Celebrate Morgan Hill’s top crop at this weekend’s Mushroom
Mardi Gras
Who would have thought the mushroom – so meek, mild and, well, funny-looking – would ever get the chance to bask in the spotlight for an entire weekend?
Whether stuffed or on a stick, the spongy fungi will take center stage at this weekend’s 27th Annual Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras, held from 10am-6pm Saturday and Sunday in downtown Morgan Hill.
The festival, celebrating Morgan Hill’s top crop, will offer everything from sauteed mushrooms courtesy of the Oak Grove Band and Color Guard to tempura mushrooms from Willow Street Woodfired Pizza. If ‘shrooms just aren’t your thing, indulge in burritos, corn on the cob, barbecue, hot dogs, hamburgers, lemonade, fruit smoothies, root beer floats, desserts and more from a number of local vendors.
A colorful mix of vendors – more than 200 altogether – will be selling jewelry, clothing, arts and crafts, candles, items for the kitchen, children’s toys, and more. Also, learn the secrets of how mushrooms are grown with a special mushroom display.
The Sobrato High School Jazz Band and the South Bay Swing Band will kick things off from 7-9pm tomorrow on West Third Avenue and Monterey Road. On Saturday, The Alameda All Stars, Powerhouse Blues Band, Henry Clements & the Gumbo Band, and Amy Lou’s Blues will take to the stage.
Sunday will feature The Bayou Boys, Shane Dwight, Henry Clements & the Gumbo Band, and a Steely Dan tribute featuring Aja Vu. Other entertainment includes street performers, strolling musicians and the Mushroom Mardi Gras Parade.
Also at the festival will be a wine garden and microbrews. For the kids, don’t miss Munchkinland, located on Monterey between Fifth and Dunne avenues. The area will feature a space for kids to play and parents to relax, rides, games, kids entertainment, and on-stage demonstrations from local dance, karate, and signing groups. For older kids, there will be a rock climbing wall, water wars, Eurobungy and more.
The festival is presented by the Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras Inc., a nonprofit organization chartered in 1980. The event is a volunteer organization with no full- or part-time staff. Its purpose is to provide educational scholarships to seniors in the Morgan Hill Unified School District. Many local nonprofit organizations also participate in the event, and funds raised are used to support their programs.
For the past 20 years, the Mushroom Mardi Gras Committee has issued more than $500,000 in scholarship funds to hundreds of students.This year, a total of $30,000 in scholarships will be awarded.
