Celebrating the Mighty Morel!

Boyne City Fest Returns for 56th Year

May 6, 2016

 

Every May, mushroom hunters from around the state and around the country converge at Boyne City for the annual National Morel Mushroom Festival, an ode to everything mushroom, from savory foods made of this earthy treat to tales of secret mushroom spots, music, dancing and, above all, the thrill of the mushroom hunt. Here’s what’s on the way for the festival’s 56th year.

MORE MUSHROOM TIME

The festival has traditionally run Thursday through Sunday, but with the event’s growing popularity, they’re changing things up a bit for 2016.

"It’s such a cool event all on its own, all we really try to do is fine tune it from year to year," explained Jim Baumann of the Boyne Area Chamber of Commerce. "This year we’re trying something new by adding on Wednesday our open mic contest. It was really popular last year, so we’re moving it to Wednesday to welcome those arriving to the festival early."

Tony Williams, who also oversees the fest and is known as a local morels expert, agreed. "This is more of a kickoff for the locals," he said. "And a lot of the mushroomers traveling in don’t get here until Friday, so it’s also for those really early arrivals."

CULINARY MUSHROOMS

The Taste of Morels is a major highlight of the Morel Festival. Local chefs and restaurants present dishes made with morel mushrooms as a main ingredient. Last year’s winners included morel chicken brie and a morel mushroom risotto cake by Boyne Mountain Resort, a morel tartlet by the Barrel Back Restaurant, and morel meatballs from Cafe Sante.

"We’re expecting even more restaurants at this year’s Taste," Baumann said, "including Lake Street Market and Red Mesa. And Boyne Mountain will have three tables this year, one for each of the three different restaurants at Boyne: Everett’s, the Forty Acres Tavern, and The Beach House."

DO THE MUSHROOM DANCE

The other must-do event will be the block party on Thursday night, during which the festival will close down one of Boyne City’s downtown streets to allow pedestrians to fill the block with dancing feet.

"We’ll have 20 craft breweries and two wineries offering beverages," explained Williams, "and we’re bringing in the Thornetta Davis Band. She’s been getting a lot of recognition as the "˜blues queen of Detroit’ and has performed with everyone from B.B. King to Robert Cray."

The block party debuted just last year, when it welcomed 800 people; this year, the fest is expecting more than 1,000.

"It was very, very popular," Baumann said.

MUSHROOM MANIA

Capping off the weekend are a wide range of activities with something for everyone, from the opening of the Schmidt Amusements carnival on Thursday night to the morel seminar and guided morel hunt on Friday (The Cookies also perform Friday night at 8pm.) On Saturday, start your day with the Humane Society 5K run at 8am and get an early start on the big National Mushroom Hunt (buses depart at 9am sharp), and keep an eye on the "morel pole" where the mushrooms will compete for prizes. Saturday night offers more live music, while Sunday continues with more morel happenings, plus the craft show.

"This year, the music is what I’m most looking forward to," Baumann said. "We really stepped it up this year with Thornetta and we’ll also have The Cookies, the most popular dance band in northern Michigan, and Skarcasm, a good old rock and roll band. It’s all such a great time."

For a complete schedule and more information on the 2016 National Morel Mushroom Festival, visit bcmorelfestival. com or call the Boyne Area Chamber of Commerce at (231) 582-6222.