2026 Schedule "In Progress"

Saturday October 17th

• 10:15am- 12:00pm The Forager’s First-Aid Kit

  • This hands-on workshop introduces participants to common Ohio plants that can be used for simple, traditional remedies when you’re out on the trail and miles away from your medicine cabinet. We’ll explore how to turn these plants into practical preparations for some of the minor bites, stings, scrapes, stomach upsets, headaches, and other everyday discomforts that can happen while spending time outdoors. The focus is on building the knowledge, skills, and confidence to make use of the natural resources around you when you’re far from home—with simple techniques that don’t require tools​

• 11:30am-12:30 Cooking Demonstration 

  • Join us for an interactive lunchtime cooking classes led by local chefs. This hands-on demonstration will provide attendees with new culinary skills and provide them with a delicious fungi lunch. Please note: Food programs require an additional ticket that can be purchased during online registration. A limited number of tickets will also be held for sale in-person at the event.​​​​​​​

• 12:00pm-4:00pm Face Painting with Steve Rogers!

  • Add a little fungi-inspired fun to your festival experience! Steve Rodgers will be creating colorful, creative face paintings for festival-goers of all ages. Come get your face transformed into a mushroom, woodland creature, or whatever inspires you!​

• 12:30pm- 1:30pm Family Programming: Clay Mushroom Creations

  • Get creative using air dry clay and acrylic paints.  Beads, charms, plant pokes? The world is your oyster (mushroom)! This program will include a brief demonstration and is family friendly. All materials will be provided and you can take your creation home.

• 12:30pm- 1:30pm People Hibernate Too!

  • Come process the changing season and how the shortened days can challenge our emotions. Learn about ways we can hibernate while supportting our emotions during this phase of less-light. Join us to make a journal, a grounding winter bucket list, and learn about writing prompts to help support this winter journey. ​

• 1:30pm-4pm Farm tour of Soulshine Earth by Anna & Andy

  • Take a tour of Soulshine Acres, an 800+ log forest-farming mushroom operation. Learn about outdoor cultivation techniques of mushrooms such as Shiitake, Oyster, Lion's Mane, Reishi and more. The farm tour will be followed by an inoculation demonstration and Q&A session. This off-site tour is limited to 15 participants on a first-come, first-served basis. Secure your spot by signing up at the check-in table on the day of the event!​

• 1:30pm-3:00pm Guided Mushroom Hike by Martha Bishop

  • Explore the forest of Tenderfoot Learning Lab with environmental and plant biologist Martha Bishop. Martha's keen eye for detail and depth of knowledge will spark your curiosity and deepen your love for the fascinating world of mushrooms!​

• 2:30pm-4:00pm Zine Making Class (Family Programing)

  • Learn how to make your own zine! Informational, poetry, texture, stamps! Take home your own zine and an instructional zine on how to make them at home and how to distribute them!​

• 4:45pm-5:30 Keynote- Mycoforestry: Growing Porcini Mushrooms in Chestnut Orchards by Badger Johnson

  • Porcini mushroom, aka King Boletes, are high-value culinary mushrooms. Porcini get their food by symbiotically trading water and minerals fir sugar from host trees- via mycorrhizae. We hope to derive significant income by selling these ectomycorrhizal mushrooms from our chestnut orchards.​

• 5:30pm-6:30pm The Woodland Table: A Dinner in the Woods

  • Gather around the table beneath the trees for a special evening celebrating the flavors of the forest, local agriculture, and Appalachian food traditions. Chef Katie Mosher and Zach Shornick will host this special woodland dinner, preparing a hearty, fungi-inspired meal that highlights local ingredients and the creative ways mushrooms can take center stage. Enjoy a delicious meal surrounded by the sights and sounds of the forest while connecting with fellow fungi enthusiasts and celebrating the incredible foods that can be grown, gathered, and inspired by Southeast Ohio. Please note: If you’re only planning to attend the dinner, you’re more than welcome to purchase just the dinner tickets. However, if you’d like to participate in any of the other Saturday festival programs, we ask that you purchase a day pass in addition to your dinner tickets. Food programs require an additional ticket that can be purchased during online registration. A limited number of tickets will also be held for sale in-person at the event.

• 6:30pm-7:30 Chris Michael and the Andrews Band

  • Join us for an evening of dancing to some Appalachian tunes. We are lucky to be joined by Chris Michael and the Andrews, a local band rooted in musical storytelling. You won’t want to miss it!​

• 7:30pm-9:00pm Night Hike and Mothing

  • Experience the enchantment of the Fall Fungi Festival Night Hike, discovering nature's hidden treasures out in the open or tucked away in plain sight under the moonlit sky. Discover the mysterious world of mushrooms, insects, and nocturnal creatures, illuminated by an array of flashlights, including UV light, as you venture through the forest after sundown. Embrace the seasonal magic as you unveil the beauty and biodiversity flourishing in the shadows of autumn.​​​​​​

• 9:00pm-11:00pm Jam Circle around Bondfire

  • We are excited to share that we will be providing complimentary Saturday day passes to the Fall Fungi Festival for musically inclined individuals who bring an instrument and are eager to perform around a campfire on the evening of Saturday October 11th at 9 PM. If you would like to participate, please reach out to Tourism Manager Madison Donohue at Madison@RuralAction.org to receive your promotional code.​

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Sunday October 18th​​

• 8:45am-9:30am Mushroom Mindfullness Movement (Family Programing)

  • Check-in with yourself doing some guided stretching, movement, and breathing. These 45 minutes of movement are open to all ages and experience levels. To embrace the theme of fungi and their vastness, this session will encourage participants to consider the interconnectivity and communication of all parts of the body while warming-up and preparing for the day.​

• 8:30am-10:00am Guided Mushroom Hike (Off Sight)

  • Explore the fascinating connections between beetles and fungi on a guided hike through the Waterloo Wildlife Area. Learn how some beetles have developed close relationships with fungi, including an entire group known as fungus beetles, and discover the important roles these tiny creatures play in forest ecosystems.This hike will meet at the kiosk and leave the property for a hike, transportation not provided.​

• 9:30am-11:00am Felted Mushroom Class

  • Limited to 10 participants | Ages 12+ | All materials provided! Create your very own felted Fly Agaric mushroom in this cozy, hands-on workshop! No felting experience? No problem, this class is perfect for beginners. All materials will be provided, and you'll leave with a magical, handmade mushroom of your own. This session is limited to 10 participants on a first-come, first-served basis. Secure your spot by signing up at the check-in table on the day of the event! 

• 10:00am-11:00am Story Circle 

  • Join us for a community building programming where stories will be shared through the goal of finding common ground from tales of diverse experiences. ​

• 11:00am- 12:30pm Cooking Demonstration

  • Join us for an interactive lunchtime cooking classes led by a local chef. This hands-on demonstration will provide attendees with new culinary skills and provide them with a delicious fungi lunch. Please note: Lunch programs require an additional ticket that can be purchased during online registration. A limited number of tickets will also be held for sale in-person at the event.​

• 1:00pm- 2:00pm Pond Study (Family Programing)

  • We will be exploring the Tenderfoot Learning Lab pond in search of macro-invertebrates and other cool creatures.  Nets, containers, and identification guides will be available to use during this fun,hands-on activity.​

• 2:00pm- 3:00pm Fungi Story Time (Family Programing)

  • An exploration of stories spanning both age and genre. Anyone is welcome to drop by to hear a story or participate in light discussion about the space that fungi hold in our imaginations and the curiosity that they spark. ​