Up North Progressive

In two days the annual Mesick Mushroom Festival begins in the town of Mesick. Mushroom hunting is a time honored, sometimes-cutthroat tradition of spring in northern Michigan. Whether you hunt for the small black morels, the large, white-grey ones, or cross your fingers and say a prayer before feasting on “beefsteak” false morels, you know the importance of remembering secret mushroom spots in the woods every spring. You hope the conditions are right and your eyesight is true to spot the little gems poking through the leaf litter of the forest. The only thing that rivals buck fever is mushroom fever. Success, no matter how few are found the first time out is a victory for human over fungus.

The festival runs from Friday through Sunday, with many events and venues to enjoy. There are competitions, with of course mushroom contests taking place all weekend. On Mother’s Day, mothers accompanied by a child have free admission to the carnival. Raffles, bake sales, flea markets and craft shows, with show events, parades, tractor pulls, a beer tent and much more. There’s something for everyone at the Mesick Mushroom festival.

So come up to Mesick for the weekend and bring your mother. Nothing says Mother’s Day in Northern Michigan like stalking wild fungus and having a good time.