Boyne City's 64th National Morel Mushroom Festival: A culinary and cultural delight

BOYNE CITY — The allure of Northern Michigan includes its mysterious morel mushrooms, akin to stumbling upon a rare four-leaf clover in the woods.

Seasoned foragers treasure the thrill of discovering these elusive fungi, guarding their secret locations closely. Those fortunate enough to find these prized delicacies relish their flavor, with local restaurants often featuring morel mushroom recipes when they're in season.

Each spring hundreds of morel mushroom lovers from around the state, country and globetravel to Boyne City seeking and celebrating the morel at the National Morel Mushroom Festival.

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More: Registration now open for National Competitive Morel Mushroom Hunt

This marks the 64th year of the event, scheduled for the weekend of May 16-19, and it stands as Boyne City's second most popular festival, following Boyne Thunder. The festival is held each year on the weekend after Mother’s Day, and features morel tastings, the national competitive hunt, seminar, arts and crafts show, concert, carnival rides and more.

Festival proceeds go to area high school students for college scholarships entering the fields of biology, natural science, hospitality, or culinary arts.

While the festival weekend boasts an abundance of various activities for all ages, the highlight remains the annual mushroom hunt. This event draws hundreds of participants who are bused to a secret location and compete to find the most morels.

More: DNR releases morel mushroom hunting map: Best spots to find them

The festival, occurring before the summer rush, injects vital economic activity into a typically sluggish period.

"It's so important to the community," said Jessica White, festival chair and Boyne City Ace Hardware store owner

Jeff Meads, office manager for the Boyne Area Chamber of Commerce, also highlighted the influx of business the festival attracts.

"It helps our members in town that receive the benefit of all the folks coming in for the festival," he said.

For more information about the festival, visit bcmorelfestival.com.

— Contact reporter Annie Doyle at (231) 675-0099 and adoyle@charlevoixcourier.com

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Boyne City's 64th National Morel Mushroom Festival: A culinary and cultural delight