo in grocery stores, at farm stands or on product labels? Do you know what it means?

PA Preferred is the statewide branding program for goods grown and produced in Pennsylvania. Produce and products that proudly display the PA Preferred logo can trace their main ingredients back to Pennsylvania soil, whether it’s wine made from local grapes, hardwood harvested from Pennsylvania forests, vegetables grown on Pennsylvania farms, or the mushrooms produced in Pennsylvania’s growing houses.

Pa Perferred’s grocery bag is one of the prizes at their Mushroom Facts Trivia Game.

PA Preferred’s staff at their booth at the Mushroom Festival.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 75

PA Preferred Continued from Page 74

“Our goal is to celebrate Pennsylvania agriculture and have an economic impact on farms across Pennsylvania,” says Ashlee Dugan, PA Preferred Coordinator for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Market Development.

PA Preferred supports farmers and producers by raising awareness of local crops and products. It supports retailers with marketing materials, such as banners, signs, magnets and decals. Consumers who buy products bearing the PA Preferred logo know they are supporting Pennsylvania’s agriculture and farms. The program has grown to include more than 2,000 members statewide.

“PA Preferred loves mushrooms!” Dugan exclaims.

“Mushrooms are a great example [of Pennsylvania

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agriculture]. We are the national leader of mushroom production.”

Among other initiatives, PA Preferred promotes mushrooms through the distribution of rack cards with mushroom stats, as well as publishing mushroom facts in Local Ledger, a magazine produced for school-age children.

“One of the fun ways we celebrate mushrooms is Mushroom Day at the Pennsylvania Farm Show,” says Dugan. The American Mushroom Institute partners with PA Preferred to present cooking demonstrations featuring mushrooms in the Culinary Connection area of the Farm Show.

“Mushroom Day is very popular with visitors to the Farm Show,” she continues. “We always have a long line of Continued on Page 76

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PA Preferred Continued from Page 75

people waiting to sample what our guest chefs have demonstrated.”

PA Preferred publishes an annual cookbook with recipes from the Farm Show, which can be accessed online at papreferred.com, click on the Culinary Connection link.

Celebrate Pennsylvania’s mushroom industry with PA Preferred at their booth in the Growers’ Exhibit at the Mushroom Festival and at the 2018 Pennsylvania Farm Show.

Take your turn at the PA Preferred Trivia Game Show. Guests can win prizes for answering questions about mushrooms. The PA Preferred Plinko Board, also in the Growers’ Exhibit, is made from Pennsylvania hardwood.

The PA Preferred logo reminds consumers to support local farmers and producers.

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Guests get to play a trivia game with mushroom facts and win prizes at the PA Preferred booth in the Growers’ Exhibit.

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78 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

Mushroom Fest lineup to be capped by 10,000 Maniacs The band 10,000 Maniacs will play the 2017 Mushroom Festival in Kennett Square on Sept.

9 at the Special Events Tent. The concert will be presented by The Kennett Flash and will serve as a benefit for the nonprofit performing arts center and music venue.

10,000 Maniacs were founded by Robert Buck, Dennis Drew, Steven Gustafson, John Lombardo and Natalie Merchant in the fall of 1981. Jerry Augustyniak joined in 1983. Together with artists like R.E.M., they defined college rock and created the first wave of alternative rock bands and what became know as the alternative rock format on FM radio.

Writing and performing powerful, danceable and socially conscious original material in and around their hometown of Jamestown, N.Y., the group toured extensively and produced two independently released records. By producing, manufacturing and marketing their own recordings 10,000 Maniacs were one of the original “indie” bands before signing with Elektra Records and making their major label debut, The Wishing Chair, in 1985 with producer Joe Boyd (Fairport Convention, Nick Drake, REM).

After touring extensively with REM and throughout Europe John Lombardo left the band in July of 1986. In 1987, the Maniacs recorded and released In My Tribe. The album broke into the Billboard charts and stayed there for 77 weeks, peaking at No. 37 and selling over 2 million copies.

The album featured the hit singles “Don’t Talk,” “Hey Jack Kerouac,” “Like The Weather” and “What’s The Matter Here?” It was voted one of the 100 most important releases of the 80s by Rolling Stone Magazine.

Their 1989 release, Blind Man’s Zoo, hit No. 13 on the Billboard charts and went platinum. It featured the hit singles, “Trouble Me” as well as “Eat For Two.” Our Time in Eden was released in 1992 and featured the hit singles “Candy Everybody Wants” and “These Are Days.” The album sold over 3 million copies. The band launched the career of singer/songwriter Natalie Merchant.

Their MTV Unplugged album was released in 1993, a couple months after her departure, and included the remake of Patti Smith and Bruce Springsteen’s “Because The Night.” The band continued without Merchant, bringing back John Lombardo and adding Mary Ramsey in 1994.

In December of 2000, founding member Robert Buck died at the age of 42. After a three-year hiatus the Maniacs returned in 2003 with longtime friend and former guitar tech Jeff Erickson on lead guitar. In 2013, 10,000 Maniacs released their first full-length album in 13 years. Music From The Motion Picture was hailed as a beautiful affirmation of the band’s classic poetic lyrics and dreamy Americana blend. The band released their most recent studio album, their ninth, Twice Told Tales, in 2015. The album is a collection of traditional folk songs from the British Isles compiled and arranged by founding member John Lombardo.

The Kennett Flash are proud to present 10,000 Maniacs as the featured performance at the 2017 Mushroom Festival. Advance tickets are available through The Kennett Flash website at www.kennettflash.org. General admission tickets are $45, and a limited amount of VIP tickets are available for $65. Seating for the concert begins at 7 p.m. and the performance will start at 8 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 79

80 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

Sunnyside of ‘shrooms wins 2016’s Amateur Mushroom Cook-off Congratulations to Sherry Kozlowzki, of Morgantown, West Virginia for winning first place in 2016’s Amateur Mushroom Cook-off with her Sunnyside of ‘shrooms recipe. The recipe follows.

Sunnyside of ‘shrooms

By Sherry Kozlowski Preparation Time: 15 Cook Time: 15 Yield 4 Ingredients • 2 Tbsp. Olive oil • 4 large Portabella mushroom caps • 1 lb bacon • 1 pint white mushrooms • 2 Tbsp. Flour • 2 c. Heavy cream • 8oz. Grated Swiss cheese • Salt • Pepper • 1 large hothouse tomato • 4 large eggs

Directions • Drizzle 1 Tbsp. olive oil on Portabellas season with salt and pepper. Grill until tender, about 7 minutes.Dice bacon and fry until crisp.

• Remove bacon from grease.

• Sauté white mushrooms in bacon fat.

• Add 2 Tbsp. of flour to the fat and mushroom mixture, to make a roux.

• Stir in heavy cream and heat until thickens.

Season with salt and pepper.

• On a tin foil lined baking sheets, place mushrooms cap side down. Stack bacon, a slice of tomato, cheese and an egg on top of the Portobello. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

• Stir remaining bacon in with gravy.

• Spoon gravy on top of stacked mushroom.

• Serve hot.

82 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

32

interesting facts about mushrooms

By Steven Hoffman and Maggie Horgan

1

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the average American eats about four pounds of mushrooms every year.

2

J.B. Swayne is credited with starting mushroom growing in the U.S. Swayne started to cultivate mushrooms in Kennett Square.

3

Mushrooms are low in calories and contain no fat or sodium. Consequently, they are a very popular ingredient in salads.

4

Almost any mushroom, except for the regular white mushroom, is considered to be an exotic mushroom.

5 6 7 8 9

Mushrooms are a fungus and, unlike plants, they do not require sunlight to make energy for themselves.

Portabella mushrooms, which are known for their meat-like texture and flavor, can reach a size of six inches in diameter.

One portabella mushroom has more potassium than a banana.

Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of certain fungi—the equivalent of the apple, not the tree. Fungi, including those which produce mushrooms, are not plants. They are related to molds, mildews, rusts, and yeasts, and are classified in the Fungi Kingdom.

Traditional Chinese medicine has utilized the medicinal properties of mushrooms for centuries.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 83

10

In ancient Egypt, only Pharaohs were allowed to eat mushrooms because it was believed that the mushrooms appeared magically overnight. It was speculated at that time that lightning may have created the mushrooms.

11 12

Mushrooms have been eaten for thousands of years and can grow almost anywhere.

13

Mushrooms are useful not only as food and medicine.

Some mushroom varieties are being used in bioremediation to absorb and digest substances like oil, pesticides and industrial waste in places where these substances threaten the environment.

14

In 1990, the Mushroom Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act was passed by the U.S. Congress to strengthen the mushroom industry’s position in the marketplace, maintain and expand existing markets and uses for mushrooms, and develop new markets and uses for mushrooms. In 1993, the Mushroom Council was established to achieve the goals of this act.

The first recorded effort to cultivate mushrooms occurred around 1700 in France. Mushroom growing in the U.S. began after the Civil War and the growing seasons were very short at first.

15 16

Mushrooms love the dark.

They thrive on it.

17 18 19

Early Romans referred to mushrooms as the “food of the gods.”

20

Mushrooms contain disease-fighting properties, antioxidants, and a wide variety of important nutrients.

21

A mycophile is someone whose hobby is to hunt edible wild mushrooms.

The stem of a mushroom is a good source of flavor and nutrients so there is no need to remove it. When you do need to remove the stem, chop it and add to stuffings, casseroles, soups and sauces.

Penicillin and streptomycin are examples of potent antibiotics derived from fungi.

Mushrooms are a superfood. They are the only food in the produce section of the local grocery store that produce Vitamin D.

Continued on Page 84

84 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

32 Interesting Facts Continued from Page 83

22 23 24 25

Mushrooms contain more protein than most vegetables.

Annual Mushroom Festival

26

Mushrooms are one of the most difficult commodities to grow. It is very labor-intensive to produce a consistent, high-quality crop.

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27

Fresh mushrooms don’t freeze well. If it is necessary to freeze them, first saute them with butter or oil in a non-stick pan. Then cool slightly before freezing them in an airtight container.

28

The American Mushroom Institute, which is now headquartered in Washington, D.C., was founded right here in Chester County in the 1950s.

29

Some of the oldest living mushroom colonies are fairy rings growing around the Stonehenge ruins in England.

30

Mushroom production has becoming increasingly high-tech, with more and more computers being used to monitor production at each step.

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Mushrooms are made up of around 90 percent water.

Mushrooms are available in fresh, dried, and in powder form.

There are over 38,000 varieties of mushrooms available, over 3,000 in North America alone, with varying colors, textures, and flavors. There are so many varieties of mushrooms, both edible and toxic, that mass consumption is pretty much limited to those commercially grown varieties which can be trusted to be edible.

31

In the Blue Mountains of Oregon is a colony of Armillaria solidipes that is believed to be the world’s largest known organism. The fungus is over 2,400 years old and covers an estimated 2,200 acres

32

Some mushroom spores can sit dormant for decades—or longer—and still grow if the conditions are right.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 85

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 87

Meet the Mushrooms A gar-i-cus (uh-gar-i-kuhs): gill fungi having brown spores that include several edible species like button, crimini and portabella.

Por·ta·bel·la (pawr-tuh-bel-uh): a mature, very large crimini mushroom, Agaricus bisporus.

Portabellas are mature agaricus mushrooms where the veil has opened and the gills are exposed.

Oyster (oi-ster): an edible fungus having an oyster-shaped cap, Pleurotus ostreatus.

The yellow oyster is described as delicate like a daffodil and could be used as a centerpiece.

Beech (beech): crisp, firm fleshed fungi with short stems, Hypsizygus tessulatus.

In nature, the beech mushroom is found high up in the yokes of trees. It is cultivated on jars filled with corn cobs.

Royal Trumpet (roi-uhl truhm-pit): has a trumpet shaped tan cap and thick, white stem, also called King Oyster, Pleurotus eryngii.

The Royal Trumpet mushroom is the largest species of the oyster mushroom.

Continued on Page 88

88 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 Continued from Page 87

Pom Pom (pom-pom): white sphere fungi with soft spines and no stem, Hericium erinaceus

Shiitake (shee-ee-tah-key): a large, meaty, black or dark brown mushroom, other common names are Golden Oak, Black Forest and Oakwood, Lentinus edodes.

As both food and medicine, the shiitake has been revered in Asia for thousands of years.

It grows in the Far East on fallen broadleaf trees, include the “shii” tree in Japan.

Cri·mi·ni (kruh-mee-nee): an edible, dark-brown mushroom with a rounded cap, Agaricus bisporus.

The crimini is an immature portabella, picked before the gills are exposed. It is known by many names including baby portabella, baby bella, Roman mushroom, Italian mushroom and brown mushroom.

Maitake (my-tah-key): rippling, tan shaped mushroom without caps, also called Hen of the Woods, Grifola frondosa.

In Japanese “maitake” translates to dancing mushroom.

In other parts of the world this mushroom that grows at the base of trees in the wild is called Hen-of-the-Woods, Ram’s Head and Sheep’s Head.

Button (buht-n): a usually small white mushroom in which the pileus has not yet expanded, Agaricus bisporus

90 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

Rodriguez designs 32nd annual Mushroom Festival Souvenir T-Shirt Betsy (McKeever) Rodriguez has a unique style to her drawing. Using pen, she creates whimsical scenes with lines and shadow. She was asked if she wanted to try to create a design using mushrooms for the 32nd Annual Mushroom Festival T-shirt after she shared her sketchbook with a Festival board member. Betsy took on the challenge. Many sketches and revisions later, the result is a great grouping of the commercial mushrooms grown in the region.

“I learned a lot about mushrooms as I learned to draw them,” she said of the various types of mushrooms in the design.

Betsy is a graduate of Avon Grove High School’s Class of 2009. She now lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband Kevin.

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Recipes from MushroomInfo.com

By Carla Lucas Looking for something different to make with those fresh mushrooms you just brought home from the Mushroom Festival? The Mushroom Council’s consumer website (mushroominfo.com) is the perfect place to find ideas.

“You will find everything you need to know about mushrooms at mushroominfo.com,” says Cheryl Abbate of the Mushroom Council. Not only are there hundreds of mushroom recipes, but also nutrition information, and preparation and storage tips. She recommends signing up for the quarterly newsletter to receive recipes of the month, and up-to-date information about mushrooms.

Featured recipes give you a quick look at what’s available and change often. There is an index of all mushroom recipes from the archives, and a search feature where you can plug in your ingredients. You can find recipes from restaurants around the country, food bloggers, various contests and even celebrity chefs. Below are a few examples of mushroom recipes found at mushroominfo.com.

Mushroom and Chive Potato Salad Add a twist to your usual picnic side dishes! This mayo-free potato salad is dressed in a mustard and chive vinaigrette and filled with tender mushrooms.

Makes: 4 to 6 servings Preparation time: 20 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes Ingredients: • 1 ½ pounds small red potatoes, halved • 1 tablespoon olive oil • 8 ounces white button mushrooms, halved • Pinch of fine sea salt • Pinch of ground black pepper Dressing • 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar • 1 teaspoon brown mustard • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil • 2 tablespoons chopped chives • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste, • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 93

Directions Place potatoes in a medium pot and fill with water to cover potatoes by 2 inches. Bring to boil and cook until tender, about 10 minutes depending on the size of your potato halves.

While potatoes cook, heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until darkened and tender. Sprinkle with pinch of salt and pepper.

Drain potatoes and add to a large bowl. Add mushrooms.

Whisk together vinegar and mustard in a small bowl. Whisk in olive oil until smooth. Add chives, salt and pepper, and whisk until combined.

Pour the dressing over potatoes and mushrooms and toss to coat. Serve at room temperature.

Slow-Cooker Barbecue Mushrooms These barbecue mushrooms make a great meat-free option for game day parties and holiday cocktail mixers. Slow cooked in a simple homemade sauce, they are equally delicious as similar appetizers made with meatballs or sausages, but they pack less saturated fat, sodium, and processed sugar.

Makes about 8 servings.

Preparation time: 5 minutes Cooking time: 4 hours Ingredients: • 16 ounces white button mushrooms • 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce • 2 tablespoons molasses • 1 tablespoon honey • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce • 1 tablespoon minced onion • 1 clove garlic, grated • 1 teaspoon prepared Dijon mustard • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika • ½ teaspoon fine ground sea salt • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper • ¼ to ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper • 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives for garnish Continued on Page 94

94 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

Recipes Continued from Page 93

Directions Place the mushrooms in the bowl of a slow cooker. Whisk together the tomato sauce, molasses, and honey in medium bowl. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, onion, garlic, mustard, smoked paprika salt, and pepper. Add the cayenne based on your preferences. A ½ teaspoon will give a moderately spicy flavor to the sauce.

Pour the sauce over the mushrooms and stir. Cover with the lid and cook on high for 4 hours. Stir occasionally as the mushrooms cook. The sauce will thicken and the mushrooms will shrink slightly and darken as they become tender.

Transfer the mushrooms to a serving bowl. Top with some of the sauce. Sprinkle with chives and serve warm with toothpicks.

Mighty Mushroom Blended Burger Preparation time: 10 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Servings: 4 Ingredients • 1/2 pound any variety mushroom • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided • 1 pound ground beef • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 4 buns Instructions Finely dice mushrooms or gently pulse in food processor. In skillet, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil on medium-high heat and add mushrooms, cooking 5-7 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from heat and cool 5 minutes. Transfer cooled mushrooms to medium bowl. Add ground beef and salt, mixing until combined. Make four patties. Add remaining olive oil to pan and cook burger patties on medium-high heat until internal temperature reaches at least 160 F. Plate and add desired toppings to bun.

Recommended toppings include: pickled red peppers, crumbled blue cheese and watercress greens.

Continued on Page 96

96 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

Recipes Continued from Page 96

Mushroom Gravy Makes 2 cups Prep time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes Total time: 40 minutes Ingredients • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter • 1/3 cup dried shiitake mushrooms • 5 large baby bella mushrooms, stemmed and sliced • 2 large shiitakes, stemmed and sliced • 1 small yellow onion, diced • 6 fresh thyme sprigs • 1/3 cup dry red wine • 3 cups vegetable stock • 2 tablespoons flour • 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or lemon juice • salt and fresh ground black pepper

Directions Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and dried shiitakes. Cook until onions have softened, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add half of the fresh sliced mushrooms and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.

Cook until the mushrooms begin to turn golden brown.

Add the wine to the skillet and bring to a boil. Cook for 3-4 minutes until liquid has reduced.

Add the thyme sprigs and 2 3/4 cups of stock, reserving the remaining 1/4 cup in a small bowl. Bring stock and mushrooms to a steady simmer and cook for 15 minutes or until liquid has reduced slightly.

Use a slotted spoon to remove the thyme and the fresh and dried mushrooms from the liquid.

Add the flour to the reserved stock and whisk until smooth. Pour the flour mixture into the stock mixture, stirring constantly until smooth. Cook on a low simmer for 2-3 minutes or until the gravy has thickened slightly.

Remove from the heat.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in another skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining fresh mushrooms, season with a pinch of salt, and cook until mushrooms are golden brown.

Add them to the gravy.

Season the gravy with salt, pepper, and the apple cider vinegar. When seasonings are adjusted, add the last tablespoon of butter and stir until melted.

Continued on Page 98

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 97

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98 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

Recipes Continued from Page 96

Individual Blended Chicken Pot Pies In this classic, easy-to-make chicken pot pie, we have blended in finely chopped mushrooms for boosted flavor and an extra serving of veggies.

Yield: 6 ramekins Ingredients: • 1/2 lb. mushrooms, finely chopped • 1/2 lb. lean ground chicken • 1/2 tsp. garlic & herb seasoning • 1 medium onion, finely diced • 2 tbsp. butter • 1 tbsp. flour • 1 cup chicken broth • ½ cup cream or milk • 1½ cups frozen peas, carrot, corn blend • 1/4 tsp. salt • frozen puff pastry, thawed

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the mushrooms in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse until finely chopped.

In a large skillet, cook meat, mushrooms, onion and seasoning. Set aside.

In a saucepan melt butter.

Whisk in flour until smooth. Gradually whisk in broth and cream. Slowly bring to a boil while stirring until thick. Stir in chicken and mushroom mixture, frozen vegetables and salt.

Divide mixture among 6 ramekins.

On a lightly floured surface, cut frozen puff pastry to size.

Place dough over ramekin, sealing the edges. Make several slits in the center to allow for venting. Place ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet.

Bake the pot pie for 25-35 minutes, or until the puff pastry is lightly browned.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 99

100 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

The Mushrooms by Flavor, Preparation and Nutrition Photos by Carla Lucas

Agaricus Mushrooms

Mushrooms are the only source of Vitamin D in the produce aisle

Buttons

Criminis

Portabellas

Flavor: mild; blends with anything.

Common preparations: raw, sauteed, fried, marinated In a serving of 4-5 white buttons: • 18 calories • 0 grams of fat • 3 grams of carbohydrates • good source of the antioxidant selenium, the B vitamins riboflavin, niacin and pantothenic acid; and copper • Approx. 300 mg of potassium • 2.8 mg of the antioxidant ergothioneine • 15 IU of vitamin D

Flavor: deeper, earthier flavor than whites, great addition to beef, game and vegetable dishes Common preparations: saute, broil, grill, microwave In a serving of 4-5 crimini mushrooms: • 23 calories • 0 grams of fat • 4 grams of carbohydrates • excellent source of the antioxidant selenium, the B vitamin riboflavin and copper • a good source of potassium, phosphorus and B vitamins niacin and pantothenic acid • 4.9 mg of the antioxidant ergothioneine

Flavor: deep, meat-like texture and flavor.

Common preparations: grilled, broiled, sauteed and roasted; can also be used as a meat substitute.

In one medium Portabella cap: • 22 calories • 0 grams of fat • 4 grams of carbohydrates • excellent source of the B vitamin riboflavin • good source of the antioxidant selenium, potassium, phosphorus, the B vitamins niacin and pantothenic acid; and copper • 4.3 mg of the antioxidant ergothioneine

Sources: A Consumers Guide to Specialty Mushrooms and The Mushroom Council (www.mushroominfo.org)

Other Popular Specialty Mushrooms Maitake

Royal Trumpet

Beech

Flavor: distinctive aroma and a rich, woodsy taste Common preparations: sauteed lightly in butter or oil. Use in egg dishes, pasta sauces, soups, stews, and any recipe calling for mushrooms for a richer taste.

In a serving of 4-5 maitake mushrooms: • 31 calories • 0 grams of fat • 6 grams of carbohydrates • good source of the antioxidant selenium; B vitamins riboflavin, niacin and pantothenic acid; and copper • more than 2 grams of fiber • more than 900 IU Vitamin D

Flavor: delicate, chewy texture Common preparation: grilled or used in stir frys. The stems can be substituted for baby scallops.

Flavor: crisp with a mild nutty flavor.

Common preparations: sliced or served whole in sautes. Soups, pasta dishes.

Pom Pom Flavor: mild, sweet taste.

Common preparations: slice and saute in butter, oil, or broth; can be used as a substitute for lobster or veal.

Oyster

Shiitake

Flavor: very delicate.

Common preparations: sauteed or stir fried then used in pasta dishes, meat dishes, omelets and soups.

In a serving of 4-5 oyster mushrooms: • 36 calories • 0 grams of fat • 5 grams of carbohydrates • good source of B vitamins riboflavin, niacin and pantothenic acid; and copper. • more than 2 grams of fiber, nearly 10 percent of the Daily Value. • nearly 3 grams of protein, 6 percent of the Daily Value.

Flavor: rich and woodsy, meaty texture Common preparations: best when cooked in stir-fry, pastas and soups.

Can be marinated and grilled.

In a serving of 4-5 shiitake mushrooms: • 41 calories • 0 grams of fat • 10 grams of carbohydrates • good source of the antioxidant selenium, providing 26 percent of the Daily Value. • a great source of B vitamins riboflavin, niacin and pantothenic acid; and copper

GREEN GRAZER GOATS 1-484-643-6439 The versatility of goats as a sustainable agricultural asset has been well documented for centuries. Goats are important and valued in most cultures all over the world for their meat, as a source of milk and milk products and for their wool and hides used for clothing.

In an age when people everywhere are becoming more environmentally conscience, goats have found a new role. They are being used as green, eco-friendly, all natural, land clearing machines.

Considering that goats can go places heavy equipment can’t, are more economical than human labor, are safer for the environment, leave no traces of cancerous chemicals behind, and leave a smaller carbon foot print on the land, make goats an ideal choice for noxious weed and vegetation control. Using goats as an eco-friendly, green, and sustainable approach to noxious vegetation management is an ideal solution for hillsides, rough terrain, open areas, pastures, ditches, and embankments. They eat Poison Ivy, Poison Oak, Poison Hemlock, Sumac, Kudzu, English Ivy, Wild Rose, and much more, like it was their job! This form of noxious weed removal is being used by homeowners, ranchers/farmers, municipalities, public land management companies, golf courses, and school systems all across the United States. Goats are a win-win proposition!

Before

After

ABOUT BLOOMING BRANCH FARMS GREEN GRAZERS: We are a small farming operation based in Lincoln University, PA. Our ever growing herd consist of 32 healthy goats of mixed sizes. This allows for a better clearing outcome. We love our goats. They are our number one priority and when our goats are happy they like to EAT! HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO RENT GOATS: Every property is different and every client’s needs are different. Our rates are based on several factors that we would be glad to discuss with you in person after visiting the area needing to be cleared. We have daily rates and weekly rates as well as a small setup fee. We are happy to work with you on payment terms and bartering is always an option.

THE FIRST STEP: Contact us to set up a free meeting to tour the area to be cleared, discuss your needs and a time line for the Green Grazers to complete the job to your satisfaction.

WHAT’S NEXT: After the initial meeting our staff will draft a proposal and present it to you. Once the proposal is accepted a contract will be sent. After all the legalities are done and the agreed upon deposit is paid, it’s GO TIME! The Green Grazers are delivered to the job site at the agreed upon time and put to work annihilating weeds.

WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO: Nothing, we do it all. Our staff will come to the site and do the preliminary set up. That involves putting up temporary electric fencing to keep the Grazers corralled and focused on one area at a time and setting up trail cams for their protection. We also provide them with shelter, water and minerals to keep them healthy and happy, so they can do what goats do best EAT! We visit often to monitor the Grazers progress and attend to their needs. We provide our clients with an e-mail update weekly and at the end of the Green Grazers contracted time, we will meet with the client and discuss options and provide feedback on the area that was recently cleared. It is IMPORTANT to us that we leave our customers satisfied with a JOB WELL DONE! If you would like to schedule an appointment to see how our services could be right for you, call us at 484-643-6939 or visit us and Like us on Facebook at Green Grazers.

GO GREEN, GO GOATS!

Photo courtesy of ninacphotography@gmail.com

102 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

Challenge Butter Adds Flavor and Fun to this Year’s Mushroom Festival Award-winning Challenge Butter is bringing additional flavor to this year’s festival by providing attendees with samples of local mushrooms sautéed in its butter. Challenge is donating more than 250 pounds of Challenge Butter for use at the festival in addition to partnering with Country Fresh Growers and To-Jo Growers to provide attendees with a delicious tasting of fresh, local mushrooms sautéed in Challenge Butter.

Challenge is also adding in some fun at the Challenge Butter tent where folks can spin the prize wheel for coupons, squishy cows and other prizes.

Newly available in Pennsylvania, Challenge Butter is a leading butter brand that has won multiple accolades including recognition in the World Dairy Awards, Saveur Magazine and San Francisco Chronicle. Its butter and cream cheese are made from 100% real cream from its 435 family owned dairies.

“Challenge Dairy is pleased to support the 32nd Annual Mushroom Festival and the local community,” said Tim Anderson, SVP of Retail and Foodservice for Challenge Dairy Products, Inc. “We are excited to introduce attendees to Challenge Butter, and the real difference it makes in recipes.”

RECIPE

A stickler for quality, Challenge products are free of growth hormones, artificial preservatives, dyes and fillers.

Its butter is so fresh that it is ready for the grocer within 24 hours of the cows being milked. Locals can find it in the dairy case at their local Wal-Marts. It’s the package with the elk on it.

Festivalgoers can enjoy Challenge Butter and the local mushrooms in their own kitchen with the below recipe and many more recipes that can be found at www.challengedairy.com/recipes.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Fresh white button mushroom caps brushed with butter and stuffed with a sautéed Panko breadcrumb mixture and Mozzarella cheese topping. Serve as a quick appetizer or tasty side dish.

INGREDIENTS • 1 pound fresh white button mushrooms (about 24, 1½ to 2-inch diameter) • 5 Tablespoons Challenge Spreadable Butter with Canola Oil • ½ cup finely chopped onion • ½ teaspoon pressed or finely minced fresh garlic • ½ cup panko breadcrumbs • ½ cup shredded Mozzarella cheese (or Italian Cheese Blend) DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 425˚F Clean mushrooms and pat dry.

Remove stems from mushrooms. Chop stems and set aside.

Add butter to small sauté pan over medium-high heat. When butter liquefies, brush the tops of the mushroom caps and place them topside down on a 12-inch pizza pan or 15x10x1-inch baking pan.

Sauté onions, chopped mushroom stems and garlic in remaining butter, until moisture is reduced and onions begin to brown.

Remove from heat and stir in breadcrumbs and then shredded cheese.

Fill mushroom caps and bake 10 to 12 minutes.

Servings: 24

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104 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

Longwood Gardens has announced its 2017-2018 performance series concert lineup, which includes notable names from the worlds of jazz, classical and world music.

New this year is the first Winter Blues Festival, featuring the best of blues in both music and horticulture. Tickets are on sale at www.longwoodgardens.org.

Longwood Gardens is a spectacular setting for live music, both indoors and outdoors.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 105

Winter Blues Festival

Jean-Baptiste Robin Saturday, Oct. 14 - 8 p.m.

From the Palace of Versailles, Jean-Baptiste Robin – known around the world for his interpretations of French organ repertoire – presents an evening of organ music.

Terell Stafford Quintet Friday, Oct. 20 - 8 p.m.

Terell Stafford has been hailed as “one of the great players of our time, a fabulous trumpet player” by piano legend McCoy Tyner. Stafford’s exceptionally expressive and well-defined musical talent allows him to dance in and around the rich trumpet tradition of his predecessors while making his own inroads.

Kenny Barron Trio Friday, Nov. 10 - 8 p.m.

NEA Jazz Master and Grammy-nominated jazz pianist Kenny Barron is widely regarded as one of the best jazz pianists in the world. Barron has an unmatched ability to mesmerize audiences with his elegant playing, sensitive melodies, and infectious rhythms.

“The Acoustic Living Room,” with songs and stories with Kathy Mattea (above), featuring Bill Cooley, is scheduled Nov. 18.

“The Acoustic Living Room” songs and stories with Kathy Mattea, featuring Bill Cooley Saturday, Nov. 18 - 8 p.m.

Grammy Award-winning singer Kathy Mattea and her longtime collaborator, guitarist Bill Cooley, welcome you into “The Acoustic Living Room” to share songs and stories near and dear to their hearts. Her most recent album, “Calling Me Home,” is a collection of songs that celebrates the Appalachian culture of her native West Virginia.

The DePue Brothers Band: A Magical Grassical Christmas Tuesday, Nov. 28 - 8 p.m.

Celebrate the sounds of the Christmas season with The DePue Brothers Band. These four violinist brothers encompass a vivid blend of genres resulting in a style they refer to as “Grassical” -- a combination of bluegrass and classical music, with elements of jazz, blues, and rock mixed in.

Cherish the Ladies: Celtic Christmas Wednesday, Nov. 29 - 8 p.m.

The Emmy award-winning Irish group Cherish the Ladies returns to celebrate the holiday season. As an engaging and successful ensemble, Cherish the Ladies has shared Irish traditions with audiences for more than 30 years.

Continued on Page 106

Cristina Pato Quartet Friday, Nov. 17 - 8 p.m.

Cristina Pato, known for her work with YoYo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, brings her new album “Latina” to the gardens.

With the help of her quartet, Pato explores what it means to be a Latina and a Galician bagpipe player. Audience-goers will delight in Pato’s blend of bagpipe, Galician, and Spanish influences.

Cherish the Ladies: Celtic Christmas is scheduled Nov. 29.

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March 2, March 16, and March 29 Longwood presents legendary blues artists against the backdrop of the Main Conservatory, adorned with blue-flowering plants such as hydrangeas, blue poppies, and blue coleus. In addition to the lineup of blues performances, each Saturday in March will also feature free blues music among the flowers.

The free blues performance schedule will be posted on www.longwoodgardens.org.

VISITORS’ GUIDE

106 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 Continued from Page 105

Songbook: Steven Page and the Art of Time Ensemble Tuesday, Feb. 6 - 8 p.m.

Steven Page, a founder and former lead of the iconic band Barenaked Ladies, joins Toronto’s highly inventive Art of Time Ensemble in an evening of songs by Randy Newman, Radiohead, Elvis Costello, Barenaked Ladies, and others. These gems are reinvented by some of the greatest minds in classical, pop, and jazz, and delivered by a defining voice in contemporary rock.

globalFEST on the Road — The New Golden Age of Latin Music Thursday, Feb. 8 - 8 p.m. globalFEST is North America’s most important world music festival, and this season they are taking Orkesta Mendoza and Las Cafeteras on the road. Orkesta Mendoza and Las Cafeteras are two of today’s most exciting bands and are redefining Latin music. Indie mambo band Orkesta Mendoza, and alternative Chicano band Las Cafeteras, will share the stage.

Old Kennett Meeting House historic site will be open for tours during Mushroom Festival days The Old Kennett Meeting House historic site will be open for tours on Sept. 9 and 10 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Old Kennett is one of the most intact Quaker meeting houses of the early Colonial area. Dating to 1710, it saw the first shots of the Battle of the Brandywine, and was the locus of most of the Abolitionist Movement of the early 19th Century. Twice it hosted the National AntiSlavery Conference, and held meetings for speakers such as Lucretia Mott, Sojourner Truth, James Whittier, and Frederick Douglas. After the Civil War, activism shifted to women’s rights and education for Native Americans and newly emancipated slaves in the South. The Old Kennett Meeting House is located at 1109 East Baltimore Pike, Kennett Square (Enter through Kendal driveway, make first right).

Sérgio & Odair Assad with Avi Avital Wednesday, Feb. 14 - 8 p.m.

Brazilian brothers and classical guitarists Sérgio and Odair Assad perform with Israeli mandolin player Avi Avital. The trio explore both classical repertoire reimagined for guitar and mandolin, as well as traditional choro music, a popular genre in Brazil known for its upbeat rhythms and bravura virtuosity.

Berlin Philharmonic Piano Quartet Friday, Feb. 16 - 8 p.m.

The Berlin Philharmonic Piano Quartet is committed to performing undiscovered masterpieces as well as the standards of classical repertoire. Comprised of three members of the Berlin Philharmonic and pianist Markus Groh, the quartet will present a program by composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Josef Suk, and Robert Schumann.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 107

René Marie: Experiment in Truth

Saturday, March 17 - 8 p.m.

Acknowledged as one of the best traditional Irish bands in recent times, Lúnasa modernizes traditional Irish music and brings it to life like never before.

Friday, March 30 - 8 p.m.

Grammy–nominated jazz vocalist René Marie’s unique blend of jazz, blues, folk and gospel combines with her deeply personal style to create an unforgettable celebration of the human spirit.

Neil Harmon

Max Raabe & Palast Orchester

Sunday, March 18 - 1 p.m.

Neil Harmon is director of music and organist at Grace United Methodist Church in Wilmington, Del., where he directs a semi-professional choir, a youth choir, and two bell choirs.

Friday, April 13 - 8 p.m.

The ever-elegant, debonair Raabe and his 12-piece orchestra embody the halcyon days of 1920s and 1930s Weimar Berlin in all its high style and musical glory.

Continued on Page 109

Rory Block Thursday, March 29 - 8 p.m.

Heralded as “one of the greatest living blues artists” by Blues Revenue, Rory Block is committed to preserving Delta blues and bringing it to life. Known for her unique slide guitar style, Block is an award-winning blues artist whose performance marks the end of the Winter Blues Festival.

Max Raabe & Palast Orchester will perform on April 13.

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 109

Brown–Urioste– Canellakis Trio

The Kennett Symphony Sunday, April 15 - 7:30 p.m.

The Kennett Symphony, with music director Michael Hall, returns with a program devoted to “Romance & Revelry,” featuring their concert master Eliezer Gutman as a soloist in Dvorák’s Romance and Saint-Saën’s Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso. The evening concludes with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7.

Tuesday, May 1 - 8 p.m.

Pianist Michael Brown, violinist Elena Urioste, and cellist Nicholas Canellakis make their debut at Longwood with a chamber piece inspired by the gardens. Michael Brown has composed a three-movement chamber work with each movement devoted to one of the gardens.

Alan Morrison Saturday, April 21 - 8 p.m.

Alan Morrison is head of the organ department at The Curtis Institute of Music, organ faculty member at Westminster Choir College of Rider University, college organist at Ursinus College, and organist in residence at Spivey Hall. Renowned for introducing new works to audiences around the world, Morrison presents a program that includes Bach’s Passacaglia BVW 582 and transcriptions from Debussy and Rachmaninoff.

Tickets for these performances are sold through www.longwoodgardens.org.

Tickets include admission to the gardens. Longwood is open daily (including holidays).

VISITORS’ GUIDE

Continued from Page 107

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110 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

Two days before Brandywine A recent event showcased Kennett Square in the days leading up to the Battle of Brandywine

By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer

O

n July 4, 1776, the thirteen colonies declared their independence from England. Within a month, 30,000 British troops landed in New York to join forces that had already been stationed there in hopes of quelling the rebellion. By the spring of 1777, the Royal Army had started developing a plan to take Philadelphia, and in July the British troops, under the command of General William Howe, left Staten Island in 260 ships to get in position to attack the colonial capital. In August, Howe’s forces landed near Cecil County, Maryland. Meanwhile, the Continental Army, under the command of General George Washington, moved to Wilmington, Del. to block the main path to Philadelphia. Chester County was soon a battleground, with the opposing forces skirmishing with each other over a two-week period. On September 9, 1777, approximately 15,000 Royal Army soldiers began arriving in the Kennett Village along the Great Nottingham Road. The British troops and the Continental Army would clash in what became known as the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777.

It was activity leading up to and surrounding the battle that was the focus of Kennett Square’s Town

Photos by Steven Hoffman

Actors and re-enactors portrayed troops and local residents during the days leading up to the Battle of Brandywine on Sept. 11, 1777 during the Town Tours & Village Walks event in Kennett Square.

Tours & Village Walks event on Thursday, June 22.

A large crowd of more than 200 people lined up to enjoy the tour as guides escorted groups to points of interest around Kennett Square, and a number of re-enactors and actors illustrated the arrival, encampment, and departure of the British and Hessian troops, focusing on how the troops interacted with local residents.

Peter Bell, a tavern owner, was upset that the British troops and Hessians came into town with few supplies and were taking what they wanted from locals. The troops were taking cider and rum from the tavern. Peter Giangiulio an experienced actor and the chairperson of the Kennett Amateur Theatrical Society, portrayed Bell Continued on Page 112

Book a walking food tour of Kennett Square, and visit several of our town’s restaurants and markets, as well as a winery and craft brewery. Sample sweet and savory food samples and local wines and beer on your guided tour.

Leave with a satiated appetite and a taste of what makes Kennett Square so unique!

Visit our website for more information and to book your tour!

www.tastekennett.com Our town...Our restaurants...Our hospitality

Proud Partners of the

Taste Kennett Food Tour

Visit our website to book your tour!

VISITORS’ GUIDE

112 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

Brandywine Continued from Page 110

with just the right amount of exasperation and anger.

Not far from Bell, General Charles Cornwallis, who was portrayed on the tour by Kennett Square resident Peter Waterkotte, directed his troops to wait for the roar of firing guns from soldiers under the direction of General Wilhelm von Knyphasen so that they could carry out the plan to out-maneuver the colonial forces.

General Knyphasen, meanwhile, invited Kennett area residents to join the Royal Army in the battle if they were loyalists to the British crown.

At the time, some people living in the colonies supported independence, but others wanted the colonies to remain loyal to England. On the tour, Timothy Osgood represented the latter. He explained that England was the greatest society in the world, and there was no good reason to not want to be a part of that.

Nearby, a camp follower busied herself trying to get all the mending and cooking finished.

Major Patrick Ferguson, a Scottish officer in the British Army, was out recruiting loyalists. During the Battle of Brandywine, Ferguson had a shot at a prominent American officer—some historians believe that the officer may have been Gen. George Washington himself. But Ferguson did not shoot the officer because his back was turned. Obviously, the course of U.S. history could have changed dramatically on that day if Ferguson had shot Washington. Later in the battle, Ferguson himself was injured badly after being hit with a shot.

The script that was used on the tour incorporated aspects of local author Kevin Sheridan’s book, “The Timepiece Chronicles—Battle of Brandywine Creek,” and one of the ideas that the book explores is the potential impact of traveling back in time and interfering with the course of history.

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 113

The Battle of Brandywine re-enactment will take place on Sept. 16 and 17.

For more information, visit www.brandywine2017.org.

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In Sheridan’s book, best friends Jeff Williams and Ben Styler go back in time to save Gen. George Washington from death at the Battle of Brandywine Creek. Sheridan, a resident of Kennett Square, was at Sinclair’s Sunrise Cafe to sign copies of his book and to answer any questions that people had about the story.

Lynn Sinclair, who helped plan the Town Tours & Village Walks event in Kennett Square, said that credit should be given to the Kennett Amateur Theatrical Society and Anne Sheridan’s Drama Club at the YMCA for arranging for actors to portray the characters during the tour. The Chadds Ford Historical Society provided some of the period costumes. The Friends of Kennett Square History guided the groups through town.

Lisa Teixeira, a member of KATS, summed up the purpose of the Town Tours & Village Walks event by saying, “It’s another good opportunity to shine a light on our great town.”

Each summer for the last 23 years, the Chester County Board of Commissioners, through collaboration with the Chester County Planning Commission, the Chester County Historical Society, Westtown Township, the Chester County Historic Preservation Network, and the Chester County Conference and Visitors Bureau have planned the Town Tours and Village Walks series as a way to showcase the county’s rich heritage and historic landscape.

The Town Tours and Village Walks in Chester County will continue throughout the summer. More information about upcoming dates for events can be found at chesco.org/planning/towntours To contact Staff Writer Steven Hoffman, email editor@chestercounty.com.

114 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

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Hundreds of riders to Bike the Brandywine Second annual event, set for Sept. 30, promotes importance of protecting lands and waterways

Photo by Natalie Smith

Meredith Mayer and Rob Daniels stand outside the offices of the Brandywine Conservancy in Chadds Ford. Mayer, an associate land-use planner with the conservancy, and Daniels, a senior planner, are organizers for Bike the Brandywine event Sept. 30.

By Natalie Smith Staff Writer

F

ew could argue the natural beauty of Chester County, with its rolling hills, shimmering creeks and lush, green spaces.

But how much have you really seen? If your view has been limited to what’s outside your car window, the folks at the Brandywine Conservancy have a suggestion: Take a bike ride. More specifically, participate in their Bike the Brandywine event on Sept. 30, in which cyclists choose one of three routes roughly following the east and west branches of the Brandywine Creek.

“We made every effort to take cyclists past the areas of protected open space, and past cultural and historical features,” said Rob Daniels, a senior land-use planner with the conservancy, and a ride organizer.

The ride concept, said Daniels and fellow organizer

Meredith Mayer, is to highlight the Brandywine Creek Greenway, a corridor of linked greenspace which runs through 25 municipalities. The 30-mile public and private strip of varying widths stretches from near Honey Brook in the northwest to the Delaware state line near Chadds Ford in the southeast. The greenway, which extends out from the creek and includes recreational lands, waters and area attractions, is a conservancy initiative underscoring the importance of preserving and protecting the area’s natural lands and waterways. The establishment of the greenway is an ongoing process, as the conservancy works with the municipalities in Chester and Delaware counties.

Since 1967, when a group of concerned citizens acted to stop development on a property called Pott’s Meadow in Chadds Ford, the Brandywine Conservancy has protected water, preserved land and engaged communities, using a multi-faceted approach to

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 115

conservancy’s 50th anniversary. Last year’s ride gave cyclists a choice of traveling a 40- or 80-mile loop. The 2017 riders can take a 25-, 50- or even 100-mile trek, the longest passing the headwaters of the Brandywine Creek near Honey Brook.

“The idea really stemmed from trying to take it beyond a theoretical idea of a greenway,” said Mayer, who is an associate planner at the conservancy. “I think a lot of people think a greenway is a green trail through something … [Last year’s ride] brought in people’s understanding that a greenway is a conservation corridor, that’s it’s recreational offerings, and that it includes a lot of very natural Continued on Page 116

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conservation. The conservancy works with private landowners who wish to see their lands permanently protected, and provides community planning services to municipalities and other governmental agencies. It currently holds 479 conservation and agricultural easements and has facilitated the permanent preservation of more than 63,000 acres of land. The Brandywine River Museum of Art, known internationally for its collection of American art, and the conservancy are part of an organization called the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art. Daniels explained that within the conservancy there are three “arms.” Municipal assistance helps municipalities with their planning efforts and ordinances. Stewardship oversees the properties belonging to the conservancy and privately owned lands that are protected by conservation easements. The stewardship team goes out once a year to make sure the terms of those easements are being upheld, he said. The third arm is land conservation, which works at acquiring conservation easements as well as properties to own outright. Most recently the conservancy has been working with the Chester County Agricultural Land Preservation Board. “We’ve been very active in the Honey Brook area, working to preserve farms,” Daniels said.

Although the first organized Bike the Brandywine was in 2016, this year’s is part of a year-long celebration of the

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116 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

Bike the Brandywine Continued from Page 115

scenic, historic and cultural beauty that we have in the area.�

Ride organizers list some high points along the way as King Ranch, Springton Manor, Kardon Park, Struble Trail, East Brandywine Trail and Hibernia Park. “We’re on the back roads for the most part,� said Daniels, himself a cyclist who’ll be again participating in the ride, “so when you drive your car you might not see them. There are a lot of roads out there that are just incredibly scenic. “Let’s get [people] out there on their bikes to be able to see what they basically have in their backyard and that they may not be that familiar with.�

The organizers said they knew they were on the right track last year after hearing from the cyclists. “We got an incredible amount of responses. You usually do a survey and hope for 15 percent, but probably about half the riders responded,� Daniels said. “And we got huge responses,� added Mayer. “[Ride participants] would write long paragraphs about how scenic it was.�

Last year’s ride had cyclists passing markers to help

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them understand the expanse of the lands aided by the Brandywine Conservancy. “We labeled properties with signs identifying them as protected, so [cyclists] had a greater sense of all the work that gets done by agencies, non-profits and other conservation organizations to give us such a rich landscape,� Mayer said, noting that some of these properties are privately owned. The signs generated such positive feedback that Mayer said they’d be repeating their placements this year.

Mayer said the Western Chester County Chamber of Commerce, one of the conservancy’s partners, was invaluable in helping make last year’s ride a success. “It’s awesome to have the chamber on board, in addition to all the businesses in the chamber on board. They’ve been a great partner in terms of shouldering the muscle of the ride. They did all the rest stops last year except for one.

They helped us in terms of promoting and making municipal connections and business connections as well. “We have a lot of help for this event,� Mayer said. “Between us and the chamber, we have about 100 volunteers.�

The volunteers will be handling tasks such as delivering food and water to rest stops, setting up tents and monitoring traffic intersections.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 117

D.C. to Connecticut for the ride.” Cyclists from Delaware and Maryland were also there for the fun.

“We did do a lot of local outreach in promotion for the ride -- bike stores, coffee shops, grocery stores, those kinds of things -- but beyond that it was mostly Facebook,” he said.

Mayer added, “We also did a lot of outreach to bicycle clubs and coalitions.” Those communication outlets especially helped spread the word.

What impression do the organizers hope the ride will leave on cyclists in the 2017 Bike the Brandywine?

“It’s that this area of Chester County and the Brandywine Creek Greenway have an awful lot to offer, from open space, cultural and historical resources,” Daniels said.

“We want them to make the connection to the open space, and that it’s all connected to the quality of the water of the Brandywine Creek.”

“It’s our quality of life, as well,” said Mayer.

For more information about the Brandywine Conservancy’s Bike the Brandywine on Sept. 30, call 610-388-2700 or visit www.brandywine.org.

Natalie Smith may be contacted at DoubleSMedia@rocketmail.com

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“It’s a really logistically complicated event,” Mayer said, “but really fun and rewarding when it happens and you see all these riders show up who are supporting clean water and recreation and our work.”

Daniels said that new to this year’s Bike the Brandywine will be an after-ride celebration with live music and food. Victory Brewing, a sponsor of the ride, will also be there. It will be on the grounds of the Chadds Ford Historical Society on Creek Road, where the ride begins and ends.

“We’re trying to make it more of a festive, postride feel,” Daniels said. “Last year was our first year, so we heavily focused on logistics. Now we’re trying to focus on some of the things we can give back to the riders and make it more sort of a [full] day event.”

The registration fee for the benefit ride, which is from $50 to $75 depending on date of sign-up, goes toward the conservancy’s clean water programs. Daniels said they want to emphasize that relationship.

“We’re trying this year to make more of a connection between the ride and the creek itself and water quality. Funds raised from the ride go to water quality programs here and other things to help improve the Brandywine,” the organizer said. “We want to make that connection to open space, and that it’s all connected to the quality of the water in Brandywine Creek.”

With three routes, the conservancy is anticipating about 600 riders this year, around a 70 percent increase over 2016. The addition of longer and shorter rides is in hopes of attracting a broader selection of cycling enthusiasts. The 50-mile half-loop was added as a nod to the conservancy’s anniversary, Mayer said.

“We hope the 25-mile is more inclusive,” she said. “We think that anyone who’s in shape could do it.

“We would love to offer a more family-friendly route, but the conditions of the roads are such that there isn’t a way to do that from our start and finish locations. But we did have some teenagers ride with their parents last year, which was really impressive.”

The organizers said they were surprised and pleased by the distance some of the cyclists came for last year’s ride, a trend they’re hopeful will be repeated.

“We knew there would be local cyclists from the greater Philly area,” said Daniels. “But we were shocked that we had people from [Washington,]

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