2019 Mushroom Festival & Visitors Guide

Mushroom Festival 34th Annual

and Visitors Guide September 6-8, 2019

Kennett Square, PA - The Mushroom Capital of the World A Chester County Press Publication

MAP & EVENTS SCHEDULE See center spread pages 59-62 Complimentary Copy

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2 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

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4 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

34th Annual

2019

Mushroom Festival 6

Introduction to the 34th Annual Mushroom Festival

19

Message from the Festival Coordinator

20

Spotlight: Mother Earth Organic Mushrooms

28

Honorary Chairwomen

30

Inspiration for cooking with mushrooms

38

Kennett Square’s new center for the arts

46

The 2019 T-shirt design

48

The entertainment lineup expands

56

34 interesting facts about mushrooms

59

Schedule of Events and map

64

Spotlight: PA Preferred promotes local mushrooms

72

The 2019 grant recipients

84

Meet the Mushrooms

86

The Mushroom Cook-Off

92

Festival photos

6 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

The 34th Annual Mushroom Festival

By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer The first weekend after Labor Day is always special in Kennett Square. That’s when the Mushroom Capital of the World hosts a two-day celebration of everyone’s favorite fungi that ranks among the very best food festivals in the entire country.

The 34th annual Mushroom Festival takes place on Sept. 7 and 8, and visitors will find plenty of familyfriendly events and activities for people of all ages to enjoy. There is truly something for everyone at the festival, starting with the Street Fair that stretches for almost a mile.

For Kennett Square residents like Doug Doerfler, the Mushroom Festival has become a tradition. Doerfler, who

serves as the president of Kennett Square Borough Council, called the festival a staple of the Kennett community.

“I love the music, the educational information in the mushroom tent, watching the celebrity chef demonstrations, and seeing the creativity come out in the mushroom-decorating contest,” he explained. “With that said, taking into consideration all there is to do at the Mushroom Festival, my favorite thing at the festival is still to eat mushrooms in as many ways as I possibly can!”

Continued on Page 8

Foodie s will lo ve the cookin g demo nstratio ns.

All photos by Chris Barber

The Mushroom Festival has grown into one of the best food festivals in the country, and can attract up to 100,000 visitors in a weekend.

8 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

34th Annual Mushroom Festival val Continued from Page 6

The Street Fair features approximately 250 vendors from all around the country showcasing unique gift and craft items. Everything from yard art to fine art to jewelry and clothing will be available. The Street Fair takes place from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

One of the highlights of the Mushroom Festival each year is the Amateur Mushroom Cook-Off, which gives people the opportunity to submit their favorite recipe incorporating mushrooms and then prepare the dish during the cook-off. This year, the challenge for the entrants is to prepare a dish featuring pasta with mushrooms. The Amateur Mushroom Cook-Off takes place in the Special Events Tent at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7. The judging begins at 11:30 a.m. First prize is $1,500 cash and a ticket to the World Food Championships in Dallas, Texas in 2020.

On Sunday, Sept. 8, one of the highlights of the day is the Soup and Wine Tasting Event. Come and enjoy part of your day by eating soups prepared by local chefs and wine produced by Pennsylvania

There w il to enjo l be plenty of y mush rooms opportunities at the fe stival.

wineries. Cast your vote for the “Best Mushroom Soup.� The event takes place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Special Events Tent at State and Willow streets. The last admission to the Soup and Wine Tasting Event is at 3:15 p.m.

The Culinary Tent, located at the corner of Broad Street and Cypress Street, brings together a group of very talented guest chefs to Continued on Page 12

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34th Annual Mushroom Festival Continued from Page 8

share their recipes and tips for cooking with mushrooms.

The Mushroom Growers’ Exhibit is a must-see for anyone who wants to learn about how the area’s growers cultivate and grow millions of pounds of mushrooms each week. This exhibit allows visitors to walk through and see a wide variety of mushrooms growing. The Mushroom Judging Contest takes place in the Growers’ Tent on Sunday. Once all the ribbons are handed out, the best of the best mushrooms are then sold off.

There’s always a variety of great food to be enjoyed in Kennett Square. Mushroom delicacies include mushroom meatballs, mushroom mac and cheese, mushroom spring rolls, mushroom wraps, mushroom salad, mushroom ice cream and pops, and more. Popular festival foods such as pizza, hamburgers, French fries, smoothies, ice cream treats, funnel cakes and kettle corn are available, too.

For anyone who wants to sample mushroom soup made in the Mushroom Capital of the World, one good place to find it is the Masonic Lodge. A traditional mushroom soup made from a mushroom grower’s family recipe is sold here. The soup is made of fresh Kennett Square mushrooms. The Mason Lodge will be selling the soup from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.

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There is always plenty of entertainment at the Mushroom Festival, including a full lineup of talented musicians will be performing on the Community Stage. The performers this year include the following: Katelyn Christine (12:30 p.m. Saturday); Green Eggs and Ham (2 p.m.

Saturday); Continued on Page 14

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 13

14 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

34th Annual Mushroom Festival Continued from Page 12

An old

-fashio

Chris Bruni (3:30 p.m. Saturday); The Orpheus Supertones rtones y); It’s (5 p. m. on Saturday); The Gilroys (6 p.m. Saturday); about People (noon on Sunday); Campbell and Son (1:30 Sunday); and Hot Breakfast (3 p.m. Sunday).

The children’s entertainment lineup features Dan and Galla’s musical show, the Pittman Magic, Juggling and Comedy Show, and Andrew’s Big Show. lly The Mushroom Festival’s organizers are continually or looking to add new activities and entertainment for pall to enjoy. One of the new activities this year is zipp lining, which will take riders on a high-energy trip above State Street. Zip and Bounce will be bring-ing the zip-line, as well as a bungee, train, and inflatables.

Another new addition to this year’s festival is the Flyers Community Caravan, which will be set up on South Street across from the oldfashioned carnival. From 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, there will be a full-size inflatable rink featuring basic skills clinics, an inflatable shoton-goal game, and a bungee run. There will also be special giveaway es with the Flyers alumni. items, enter-to-win contests, and photo opportunities Continued on Page 17

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34th Annual Mushroom Festival Continued from Page 14

One of the newer and more popular events at the ampifestival is the National Fried Mushroom Eating Championship, which is organized by Monty Wiradilaga,, Jr. A native of Kennett Square and a professional eater himes for self, Wiradilaga serves as the master of ceremonies the event, and encourages all the competitors to push ming each other to set a new world record for consuming mushrooms in eight minutes. Come and witness the spectacle, cheer on the contestants, and be a part of me history if the world record is broken. The pregame ng entertainment starts at 2:30 p.m., while the eating contest begins at 3 p.m. e Everyone loves to see cool cars, and some of the most spectacular automobiles to ever roll off a Detroit assembly line will be showcased in the Antique and Classic Car Show that will feature everything from vintage automobiles to American muscle cars to beautifully restored classic cars. The car show takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on South Broad Street from Cypress to Mulberry streets.

Learn ab includin out the var ie g exoti cs, at th ties of mush r e Mush room F ooms, estival.

Continued on Page 18

THE

WOODLANDS AT PHILLIPS

Phillips Mushroom Farms Retail Store Fresh Dried Gourmet Gifts Stop by for fresh mushrooms and a self guided tour through our Mushroom Exhibit 1020 Kaolin Road, Kennett Square, PA • Hours: M-F 10-4 & Sat 10-3 • 610-444-2192 • www.thewoodlandsatphillips.com Special Festival Hours: Saturday and Sunday 10:00am - 5:00pm

18 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

34th Annual Mushroom Festival Continued from Page 17

There will also be a painted mushrooms silent auction.

Artists use their creativity to paint 108-pound toadstools that are then auctioned off. The beautiful toadstools are perfect for the home or garden. The painted mushrooms are displayed at State and Broad streets from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and then again on Sunday when the last bids on them will be taken at 4 p.m. Everyone can vote for their favorite painted mushroom.

Another opportunity to vote for a favorite is in the CuteAs-A-Button (Mushroom) Baby Photo Contest. Who do you think is the cutest button, crimini, and portabella?

Vote for your favorite contestant/photo with your pocket change in this baby photo contest near State and Meredith streets from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday. All proceeds benefit the A.I. DuPont Children’s Hospital through WSTW’s “Help Our Kids” Radio-thon.

After celebrating mushrooms at the festival, make sure to buy some fresh mushrooms to take home. Order the mushrooms you want from the various Mushroom Sales Booths set up at the festival. Refrigerated trucks will hold your mushroom purchases until you are ready to leave.

The last pick-up is 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and 5:30 p.m. on Sunday.

While the weekend is always a great time in Kennett Square, don’t wait until Saturday and Sunday to join in on the fun. On Friday night, the streets of downtown Kennett Square will already be humming with activity as a community parade, an old-fashioned carnival, and dining and dancing in the streets kicks the festivities into high gear. Restaurants will have special tables set up along the parade route on State Street. Then, after the parade, Good Foot, one of the area’s favorite dance bands, will hit the stage to get folks out of their seats. A carnival and midway featuring rides, games, and carnival foods will be set up in the parking lot of the Genesis building on South Broad Street. The carnival will be open from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

There’s plenty of fun for everyone to enjoy this year’s festival. Be sure to visit mushroomfestival.org to see a full lineup of events and activities at Kennett Square’s most popular annual event.

To contact Staff Writer Steven Hoffman, email editor@ chestercounty.com.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 19

‘Look what we have become’ A message from Mushroom Festival coordinator Kathi Lafferty I want to welcome everyone to the 34th annual Mushroom Festival in Kennett Square.

I’ve looked forward to it annually ever since I was asked to get involved more than 15 years ago by then-chairman Fran Durynski. At that time, we had 69 vendors, and now the festival has grown to more than 200 this year.

It is a credit to the folks in Kennett Square that they visit with their support every year. But it’s even more impressive that so many come out from Philadelphia, Trenton, California and even beyond. A few years ago, we were surprised to have been sent a picture of the Mushroom Festival wristband surrounding a large mushroom. It was from someone in Poland who had paid a visit. The festival has been named to the top five food festivals in the nation, and has been estimated to have had 100,000 visitors in one year.

Why is it so popular? I don’t know. Maybe it’s because of the small-town atmosphere. People come even if it rains. I can’t imagine a rainy scenario out in the wide-open spaces.

And it’s not a surprise that the founders were attracted to showcase the crop that gives this town its identity – The Mushroom Capital of the World. We’ve been growing white mushrooms here since the late 1800s. It seems as if

2019 Mushroom Festival Board of Directors Michelle Gazdik, President Gus Carozzo, Vice President rer Bill McDougall, Treasurer Gina Puoci, Secretary Jennifer Basciani Anita D’Amico Lori Gebert Randy Lieberman Carl Lowe Samantha Snyder Kathi Lafferty, Festival Coordinator

Kennett Square was in just the right spot. It’s close to metropolitan centers and it has the resources for growing, thanks to the equine population providing compost. Influxes of immigrants – initially Quakers -- had the talent to combine their flower-growing with Photo by Chris Barber the idea to plant mush- Kathi Lafferty, Mushroom Festival rooms in the beds Chairman underneath.

Personally, I like mushrooms, and believe in them for their health benefits. They are full of vitamin D and many healthy minerals. But beyond a confidence in the product, I believe in what the Mushroom Festival has done for the town. Financially, it supports a grant program for worthy causes in the area. For example, we helped get the lights for the Kennett High School football field, and have supported many non-profits in the region.

It is also a boost to the reputation of the town. In the early years, people identified Kennett Square with Longwood Gardens. Kennett Square was Longwood Gardens. They would come out from Philadelphia, visit the gardens, and then turn left out Route 1 back to Philadelphia. Now they come into town for all it has to offer.

One thing people have said to me in my shop -- where there is a mushroom growing display -- is that they have a new understanding of how mushrooms grow. After they see it, I say to them, “Now do you feel educated?”

And they do.

Sometimes people ask me where I get the energy to oversee the festival every year, as well as the New Year’s Eve Mushroom Drop in the middle of town. I guess I’m driven, and I like a good party. Frankly, with the crowds and the success, I feel pride myself.

One year during the Mushroom Festival, we rode down to the end of the street and looked up at the hordes of people all over State Street. I took a breath and said to myself, “Look and see what we have become.”

Kathi Lafferty, Mushroom Festival Coordinator

20 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

Spotlight on Mother Earth Organic Mushrooms As it celebrates its centennial anniversary in 2019, Mother Earth Organic Mushrooms, the family farm that Arthur Yeatman began 100 years ago, is soon to be in the hands of its fifth generation

A family farm celebrates a milestone

Photos courtesy of Mother Earth Organic Mushrooms

As it celebrates its 100th year of operation this year, Mother Earth Organic Mushrooms is also celebrating its fifth generation in the family business.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 21

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

I

n 1919, Arthur P. Yeatman purchased property in southern Chester County, that he originally used as a dairy farm. Two years later, he built two mushroom houses, and by 1930, Yeatman’s small business had nine mushroom houses, and A.P. Yeatman & Sons was born.

In 1949, Yeatman’s son Clarence (C.P.) bought another 77-acre farm with four more mushroom houses on it. In 1950, Clarence’s son Artie brought back the farm’s dairy operation, and in 1958, Clarence’s other sons Jim and Bob joined the family business. In 1993, the family’s fourth generation was welcomed into the operating fold, when Jim’s son Jerry joined with Bob’s in-law Tim Hihn in taking over the management of the company.

Continued on Page 22

The company’s origins date back to 1919, when Arthur P. Yeatman purchased property in southern Chester County, that he originally used as a dairy farm.

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Mother Earth Continued from Page 21

The original concept to ‘Go Organic’ began in the late 1980s, when Jim Yeatman saw organic farming as a method of providing a healthier product that was completely free of growing enhancements and chemicals. They enlisted the help of the New Jersey chapter of the Natural Organic Farmers Association, and by 1989, the company began growing organic mushrooms on its own.

It was a humble beginning. In 1990, the Continued on Page 24

An overhead view of the Yeatman farm as it looked several decades ago.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 23

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Mother Earth Continued from Page 22

company sold only one percent of the organic products they cultivated. The remainder was sold as conventional.

Now, 100 years and five generations removed from Arthur Yeatman’s original purchase, C.P. Yeatman & Sons, Inc. has evolved into Mother Earth Organic Mushrooms, the nation’s first 100 percent certified organic commercial mushroom farm, with growing divisions in both West Grove and Oxford, a country store at its West Grove location, and a Landenberg site, where its products are packed, shipped and transported to every state east of the Mississippi River, as well as to Colorado, Texas and Wyoming.

“Organic farming is not easy,”Tim said. “There’s a higher level of risk, but it’s something that we thrive on and believe in. We started to do it because at one time, we were using chemicals, and began to think, ‘What are we doing to our customers, to our employees and to ourselves?’

“It’s always been our niche , an extension of our identity, and when people say ‘Mother Earth,’they think, ‘Organic.’”

Tim and Jerry believe that while Mother Earth has made its mark through its identity, it continues to thrive not only on the basis of its product, but through a mutual partnership

with the entire mushroom industry in Chester County -- a competitive but collaborative network of mostly families that’s strengthened one generation at a time.

“The fact that we’re all here in one place is due to the classic case of economic clustering,” Jerry said. “For instance, Hollywood is a cluster of entertainers. Detroit had been the cluster of automobile manufacturing. What differentiates us from those examples, however, is that at least locally, this industry is family-owned, and those who have survived are due to the next generation of family wanting to step in.

“If you have a strong family in charge of business, and the next generation is there ready to take over, the industry continues to survive.”

“When you think about the national mushroom industry now, it’s a multi-billion-dollar industry, of which 46 percent of happens in Chester County, and that stays solidified here, and it’s a community we are a part of,” Tim said. “As much as we compete with each other for customers, we couldn’t survive without them. We do support each other, and it’s been that strength of a tight-knit community which

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 25

Mother Earth Organic Mushrooms Tours! enables all of us to grow.

“To continue to thrive in this business, we need that support from our industry because we all just can’t go out and pay for it on our own. The industry does for us what we can’t do on our own.”

Visit the American Mushroom Institute in Avondale and you will likely see generations of those families sitting around a table together, discussing trends, safety issues and how to navigate through the government regulations placed on their industry.

One of those industry leaders is Meghan Klotzbach, Tim’s daughter and the vice president of operations, marketing and sales at Mother Earth Organic Mushrooms. In addition to her regular duties, Meghan is the

On select Saturdays throughout the year, Mother Earth Organic Mushrooms provides walking tours of its farms, that allows you and your friends and family to learn how 100 percent organic mushrooms are grown and cultivated, from start to finish. Guests will also be able to take home organic mushrooms and organic compost. One-hour tours begin at 11 a.m. and can accommodate up to 12 guests. To learn about available dates and to reserve your spot in advance, email Joanna@organicmushrooms.com.

Mother Earth Organic Mushrooms was the nation’s first 100 percent certified organic commercial mushroom farm.

Continued on Page 26

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Mother Earth Continued from Page 25

chairperson of the Mushroom Farmers of Pennsylvania, a subcommittee of the American Mushroom Institute, which focuses on issues affecting the mushroom industry.

“We all work together, because if one of us fails in any one of those components, it affects the entire mushroomgrowing industry in Chester County,”Meghan said. “We may go head to head when it comes to sales, but when it comes to the key issues, we’re sitting around that table, sharing our ideas and working together.”

While the company plans for a special 100th birthday party in the fall, Jerry and Tim are also in the beginning stages of another transition. Meghan and her brother Matt Hihn have already begun the process of officially assuming ownership from their father as company owners, becoming the fifth generation of the Yeatman family to manage the farm’s operations. Tim and Jerry aren’t ready to retire yet, so they will continue to help guide the company’s transition to the newest generation.

“We need to allow Meghan and Matt to step up and be the leaders, so that Jerry and I can step back and let their vision to take over,” Tim said.

Visit the Mother Earth Country Store!

Located at the West Grove location, the Mother Earth Country Store offers visitors a bountiful supply of fresh and local food products and gifts, including 100 percent fresh organic mushrooms, several varieties of dried organic mushrooms and mushroom cookbooks and merchandise. The store also offers shrubs, jams, preserves and butters from Tait Farm Foods in Centre Hall; honey from Swarmbustin’ Honey in West Grove; gourmet products from Emma’s Gourmet Popcorn in New Holland; and products from Sunrise Soap Company in York.

The Mother Earth Country Store is open Monday- Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is located at 600 N. Baker Station Road West Grove, PA 19390.

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 27

“As we transition over a number of years, we don’t want to make decisions that will impede the decisions that Meghan and Matt ultimately want to make,”Jerry said.

Time was in the mushroom industry when communication and information was shared at meeting halls, houses of faith, and along country roads. Today, meeting the needs of the modern-day consumer requires a network of data and immediate access to it, and the ability to know how to channel that information through the most innovative devices.

It is rare that a day goes by when Meghan, Matt, Tim or Jerry are not online, searching for the newest innovations in organic farming, reviewing the latest government regulations, or responding to a consumer’s inquiries about the health benefits of organic mushrooms.

“Perhaps the most important initiative we will take on in the next several years is finding the best ways to take care of our customers, through the next several generations,” Meghan said.“We’re sensitive to our customers, and our customers are the ultimate consumer. We get emails every single day asking questions and thanking us for what we do, whether its people who have conditions like Celiac’s disease, or those who want to know more about which mushrooms are certified to be gluten free.

To Meghan, spending part of an evening communicating with consumers is just as integral to the future of her family’s business as growing, cultivating and processing organic mushrooms. To her, it’s part of the necessary “passion” of being a farmer.

“If we don’t have this passion, and this country doesn’t have this passion or have farmers who are willing to do it, then this country is not going to eat,” she said. “To be a farmer means that this is not just your job or your career.

This becomes your life.”

While 2019 marks a very special milestone for the Yeatman and Hihn families, it’s been one that has been marked by the contributions of several generations, who vowed to take the family business one rung higher than before.

“Jerry and I don’t permanently view this business as ours,” Hihn said. “We’re just stewards, and these just happen to be our hard days in the sun. From the day we were first given the responsibility for running this company, our job has been very simple: To take what we have received from those who came before us, to then improve it, and to prepare to pass the business onto the next generation.”

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@ chestercounty.com.

28 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

Chadwick and Ellor named Honorary Chairwomen for 2019

By Chris Barber Correspondent

T

his year, the 34th annual Mushroom Festival has named two honorary chairwomen: Jan Chadwick and Kathy Ellor.

Chadwick is saying goodbye to her active participation this year, and Ellor wrapped it up last year but will be attending as a visitor from Vermont this year.

Chadwick has volunteered with the festival for 16 years and has taken on the responsibility for the records and paperwork.

“I was the person behind Kathi [Lafferty] with the clipboard. I’m a huge fan of Kathi. I’ve been doing the books for 12 years and taking care of the money,” she said.

That work and participation has come naturally to her.

Beyond the festival, Chadwick said she has been dedicated to volunteering in general for most of her adult life. “I and two other women began the after-prom party at Kennett High School because we believed it was necessary,” she said.

She got involved with the festival initially when she took over responsibility for vendors as Lafferty ascended to chairwoman in 2003. She was also a member of the festival board for several years. Chadwick said she has always loved the festival and recognizes how much it means to the town.

“It’s come a long way. In 2003, there was just the main part that was two days, and a car show. We never had to solicit vendors and we don’t have to now, either” she said. “I do know the Mushroom Festival got me to be more part of the Kennett Square community, and some of the people are my best friends now.”

Chadwick has enjoyed putting in all the hours, but she realized that it was time to wrap it up and bring someone else to that position. “I love doing it; I just feel that my husband is going to retire soon, and we want to pursue some other things, especially traveling,” she said.

She hopes to plan visits to England, Ireland, New Zealand and points south in the United States. Additionally, she has a grandchild she adores and would like to spend more time with.

The landmark she is proud of is the Mushroom Festival generating more than $1 million to donate to worthy local causes. She said she hopes visitors realize that the

Courtesy photo

Kathy Ellor

Photo by Chris Barber

Jan Chadwick

festival supports the community. She also hopes visitors learn about the health benefits of mushrooms.

Ellor retired from the festival last year, after 25 years of running the mushroom judging and – initially – the former art show. It has been a big job.

She had to solicit the growers to participate, get them checked in and the competing mushrooms refrigerated in a large truck until they went on display the first day.

She also had to arrange for awarding ribbons and later for selling the products. In later years, she and her sister, Tina, who works at Phillips Mushrooms in Kennett, developed a stand in the middle of town to sell mushrooms to visitors.

Participation in the Mushroom Festival has been a pleasure for Ellor. “I love it. I think the festival is great community relations,” she said. “It’s hard work for the volunteers, however.”

Always on hand in the growers’ tent, Ellor has talked to visitors and responded to their frequent questions about mushrooms. “They want to know how they’re grown and how to cook them. They like that the mushrooms they see and are buying are fresh picked,” she said.

Ellor moved to Vermont in 2008 but continued to organize the mushroom judging and selling from her desk there. Mushroom Festival Chairman Kathi Lafferty said Ellor made that transition quite nicely and never missed a beat in the job.

Ellor, a Vermont native, currently is employed by Road Scholar. She told Lafferty that she is happy to have served and is comfortable with her decision to retire.

She will be coming to Kennett Square on Friday, the opening day, and will return home on the following Monday, she said.

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30 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

Nutritious mushrooms can be used in, and alongside, many other foods

By Chris Barber Correspondent

G

Photo by Chris Barber

A sign outside the Phillips Mushroom Museum advertises Blended Burgers for sale.

one are the days when mushrooms were relegated to sitting on a plate, shoulder-to-shoulder with a medium-rare filet mignon.

Through the years, thanks to the creativity of chefs and the findings of nutritionists, mushrooms of all varieties have found their way into soups, salads, protein blends and much more. They have increasingly been touted for their health benefits, as well as how easily they join with other foods.

Local chefs and household cooks have been experimenting for years to take advantage of this versatility.

But it was in 2016 that this state’s number-one crop made its debut on center stage at the Pennsylvania Farm Show food court in a new form. The Blended Mushroom Burger was sold at the mushroom booth.

It was almost identical to any other appetizing hamburger that would come out of a restaurant or fast

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 31

food shop garnished with lettuce, tomato and onion. It was a little different, however, and much healthier. The Blended Burger is made of 70 percent ground beef and 30 percent mushrooms.

Meg Rush, of Phillips Mushroom Museum in Kennett, cooks up samples for visitors who ask about them. She said it’s simple: Just put them on the stove or barbecue for a few minutes, and you have dinner. She added that many people don’t even feel the need to add ketchup or other seasonings because mushrooms are so good.

Rush also reminded those who are interested in creating their own blends to cook down the finely chopped mushrooms before they add them to the beef. Otherwise, the high moisture in the mushrooms will make the result too mushy.

The public’s appetite for blended burgers has not abated since that Farm Show debut, because they contain 38 percent fewer calories, 40 percent fewer calories from fat, 38 percent less cholesterol and 40 percent less saturated fat than traditional beef hamburgers.

Continued on Page 32

Submitted photo

Blended Burgers sit ready for cooking.

32 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

Nutritious mushrooms Continued from Page 31

Here’s the recipe, so you can follow at home to make your own blend.

Makes 6 (1/3 pound) patties Ingredients: • 1/2 pound mushrooms, finely chopped • 1 pound lean ground beef • 1 small onion, finely diced • 1 clove garlic, minced • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs • 1 egg • 6 hamburger buns Submitted photo

Toppings: Lettuce, tomato, onion, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, pickles

A Blended Burger looks like an ordinary hamburger, but is much lower in fat, calories and cholesterol.

Directions: 1. Place the mushrooms in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse until finely chopped.

2. In a non-stick skillet over medium heat, cook chopped mushrooms until brown and most moisture has been released, about 3-5 minutes. Set aside to let cool.

3. In a large bowl combine mushrooms, beef, onion, garlic, breadcrumbs and egg; mix all ingredients until incorporated. Form into 6 patties and cook either on the barbecue or on the stove-top until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

Continued on Page 35

for 94 years!

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 35

Nutritious mushrooms Continued from Page 32

Mushroom industry promoters have also advocated using the blend for meatloaf, meatballs, chili and even in combination with turkey and chicken.

Another use for mushrooms is as the centerpiece of a salad, allegedly invented in the mid-1900s by the late Angie Esposito, an Continued on Page 36

Photo by Chris Barber

Photo by Chris Barber

Mushroom salad was developed in the mid-1900s and enjoys wide popularity throughout the nation.

Shelves at the Phillips Mushroom Museum are filled with interesting food offerings made from mushrooms.

36 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

Nutritious mushrooms Continued from Page 35

employee at the former Kennett Canning Company. As the story was told by herself, she was asked by her boss, Ed Sharpless, to bring a salad to the company picnic.

She blanched some mushrooms, added vegetable and herbs, and bathed them in Italian salad dressing.

Today, mushroom salad is widely available chilled in glass jars, notably from Phillips Mushrooms and Kathi Lafferty’s Mushroom Cap in Kennett Square, and often in commercial food store chains.

As the years have gone by, mushrooms have reinvented themselves to appear in many other places, too, even when they are not recognizable for their round caps and slender stems.

One family of mushroom foods that has become very popular is pasta. Instead of preparing a raw pasta of merely flour and eggs, the flour is cut almost in half to join with ground dried mushrooms of

all sorts. Depending on the species of mushrooms used, the pasta comes in various hues, from dark to light, in the final dish.

At the Mushroom Cap shop in Kennett Square, Lafferty said she has an oven that can dry mushrooms to a point where they can be crumbled and sifted into a powder. She has one pasta product – a linguini -- that has been made with the traditional flour and eggs, but the mushrooms used as supplements were foraged and produce a dark color.

Mushrooms have made themselves comfortable as snack foods as well.

People can’t get enough of deep-fried versions at social gatherings. But mushrooms have also evolved as chips, and the tapenade spread to put on them.

Another unexpected result of mushroom experimentation is their presence in coffee and tea. The ground, dried

Photo by Chris Barber

Mushroom powder replacing onethird of the flour makes tasty pasta.

Photo by Chris Barber

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mushrooms combined with tea leaves and/or coffee beans have become a staple in local shops, especially among customers who like the taste and health benefits. One brand on the market now even has the mushrooms and coffee offered with cacao for a chocolatey flavor.

Mushrooms have no fat or cholesterol. They are low in sodium and have few calories. As a healthy dietary choice, mushrooms have come into their own as a popular homeopathic health supplement. Mushroom growers and nutritionists agree that their benefits are plentiful. In recent years, they have been produced and sold in the form of pills and tablets.

People choose them for vitamins B and D, as well as many beneficial minerals such as selenium, copper and potassium.

Lafferty said that a woman who had a son with a skin condition created her own salve out of mushrooms and used it successfully on the affected area. That salve is now on sale at the Mushroom Cap.

Photo by Chris Barber

One brand of supplemented pasta contains foraged mushrooms and appears dark.

Photo by Chris Barber

Ground mushrooms have made their way into tea and coffee for their health benefits.

It is not unusual to hear someone who purchase the mushroom supplements sold in tablet form to swear by their effectiveness.

One customer who takes the tablets enhanced by maitake variety every day claims she has not had a cold since she began that habit.

Mushrooms can be purchased at the Mushroom Festival in Kennett Square on Sept. 7 and 8.

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38 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

New life for a historic hall

The American Legion Building in Kennett Square is becoming a new center for the arts

By John Chambless Staff Writer

F

or the thousands of people who drive past every day, and the thousands more who live and work in Kennett Square, the American Legion building on State Street has been essentially invisible.

The store fronts now occupied by the Square Pear Fine Art Gallery, and the artist studios of Robert Jackson, April Heather and Peter Willard face the street, but the huge building behind them is unknown territory to most people. For photographer Rusty Nelson, that untapped potential has been the driving force behind the building’s rebirth as the American Legion Arts Center. The ultimate goal, he said, was to revitalize the membership in

Rusty Nelson says he was inspired to help when he saw this photo of a longago event at the American Legion hall.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 39

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Nelson, who is renovating a former lawyer’s office in one corner of the building as his own studio, has gotten to know the Legion building inside and out – from its formerly dull brown paneling to its maze of wiring and plumbing, some of it dating back to the 1920s. The building’s cornerstone is from 1925, a time when World War I veterans were plentiful. The hall has a vast, open central area where basketball games were once held, and hundreds of people attended dances, car shows and other events. The lower level spans the entire block, and holds a warren of closets, storage spaces and a huge, open room that once held several bowling alleys.

The building was underused, expensive to keep up, and with a dwindling base of members.

“Three or four years ago, I decided to get out of L.A. I was in the entertainment business. Before that I had been an Air Force pilot, had my own corporation. In my 40s, I directed a show for Fox and did a couple of bad horror movies I don’t want you to see,” he said, laughing. “But I wanted to find a small town where I could make a difference. In L.A., you’re just a small fish in a pond. Here, you can do something. I have cousins and an uncle living in the area, and I thought Kennett Square had everything. I would go to borough council meetings to meet people and find out what was going on. It’s an artsy town, but there didn’t seem to be a centralization of people to talk to.”

Continued on Page 40

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40 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

Historic Hall Continued from Page 39

Nelson’s dazzling, razor-sharp photos are immediately striking, and he was casually looking for a space to exhibit when Stephen McKinney, owner of the KSI Crafts wine store, told him he was looking for some kind of art for the shop’s walls. Nelson also ran into Robert Jackson, a nationally-known painter whose studio is in the American Legion building. “He said, ‘You’re that photographer from L.A., aren’t you?’” Nelson recalled, laughing. “He recommended I talk to Steve too. So everything was telling me to go talk to him.”

Nelson moved his work into the shop in May 2018, then went on his annual trip as a photography guide and stormchaser in the Midwest. Returning to Kennett Square in late July, he found out about the American Legion building.

When an attorney moved out of the corner storefront space, Nelson started knocking down interior walls and renovating the space, which he hopes to open soon as a combination of studio and “man cave,” he said, smiling.

But when he walked through the cavernous hall at the center of the building, he found depressing, chocolatebrown paneling and not much else. The space is used by the Kennett Area Theatrical Society to rehearse for their annual

Photos by Rusty Nelson

Rusty Nelson with the historical photos installed outside one entrance to the new American Legion Arts Center.

shows (and as storage for their sets and costumes), and the hall was available for rent, but the small parties that booked the place were not bringing in enough money.

“I would tell people about the American Legion building, and they’d say, ‘Where?’ And these were people who lived Continued on Page 42

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 41

42 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

Historic Hall Continued from Page 40

in town,” Nelson said during a tour last month.

Local businesses were solicited, and donated paint and other supplies at reduced cost. The result – even in this early stage – is impressive. The main room has bright white walls, visually opening up the space. There’s a fullystocked bar at one end of the room, and a fully functional stage at the other end, with a red velvet curtain purchased second-hand from a church in Virginia. There are dozens of round tables that could seat 300 people for a concert, party, wedding reception or meeting.

Downstairs, storage rooms hold the American Legion’s tableware from parties of decades past, and there is a revitalized club space for the remaining members, with a pool table, shuffleboard and darts. But there is much that is not being utilized, especially a vast, open room that is full of old furniture and costumes and other castoffs – including the original bingo boards used decades ago.

“There was a plan at one time to turn this space into artist studios,” Nelson said. “I’m working on a way to get that going again. People told me this used to hold bowling alleys that were very popular and used by the community, but I can’t find a single photo of it.”

The main hall can be rented for parties or events, with or without live entertainment on the stage.

Estimating the cost to renovate the downstairs at something around $150,000, Nelson realizes he faces an uphill battle, but Historic Kennett Square and the downtown business community are rallying behind him, and town Continued on Page 44

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Historic Hall Continued from Page 42

officials are fully in support of turning the largely vacant building into a thriving rental facility, exhibition space and place for artists to combine their efforts.

The building has been well maintained, but a new boiler and air-conditioning improvements have cost an estimated $10,000 recently, and Nelson can only shrug at the tangled wires from various eras running across the basement ceiling.

The building’s entrance on South Broad Street has a foyer space that Nelson is outfitting with historical photos of downtown Kennett, as well as a history of the Legion building itself. There’s a new name over the door on State Street, but he realizes more work is needed to get the word out.

“I started a Meetup page to be a catch-all information center for the arts in Kennett Square, and Historic Kennett Square is sponsoring it. We’re booked on weekends through August,” he said. “But those are all people who don’t even know the building’s been renovated, so it will be a surprise.”

Nelson has found plenty of people willing to help his efforts, and he credits building supervisor Les Brown and Arnold Reeves, commander of Kennett Square Post 491, with invaluable help in the project. But on a personal level, he pointed to a photo of American Legion members at an

event in 1940 that now hangs beside the upstairs bar.

“When I was downstairs here, talking about starting this, this photo was hanging in an office,” Nelson said. “Some of the members here are in their 70s, 80s. What happens five or 10 years from now? I kept looking at this photo and thought,

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 45

‘These guys are looking at me. They’re saying I know how to fix this.’” Nelson said. “I walked out of that meeting and for two or three days, it stuck with me. I just thought, ‘I do know how to do this. I’ve owned my own company.’ It took a while to convince people that I wasn’t totally nuts.

“My girlfriend tells me I’m obsessed with this project, but all I want to do is market this place so the building comes alive again. We are all so open to ideas,” he added. “I want to be able to display the history of Kennett in this place and make it a thriving community resource again.”

For more information, visit www.RustyNelson.com.

Meetup page for Arts Center: www.meetup.com/ Arts-Kennett-Square-Brandywine/.

American Legion information: www.facebook.com/AmericanLegionKennettSquare/ or call 610- 444-3004 for hall booking information.

To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, email jchambless@chestercounty.com.

46 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

New T-shirt design spotlighted this year

By Chris Barber Correspondent

E

very year, the Mushroom Festival creates a new T-shirt design to reflect the spirit of the event. This year’s shirt was designed by Dan McShane, who has created graphics and images for businesses and places throughout the region.

He provided this statement about his work: “Even if you haven’t met Dan McShane, if you’ve spent any time in Kennett Square, you’ll know his work. His hand-drawn type, graphics, and clean lines have drawn you into businesses including Talula’s and worKS, and guided you at places like The Creamery and State & Union.

“He appreciates the artistic community here, as well as those who support local artists and makers. A graduate of Delaware College of Art & Design, his diverse influences include N.C. Wyeth, Dutch painter Rien Poortvliet, and printmaker Barry Moser.

Dan McShane, artist

“He often looks to past decades for inspiration. McShane’s designs all start by hand, and graphic illustrations like the Mushroom Festival T-shirt design are cleaned up and colored digitally.”

Mushroom Festival Chairman Kathi Lafferty said this year’s shirt will be available in dark navy color and will cost around $20. The shirt can be purchased at the Mushroom Festival souvenir booth during the festival.

48 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

High rides and big eating coming to the Mushroom Festival

Photo by Chris Barber

A child jumps and tumbles on the bungee jump during a previous Mushroom Festival.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 49

By Chris Barber Correspondent

T

he 34th annual Mushroom Festival will be a dream come true for anyone who’s ever had the desire to fly. And for those who get a kick out of watching other people consume huge amounts of food, the fried mushroom eating contest is back.

New this year is the zipline, which will take its riders for a high-energy trip, high above the pavement at the west end of State Street. Adam Mitchell, owner of the company Zip and Bounce, describes the experience as “An adrenalin rush of a few seconds 35 feet in the air.”

Mitchell’s company, based in Coatesville, brings ziplines, bungee jumps and bounce houses to events nationwide. He will be bringing his bungee jump and bounce house to the festival as well. Mitchell said the zipline is an appropriate ride for all ages of participants.

The riders are strapped in by their legs and waist, and assume a position almost like sitting in a chair. This safety arrangement, he said, assures that the body’s center of gravity is secured, and the riders do not risk tumbling off or falling backward if they let go.

The metal zipline is held in place by towers at both ends of the 300-foot cable. At the Mushroom Festival it will run from the Lafayette Street area on State Street approximately down to Garfield Street. Mitchell said the road will be cleared of any events underneath the route of the cable.

In addition to the zipline and rides, the traditional shows and demonstrations for kids will also be back.

Festival coordinator Kathi Lafferty said that she has moved all of the children’s rides and demonstrations down the hill to the Lafayette Street area at the west end of the event. This leaves room for music on the Community Stage at South Union Street.

Appearing to entertain kids will be Dan and Galla’s musical show; Pittman Magic, Juggling and Comedy; and Andrew’s Big Show.

Pittman Magic will perform on Saturday at 11:45 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. The Pittmans perform juggling and magic. Julia began competing and was a four-time finalist and international silver medalist juggler. He was awarded magic’s biggest honor, the Merlin Award, by the international Magicians Society.

Continued on Page 50

Photo by Chris Barber

Contestants compete to consume the most mushrooms at a previous Mushroom Festival.

50 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

Entertainment Continued from Page 49

Dan and Galla will perform at 11 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. They are a husband and wife team whose love of music and the fun they have on stage appeals to everyone. Galla embraces her Russian heritage with her Russian three-stringed balalaika, and she plays the guitar, flute and ukulele. Dan is an accomplished pianist and plays keyboard, accordion and trumpet.

Andrew’s Big Show will perform on Saturday at 12:45 and 3:30 p.m. on Sunday Andrew has performed in the United States and internationally with juggling, circus skills and physical comedy.

Meanwhile, at the other end of town, the annual fried mushroom eating contest returns on Saturday afternoon and generates high levels of excitement. Host Monty “Moe” Wiradilaga, dressed in glitzy garb and mask, will rev up the crowd’s noise level starting a 2:30 p.m. in the special events tent at East State and Willow streets. He will announce the contestants and emcee the action.

The contestants will be attempting to beat the previous year’s record of eating 11.5 pounds of Buona fried mushrooms in eight minutes. Last year, 29 people participated from two tiers on the stage. The contest was won again by “Tank” McDowell, moving him to professional status, and opening up the field for a new local winner in 2019.

Continued on Page 52

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Dan and Galla will perform for children on Saturday and Sunday.

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52 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

Entertainment Continued from Page 50

Newly located on South Union Street, the Community Entertainment Stage will host a steady stream of musicians throughout the two days: • Katelyn Christine will perform at 12:30 p.m.

Saturday • Green Eggs and Ham will appear at 2 p.m.

Saturday • Chris Bruni will appear at 3:30 p.m. Saturday • The Orpheus Supertones will play at 5 p.m.

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34 interesting facts about mushrooms

By Steven Hoffman and Maggie Horgan

T

he Mushroom Festival is celebrating its 34th anniversary in Kennett Square in 2019, so to commemorate the special occasion, here is a list of 34 interesting facts about mushrooms.

1. Mushrooms have been eaten for thousands of years and can grow almost anywhere.

2. J.B. Swayne is credited with starting mushroom growing in the United States. Swayne started to cultivate mushrooms in Kennett Square. Kennett Square is the Mushroom Capital of the World.

3. Early Romans referred to mushrooms as the “food of the gods.”

4. Mushrooms love the dark. They thrive on it.

5. Mushroom production has becoming increasingly hightech, with more and more computers being used to monitor production at each step.

6. A mycophile is someone whose hobby is to hunt edible wild mushrooms. .

7. One portabella mushroom has more potassium than a banana.

8. Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of certain fungi—the equivalent of the apple, not the tree. Fungi, including those which produce mushrooms, are not plants. They are related to molds, mildews, rusts, and yeasts, and are classified in the Fungi Kingdom.

9. There are over 38,000 varieties of mushrooms available, over 3,000 in North America alone, with varying colors, textures, and flavors. There are so many varieties of mushrooms, both edible and toxic, that mass consumption is pretty much limited to those commercially grown varieties which can be trusted to be edible.

10. In ancient Egypt, only Pharaohs were allowed to eat mushrooms because it was believed that the mushrooms appeared magically overnight. It was speculated at that time that lightning may have created the mushrooms.

11. According to the United States D e p a r t m e n t of Agriculture, the average American eats about four pounds of mushrooms every year.

12. The first recorded effort to cultivate mushrooms occurred around 1700 in France. Mushroom growing in the U.S. began after the Civil War and the growing seasons were very short at first.

13. Mushrooms are useful not only as food and medicine.

Some mushroom varieties are being used in bioremediation to absorb and digest substances like oil, pesticides and industrial waste in places where these substances threaten the environment.

14. In 1990, the Mushroom Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act was passed by the U.S. Congress

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 57

20. Mushrooms contain disease-fighting properties, antioxidants, and a wide variety of important nutrients.

21. Portabella mushrooms, which are known for their meat-like texture and flavor, can reach a size of six inches in diameter.

22. Mushrooms contain more protein than most vegetables.

23. The American Mushroom Institute, which is now headquartered in Washington, D.C., was founded right here in Chester County in the 1950s.

24. Mushrooms are comprised of 85 percent to 95 percent water.

25. Traditional Chinese medicine has utilized the medicinal properties of mushrooms for centuries.

26. Mushrooms are one of the most difficult commodities to grow. It is very labor-intensive to produce a consistent, high-quality crop.

27. Fresh mushrooms don’t freeze well. If it is necessary to freeze them, first saute them with butter or oil in a non-stick pan. Then cool slightly before freezing them in an airtight container.

28. Mushrooms rank the highest among vegetables for protein content.

29. Some of the oldest living mushroom colonies are fairy rings growing around the Stonehenge ruins in England.

30. Mushrooms are low in calories and contain no fat or sodium. Consequently, they are a very popular ingredient in salads. to strengthen the mushroom industry’s position in the marketplace, maintain and expand existing markets and uses for mushrooms, and develop new markets and uses for mushrooms. In 1993, the Mushroom Council was established to achieve the goals of this act.

15. Almost any mushroom, except for the regular white mushroom, is considered to be an exotic mushroom.

16. The stem of a mushroom is a good source of flavor and nutrients so there is no need to remove it. When you do need to remove the stem, chop it and add to stuffings, casseroles, soups and sauces.

17. Mushrooms are a fungus and, unlike plants, they do not require sunlight to make energy for themselves.

18. Penicillin and streptomycin are examples of potent antibiotics derived from fungi.

19. Mushrooms are a superfood. They are the only food in the produce section of the local grocery store that produce Vitamin D.

31. In the Blue Mountains of Oregon is a colony of Armillaria solidipes that is believed to be the world’s largest known organism. The fungus is over 2,400 years old and covers an estimated 2,200 acres 32. Some mushroom spores can sit dormant for decades—or longer—and still grow if the conditions are right.

33. Mushrooms are available in fresh, dried, and in powder form.

34. New species of mushrooms are still being discovered each year.

58 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

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2019 Mushroom Festival Schedule of Events & Map Friday, Sept. 6 Community Parade Join us for our annual Community Parade on Friday evening, Sept. 6.

Dining and Dancing in the Streets Come into Kennett Square Borough for the parade and then stay to enjoy the sounds of Good Foot, one of the area’s favorite dance bands. State Street restaurants will have special tables lining the Community Parade route where you can watch the Parade while you enjoy your dinner.

Old Fashioned Carnival Take a trip down memory lane when summer meant the carnival came to town. Houghton Enterprises brings their carnival and midway to the Genesis parking lot (South Broad Street) with rides, games, and

carnival foods bringing the sights, sounds, and scents of this great family tradition back to Kennett Square. 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 7 and Sunday, Sept. 8 Street Fair Nearly 250 vendors from all over the country will line the streets with arts, crafts, food and more. Restaurants in the downtown area will prepare their mushroom specialty dishes. The Street Fair spans from Willow Street to Garfield Street.

Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Mushroom Growers’ Exhibit See mushrooms come to life from the tiny spore to the mature, ready to eat fungi! Walk your way through

*All events are tentative. check the website: Mushroomfestival.org for up-to-date information

the mushroom growing exhibit, where you will see how white button, shiitake, maitake, oyster, and royal trumpet mushrooms grow. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Sunday schedule • 10:30 a.m.: Jane Henry (local mushroom lover & artist) • 12 noon: Anthony Young (Hank’s Place) • 2:00 p.m.: Anthony Covatta (Steak & Main) • 3:15 p.m.: Mark Eastman (Chef’s Haven)

Culinary Events The Culinary Tent, at the corner of Broad Street and Cypress Street (next to the Growers’ Exhibit), brings a wide range of chefs to Kennett Square to share their love of cooking with mushrooms. Guest chefs sharing their tips and recipes on the Giorgi Demonstration Kitchen this year include: Saturday schedule • 1:00 p.m. : Michelle Duran (local mushroom lover & realtor) • 2:00 p.m.: Bill Wallen (Grain Craft bar & kitchen) • 3:15 p.m.: Bryan Sikora (Hearth Kitchen)

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Mushroom Soup at Masonic Lodge Everyone asks for Mushroom Soup when they attend the Mushroom Festival. Our good friends at the Masonic Lodge sell a traditional mushroom soup made from a mushroom grower’s family recipe.

It’s overflowing with fresh Kennett Square mushrooms.

Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Continued on Page 60

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60 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019 Continued from Page 59

Painted Mushrooms Silent Auction Artists become very creative with these 108 lb. toadstools – perfect for your garden or home. Cash prizes are awarded to the top three artists. Everyone can vote for their Festival Favorite -- the winning artist receives a cash prize, too! Painted Mushrooms are displayed at State and Broad Streets.

Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Last bid taken at 4 p.m. Sunday

Cute-As-A-Button (Mushroom) Baby Photo Contest Who do you think is the Cutest Button, Crimini and Portabella? Vote for your favorite contestant/photo with your pocket change in this baby photo contest near State and Meredith Streets. All proceeds benefit the A. I. DuPont Children’s Hospital through WSTW’s “Help Our Kids” radiothon.

Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Mushroom Sales All types of mushrooms can be purchased at the Mushroom Sales Booths (see map for locations).

Refrigerated trucks hold your mushroom purchases fresh until you are ready to leave the Festival.

Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Last pick-up is 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Last pick-up is 5:30 p.m.

Children’s Entertainment Great entertainment is scheduled on Saturday for children of all ages.

Check out the Children’s Stage at Lafayette Street!

Saturday & Sunday schedule: • 11:00-11:30 a.m. Dan & Galla’s Musical Show • 11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. - Pittman Magic, Juggling and Comedy Show • 12:45 - 1:30 p.m. Andrew’s Big Show

Happy Heart Clown ‘N Stuff will be twisting balloons on Saturday from 1:00-7:00 and on Sunday from 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. in the parking lot at 300 W. State Street, behind the ticket sales.

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Handicapped Parking all day Saturday Sunday after 1pm only

Dan & Galla will be on hand all day as the event’s Master of Ceremonies.

Visit the Children’s Stage between performances for some extra fun with Dan & Galla.

D

Samantha Hyman, Stilt Girl will be walking through the festival grounds on Sunday between 12:003:00 p.m.

NEW LOCATIONS

Zip and Bounce Zip and Bounce will be providing a zip-line that runs down State Street this year! Come and enjoy the Festival from new heights. Zip and Bounce will also be bringing a bungee, train, and inflatables. This is fun for all ages! Miss Denise the Happy Clown will be in the Inflatables Parking Lot making balloon sculptures.

Children's Stage: Lafayette Street Music Stage: S. Union Street @ Cypress

FP1 & provid $5 do and fr

(purchase wristbands here)

Handicapped bus running from Exelon

Old Fashioned Carnival Take a trip down memory lane when summer meant the carnival came to town. Houghton Enterprises brings their carnival and midway to the Genesis parking lot (South Broad Street) with rides, games, and carnival foods bringing the sights, sounds, and scents of this great family tradition back to Kennett Square.

Saturday, 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Sunday, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

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Celebrating our 34th Anniversary

• 1:45 - 2:15 p.m. Dan & Galla’s Musical Show • 2:30 - 3:15 p.m. - Pittman Magic, Juggling and Comedy Show • 3:30 - 4:15 p.m. Andrew’s Big Show • 4:30-5:00 p.m. Dan & Galla’s Musical Show

Live in Kennett Square on the Community Stage

Saturday, Sept 7 Antique and Classic Car Show Shady and spacious Broad Street, with its numerous examples of Victorian architecture, provides the backdrop to our Antique and Classic Car Show. South Broad Street from Cypress to Mulberry Streets, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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Throughout the weekend there will be continuous live music for your listening pleasure at our music venue’s new location – South Union and Cypress Streets.

• 12:30-1:30 p.m. - Katelyn Christine • 2-3 p.m. - Green Eggs and Jam • 3:30-4:30 p.m. - Chris Bruni • 5-6 p.m. - Orpheus Supertones • 6-8 p.m. - The Gilroys

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 61

sary

mycologists, like renowned expert Paul Stamets, best selling authors Michael Pollan and Eugenia Bone, Andrew Weill and other mushroom enthusiasts, we become increasingly aware of the power, beauty and complexity of the fungi kingdom.

Starts at 4:30 p.m. in the Culinary tent. Check mushroomfestival.org f or ticket updates.

2019

Saturday in the Special Events Tent

Saturday Evening Under the Tent Hoots and Hellmouth Extend your stay at the Mushroom Festival with an evening concert.

This year Hoots and Hellmouth will be playing in Kennett Square. This is presented in partnership with Anson B. Nixon Rock the Park Series. Visit ansonbnixonpark.org to purchase tickets. Doors open at 7 p.m. Concert starts at 8 p.m.

Sunday, Sept 8

Amateur Mushroom Cook-off

CAR SHOW (SAT. ONLY)

FP1 & FP2 - Festival parking provided at these locations for a $5 donation. Shuttle provided to and from the main festival area.

Everyone 12 and older is required to purchase a festival admission wristband– proceeds benefit local non-profit organizations and cancer research.

This year, the Mushroom Festival awarded $50,000 in grants to 32 local non-profit organizations.

Since 2000, the Mushroom Festival has given over $1 million to local non-profits through our Grants Program.

Bags are subject to inspection.

Flyers Community Caravan

Fantastic Fungi Screening

New this year- The Flyers Community Caravan will be on South Street across from the Carnival from 1-3 p.m. on Saturday. There will be full-size inflatable rink featuring basic skills clinics, an inflatable shot-ongoal game, a bungee run, special giveaway items and enter-to-win contests, and photo opportunities with Flyers Alumni.

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The Mushroom Festival will be holding a pre-screening of the film Fantastic Fungi: The Magic Beneath us. Stephen Apkon will be at the screening to answer questions about the film. Fantastic Fungi, shot and directed by Louie Schwartzberg, is an inspiring and soul-touching journey into the mysterious subterranean world of mycelium and its fruit - the mushroom. Through the eyes of

TAKING RESERVATIONS!

Watch the Finalists face-off in the Special Events Tent to see which dish wows the judges. This year’s theme: Pasta with Mushrooms. First prize is $1500 cash and a ticket to the World Food Championships in Dallas, Texas in 2020! Contestants are judged on originality, taste, presentation, and ease of preparation. Starts at 10:30 a.m. Judging at 11:30 a.m.

Mushroom Run and Frances Ferranto Walk

Fried Mushroom Eating Championship

Soup and Wine Tasting

Buona Food’s original breaded fried mushrooms are a Festival favorite every year! But only a few have the opportunity to eat copious amounts of the crunchy, mouth watering snacks during the National Fried Mushroom Eating Championship. To beat the World Record a contestant will have to eat more than 11.5 pounds of fried mushrooms in just 8 minutes! The local amateur record was set at 4 pounds. Join us in the Special Events Tent to watch the spectacle and cheer on the contestants as they challenge the 11.5-pound World Record!

Pregame entertainment starts at 2:30 p.m. with a 50/50 raffle. Contest begins at 3 p.m.

Live in Kennett Square on the Community Stage

Join us for an early morning run/walk through Kennett Square. All ages are welcome. New Location: Race starts and finishes at Pennock Park, 650 West South Street, Kennett Square, PA 19348. Registration opens at 7 a.m. Race begins at 8:30 a.m. sharp!

Come enjoy part of your day at our annual Soup and Wine Event. Cast your vote for the “Best Mushroom Soup” presented to you by local chefs. Enjoy PA wines and vote for your favorite. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Special Events Tent @ State and Willow. Last admission is at 3:15 p.m.

Throughout the weekend there will be continuous live music for your listening pleasure at our music venue’s new location – South Union and Cypress Streets.

• 12-1 p.m. - It’s About the People • 1:30-2:30 p.m. - Campbell and Son • 3-4 p.m. - Hot Breakfast

Meet Fun Gus Fun Gus, the Mushroom Festival’s mascot, makes a few appearances during the Festival. Keep your eyes open for an 8-foot, red-capped mushroom strolling down the street.

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Come Visit Us At

Rockee’s Mushroom Outlet Open 7 days a week Monday - Saturday: 8:00 - 4:00 • Sunday: 9:00 - 3:00

Located on SherRockee Mushroom Farm 170 SherRockee Lane Lincoln University PA 19352

We offer fresh white mushrooms, crimini, portabella, shiitake, oyster mushrooms by the pound or by the box.

We also carry dried mushrooms.

610-869-8048

64 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

Spotlight on PA Preferred

PA Preferred proudly promotes Pennsylvania’s agricultural products

By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer

W

hen you’re shopping for food and you see the PA Preferred logo, you can be assured that what you’re buying—whether it’s mushrooms, craft beer, pickles, cantaloupes, or milk—is produced and sourced in Pennsylvania.

PA Preferred is the statewide branding program for goods grown and produced in Pennsylvania. The fruits, vegetables, and products that have the PA Preferred logo can trace their main ingredients

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 65

Courtesy photos

The PA Preferred Culinary Connection Stage during the 2019 Pennsylvania Farm Show, where an entire day of food demonstrations were devoted to mushroom dishes.

back to the state, whether it’s wine made from local grapes or hardwood harvested from one of Pennsylvania’s forests.

PA Preferred helps support farmers and producers by raising awareness of local crops and products. One way that they do that is by providing retailers with marketing materials that lets consumers know which products are being grown and produced locally.

Continued on Page 66

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If you’re planning a local or long distance move, across town or across the country, then do what smart senior citizens and other residents have done for years and call TLC Moving Services, LLC at 610-268-3243.

These professionals will pack your items with the utmost care, arrange to have them moved by a reliable moving company, then unpack them and place them in your new home where you desire. If you are downsizing, they can help you arrange a sale of your goods or assist you in donating to the charity of your choice.

Once out of your old home, they can clean-up and make repairs so the house is ready for the new owners, or to be put on the market.

If moving is in your plans, then your first move is to call TLC Moving Services, LLC. Put these professionals to work for you and call Caen Stroud at 610-268-3243.

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66 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

PA Preferred Continued from Page 65

According to Shannon Powers, the press secretary with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, buying local food has an enormous impact on Pennsylvania’s economy. The agriculture and food industry contributes about $135.7 billion to the state economy and supports nearly 580,000 jobs.

Buying food produced and sourced in Pennsylvania not only boosts the economy, but when the trip from farm to table is the shortest, you’re also getting the freshest and most nutritious of products.

Buying local is also very good for the environment.

Continued on Page 68

Courtesy photo

Giant food stores make it easier for customers with new PA Preferred shelf tags that identify items that are produced right here in Pennsylvania. Herr Foods products are an example of the high-quality and popular items that are made in Pennsylvania.

Courtesy photo

There are many ways to incorporate mushrooms into your meals.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 67

68 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

PA Preferred Continued from Page 66

Mushrooms are one of Pennsylvania’s biggest products. Pennsylvania is the leading producer of mushrooms in the country.

With sales of $572 million last year, the state accounts for about 64 percent of all U.S. mushroom sales.

And with 122 PA Preferred members who offer mushrooms, it’s not hard to find local mushrooms at a market near you.

PA Preferred will once again have a role at the Mushroom Festival. PA Preferred is sponsoring the Culinary Stage during the 2019 Mushroom Festival. Patrick Andrews of Continued on Page 70

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70 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

PA Preferred Continued from Page 68

the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture will emcee the stage. Patrick connects producers with grant and market opportunities, and also emcees the PA Preferred Culinary Connection stage during the Pennsylvania Farm Show, the Pennsylvania State Fair in January.

Stop by the stage for ideas and tips on preparing mushrooms, and get inspired to wow your guests with your own culinary prowess. Pick up a PA Preferred reusable shopping bag while you’re there, and represent your support of local farmers every time you shop!

The tradition continues...

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72 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

The Mushroom Festival is an all volunteer organization whose proceeds are distributed to a wide variety of charities and organizations benefiting the residents of Kennett Square and the surrounding communities. From the 2018 Festival, $50,096 was given back to the community in the form of Mushroom Festival grants to local non-profit organizations. The Mushroom Festival would especially like to thank the Forte Family for their donation of $14,000 which was raised through generous efforts and donations. All of the grants donated this year would not have been possible without them. In total The Mushroom Festival has given over $164,000 back to the community since 2000.

Our Festival is made possible by the generous financial support of our mushroom industry, and many businesses and organizations. We would like to sincerely thank them along with the businesses that have donated goods and services.

2019 Mushroom Festival Grant Recipients

32 Organizations awarded grants totaling $50,056.90.

On April 4, 32 local organizations received their grants at the annual Grants Presentation Reception, this year held at Genesis’s Michael R. Walker Building in Kennett Square.

Below is the list of grant winners and how the funds will be used over this year. In addition to the grants below, Friends of Auburn Heights received a donation in the name of last year’s Honorary Chair Carla Lucas.

Organizations receiving Mushroom Festival grants includes:

Adult Literacy Program- Kennett Library Funds will be used to purchase books, workbooks, educational materials.

ALS of Greater Philadelphia Funds will be used for a program partnership with health agencies that provide up to 12 hours of custodial help per week.

Avondale Fire Company EMS Division: Funds will be used to purchase hard protective cases for LUCAS device (CPR machine), purchase new case for Massimo CO monitors for patient with CO exposure.

Continued on Page 74

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 73

Photo by Avery Eaton

74 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

Grant Recipients Continued from Page 72

Bournelyf Special Camp Funds will be used for transportation costs related to program activities off-campus.

Friends of Auburn Heights - 2018 Honorary Chair Grant Recipient 2018 Honorary Chair Grant Recipient

Camp Dreamcatcher

Friends Home in Kennett

Funds will be used to sponsor three HIV/AIDS impacted children to attend camp.

Funds will be used to purchase recliners for temporary residents.

Canine Partners for Life

Garage Community and Youth Center

Funds will be used to purchase dog crates, mats for training and cleaning, and portable floor fans to assist in drying cleaned kennel floors.

Funds will be used to purchase supplies for the After-School Programs at both the Kennett and West Grove Garages.

Chester County Women’s Services Funds will be used to fund new Anger Management Program from Century Anger Management.

Family Promise of Southern Chester County Funds will be used to finish playground equipment and the yard with toy chest and plantings.

Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania Funds will be used to pay for costs to mail cookies to local military personnel who are deployed overseas.

Historic Kennett Square Funds will be used for the 2019 Memorial Day Parade.

Continued on Page 76

Our antlers are off to one of the all-time great culinary combos.

Who can argue with Mushrooms and butter?

As a wholesome favorite for over 100 years, Challenge is once again proud to be a sponsor at this year’s Mushroom Festival. Discover the real difference Challenge Butter makes on, and in your favorite recipes. Look for the package with the elk... and enjoy.

Look for tasty recipes at: www.challengedairy.com

Find us on Facebook!

Š2019 Challenge Dairy Products, Inc.

76 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

Grant Recipients Continued from Page 74

Kacie’s Cause

Kennett Fire Co. No. 1

Funds will be used to purchase 13 doses of Naloxone and provide training to parent/community groups.

Funds will be used to purchase an upgraded server and computer system for emergency alerting for personnel.

Kennett Area Community Service

Kennett Symphony of Chester County

Funds will be used to purchase approx. 1,000 pounds of fresh meats and produce for Kennett Food Cupboard.

Funds will be used to provide access to KSCC concert for senior citizens; and to first time KSCC attendees at a reduced price.

Kennett After-School Association Funds will be used for transportation costs associated with the program.

Kennett Area Park Authority Funds will be used towards the free 8 week summer 2019 concert series in Anson B. Nixon.

Kennett Education Foundation Funds will be used for educational grants and SMART mini programs.

KHS Friends of Music Funds will be used to help purchase a shed for the marching band.

Lighthouse Youth Center Funds will be used to provide daily free snack and nutritious meal to low-income, at-risk youth.

Longwood Fire Co. Funds will be used to purchase training CPR feedback manikins for CPR training.

Continued on Page 78

Congratulations on the 34th Mushroom Festival!

Mushroom Spawning | Hillendale Services | Hillendale Peat Moss

26 Years of Serving the Mushroom Industry!

AVONDALE, PA

78 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

Grant Recipients Continued from Page 76

Meals on Wheels of Chester County

Po Mar Lin Fire Company

Funds will be used to purchase meals served by the Avon Grove Chapter to an estimated 37 individuals.

Funds will be used to purchase a notification system installed in various rooms through the firehouse for emergency calls to the station.

North Star of Chester County Funds will be used to fund 3 months of homelessness prevention and self sufficiency support for single working parent living in Kennett Square.

Reins of Life Funds will be used for vet care for the horses- Lyme’s treatment, insulin treatment, routine shots, dental visits, and trimming hooves.

Oxford Arts Alliance

Scouting Troop 20

Funds will be used for Art&Music Education low income camp scholarships and to purchase supplies.

Funds will be used to build 1 raised garden box for the Luther House Jennersville.

Paws for People

SmartDrive Foundation

Funds will be used to purchase supplies for Goldie’s Gang Summer Program at Kennett Library.

Funds will be used to purchase equipment for two courses.

Southern Chester County EMS Funds will be used to purchase personal protective equipment for head and torso.

FARM BUSINESS AUTO HOME LIFE INSURANCE Please contact your local agent today

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80 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

34th Annual Mushroo

WHITE BUTTON $10,000 and Above

• Kennett Township • Fios • 6abc • iHeartRadio • Beasley Group • A. J. Blosenski • Mushroom Farmers of PA. AMI • McGovern

PORTABELLA - $5000 • Basciani Foods • Phillips Mushroom Farms • Country Fresh Mushrooms • Genesis • Scotts • Murray Securus • Sylvan America, Inc. • Challenge Butter • PA Preferred

SHIITAKE - $2500 • V.P. Electrical Contracting, Inc • Green Mountain Energy Company • Diver Chevrolet • Meenan Oil and Propane • LeafFilter North of Pennsylvania, LLC • Green Star Exteriors • Sundance Vacations • Aplus Metal Roofing Specialists, LLC • Jennersville Hospital • Laurel Valley Farms • Baccellieri Family Dentistry • R.M. Crossan • Mid-Atlantic Waterproofing, Inc. • Green Roots Landscaping • G Fedale • Chester County Hospital

• Manfredi’s • Greenwood Mushrooms • WHYY • Philadelphia Inquirer • Upland Country Day School • Hilton Garden Inn • Hillendale Peat Moss • Yo Sign Guy • South Mill Mushrooms • Buona Foods • Needham Mushroom Farms • Xfinity/Comcast • Georgi Kitchens • The Mushroom Cap • K-Love • Club Pilates Kennett Square

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 81

oom Festival Sponsors CRIMINI - $3500 • Chester County Press • Beacon Technologies • BB&T

• Exelon • To-Jo Mushrooms & Food Products

OYSTER - $1000 • John R. Stinson & Sons, Inc. • Hadley at CCCF • SECCRA • Ogorek & Co Inc • Regester Mushrooms • WSFS • Atlantic Tracor • Gateway Nursery • Kennet Glass • LGB Properties • Winterthur Museum & Gardens • Bob’s Crane • W.A.C. Mushrooms, Inc.

MAITAKE - $500 • Kuzo Funeral Home • East West Label Company • R.L. Irwin Mushroom Co. • Tolsdorf Oil Lube Express • Becker Locksmith Services, Inc. • Umbreit, Wileczek, & Associates • Blittersdorf’s Towing and Auto Salvage • K.L Madron Well Drilling, LLC • The Perfect Impression • Taylor Oil and Propane • Penn Township

TRUMPET - $100 • Griffonetti’s • Kennett Square Mini Storage • Towne and Country Cleaners

HAS YOUR WORLD BEEN TOUCHED BY ADDICTION?

Whether you are struggling with substance use disorder yourself or walking alongside someone who does, one thing holds true –

There is always help and hope available.

“Help for today... Hope for tomorrow” The role of faith, hope, and love in recovery from addiction Conference held at First Baptist Church of Kennett Square Friday, Oct 18 – 7:00pm-8:30pm • Saturday, Oct 19 – 8:00am – 2:45pm* Sunday, Oct 20 – 9:45am – 12noon Hosted by Kacie’s Cause and First Baptist Church of Kennett Square Website: ksqfbc.com/conference | Facilitated by the Rev. Donald G. Coombs Jr., Ed.D. *$10 admission on Saturday includes lunch

82 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

Challenge Butter is Back as th Butter of the Mushroom Festi Free Food Samples, Prizes an Challenge Butter, producer of the best unsalted butter in the U.S., according to the experts at Cook’s Illustrated, is buttering up attendees at this year’s festival and food competitions with nearly 400 lbs of Challenge Butter, adding lots of flavor and fun to this year’s event.

Attendees can look forward to free samples of locally grown mushrooms sautéed in Challenge Butter and the opportunity to win coupons, squishy cows and more by spinning the prize wheel at the Challenge Butter booth.

This year’s Amateur Mushroom Cook-off is also sponsored by Challenge Butter with finalists competing for the title, a golden ticket to the World Food Championships and $1,500 in cash. Challenge Butter is also rewarding a special cash prize of $250 to the competitor who best showcases its butter in their dish.

The talented competitors include: • Amy Fossett of Severn, MD making Grill Pan Ravioli with Crispy Pancetta and a cream of Mushroom Purée • Rebecka Evans of Pearland, TX making Prosecco Mushroom butter Gnocchi with garlic chili Trumpets • Lisa Keys of Kennett Square, PA making Mushroom-Tomato sauced Cheese Ravioli with Maitake-bacon crumbs • Daniel Richeal of Kennett Square, PA making Wild Mushroom and Cheese Dumplings with Spicy lemon brown butter sauce and shiitake bacon • Ronna Farley of Rockville, MD making Pistachio and Bacon kissed Linguine stuffed Portabellas • Sarah LaMack of Kennett Square, PA making Sage, Pancetta and Mushroom Gnocchi with Garlic cream sauce

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 83

s the Official stival, Bringing and More Attendees will also have the pleasure of tasting Challenge Butter in the Soup portion of the Soup & Wine Tasting where local restaurants vie for the title of “Best Mushroom Soup in the Delaware Valley”. The public will determine the winner.

“Customers have been raving about the difference Challenge Butter makes in their dishes for more than 100 years,” said Tim Anderson, SVP of Retail and Foodservice for Challenge Dairy Products, Inc. “We are looking forward to attendees tasting that difference for themselves at this year’s Mushroom Festival. We are honored to play a role in this local tradition that supports the local community through family, food and fun.”

Challenge Butter is a leading butter brand that has won multiple accolades including recognition in the World Dairy Awards, Saveur Magazine and San Francisco Chronicle. Its butter and cream cheese are made from 100% real cream from its 400 family-owned dairies.

A stickler for quality, Challenge products are free of growth hormones, artificial preservatives, dyes and fillers.

Its butter is so fresh that it is ready for the grocer within 48 hours of the cows being milked. Locals can find it in the dairy case at their local Food Lion, Wal-Marts, Super Fresh and Safeway. Look for the package with the elk on it.

Festival goers can enjoy and explore Challenge Butter recipes and learn more about its products at www.challengedairy.com/recipes or www.facebook.com/challengebutter.

SAUTEED MUSHROOMS Ingredients • 8 ounces button mushrooms • 2 Tablespoons Challenge Butter • 1 small shallot, minced • 2 small cloves of garlic, minced • fresh thyme leaves • splash of Dry Sherry or Pernod (optional) • salt • freshly ground black pepper Directions Wash mushrooms and dry with a clean towel. Cut mushrooms into thick slices.

Melt butter in large frying pan on medium-high heat.

Add the mushrooms in an even layer and let sit for 1-2 minutes.

Toss mushrooms to evenly color, adjusting heat if necessary. Season with salt black pepper and add the shallot. Stir and cook for 30 seconds. Add the optional Dry Sherry or Pernod, garlic, and thyme. Stir together for a few seconds, remove from the heat and serve.

Prep: 2 Minutes Cook: 10 Minutes

84 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

Meet the Mushrooms Por·ta·bel·la (pawr-tuh-bel-uh): a mature, very large crimini mushroom, Agaricus bisporus.

Portabellas are mature agaricus mushrooms where the veil has opened and the gills are exposed.

Button (buht-n): a usually small white mushroom in which the pileus has not yet expanded, Agaricus bisporus Pom P Po om m Po Pom (p Pom ((pom-pom): (pom pom-pom pom)): ): white sphere fungi with soft spines and no stem, Hericium erinaceus

Cri·mi·ni (kruh-mee-nee): C aan edible, dark-brown mushroom with a rounded m ccap, Agaricus bisporus.

The crimini is an immature portabella, picked m before the gills are exb posed. It is known by many p names including baby portabella, baby bella, Roman mushroom, Italian mushroom and brown mushroom.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 85

Beech (beech): crisp, firm fleshed fungi with short stems, Hypsizygus tessulatus.

In nature, the beech mushroom is found high up in the yokes of trees. It is cultivated on jars filled with corn cobs.

Oyster (oi-ster): an edible fungus having an oyster-shaped cap, Pleurotus ostreatus.

The yellow oyster is described as delicate like a daffodil and could be used as a centerpiece.

Shiitake (shee-ee-tah-key): a large, meaty, black or dark brown mushroom, Other common names are Golden Oak, Black Forest and Oakwood, Lentinus edodes.

As both food and medicine, the shiitake has been revered in Asia for thousands of years.

It grows in the Far East on fallen broadleaf trees, including the “shii” tree in Japan.

Royal Trumpet (roi-uhl truhm-pit): has a trumpet shaped tan cap and thick, white stem. Also called King Oyster, Pleurotus eryngii.

The Royal Trumpet mushroom is the largest species of the oyster mushroom.

Maitake (my-tah-key): rippling, tan shaped mushroom without caps, also called Hen of the Woods, Grifola frondosa.

In Japanese “maitake” translates to dancing mushroom.

In other parts of the world this mushroom that grows at the base of trees in the wild is called Hen-of-the-Woods, Ram’s Head and Sheep’s Head.

86 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

Last year’s Cook-Off winner returns to compete with pasta-partnered mushrooms

E

very year, the Mushroom Festival features “The Amateur Mushroom Cook-Off,” which invites people to submit and publicly prepare a tasty recipe they have developed using the product.

Last year’s winner was Rebecka Evans of Pearland, Texas, with her American Fusion Patty Melt with Low Country Mushroom-Bacon Gravy. On her blog, Evans defines herself as an award-winning home cook and food blogger,

and an avid food and nature photographer. She has qualified to compete again this year.

The 2018 Mushroom Festival Amateur Cook-Off focused on blending mushrooms with grass-fed beef or lamb. At the Cook-Off, all recipes were made with Australian grassfed beef or lamb, and partnered with True Aussie Beef and Lamb. Here is her recipe:

Ingredients: 1. 15 ounces True Aussie Ground beef 2. 3 ounces True Aussie Ground Lamb 3. 2 ½ pounds Mixed Mushrooms (baby portabella, white button) divided 4. 2 cups Heavy cream 5. 22 slices Bacon, (about 24 ounces) 16 slices cooked whole, 6 cooked and chopped, all bacon fat reserved 6. 4 ½ teaspoons flour 7. 2 sticks Challenge butter, 1 cup 8. Marbled Jewish Rye Bread 9. 16 slices Swiss cheese 10. 2 large Sweet Onions 11. 4 green onions, chopped 12. 1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary Rosemary and sea salt Fresh cracked black pepper

Rebecka Evans, 2018 Cook-Off champion

Courtesy photo

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Directions: Cook 16 strips thin cut bacon till crisp. Drain on paper towel and set aside. Remove bacon drippings to a small bowl. Chop and cook remaining 6 slices of bacon. Leave 1 tablespoon bacon drippings in pan, reserve the drippings to the small bowl. Drain chopped bacon on a paper towel and set aside.

Slice large sweet onions thinly, sauté in 1 tablespoon bacon drippings and 1 tablespoon Challenge Butter until caramelized. About 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Chop 4 large green onions (both green and white parts) makes about 2 cups. Set aside.

Sliced Mushroom Blend: Slice 1 pound mushrooms thinly. Heat a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon bacon drippings and 1-2 tablespoon Challenge Butter, 1 cup of green onions, 2 teaspoons fresh chopped rosemary, and sliced mushrooms. Cook until crisp and caramelized, About 5 minutes) Season with a pinch salt and pepper. Set aside to cool. Chop mushrooms in the Kitchen Aid 3.5 Cup One-Touch 2 speed chopper. Set aside for mushroom gravy.

Chopped Mushroom Blend: Using the Kitchen Aid 3.5 Cup One-Touch 2 speed chopper, chop the remaining mushrooms. Sauté the blended mushrooms in 1 tablespoon bacon drippings and 1 tablespoon Challenge Butter until all the liquid is gone. Season with salt and pepper.

Cool.

Blended Burger: In a large bowl combine 15 ounces True Aussie Ground Beef, 3 ounces True Aussie Ground Lamb, 1 cup chopped green onion, 2 cups cooled, chopped mushroom blend (without the rosemary). Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper. With your hands or a large spoon, combine the mixture just till blended. Don’t over work the meat.

Divide blended burger mixture equally into 4 balls. Place the balls on a parchment line baking sheet and shape into 4, 1/4-inch rectangle patties. In a large sauté or grill pan, melt 1 tablespoon Challenge Butter and cook burgers for 3-4 minutes per side or until just cooked through. Transfer to a plate. Reserve drippings Low Country Mushroom Gravy: Add 1 tablespoon bacon drippings, 2 tablespoon Challenge Butter to a large saucepan. Heat over medium high. Once bacon drippings and butter are melted add 4 ½ teaspoons flour. Cook for 1-2 minutes stirring constantly. Whisk in 2 cups heavy cream. Continue whisking until all the flour is incorpo-

rated and there are no lumps. Reduce heat to low. Add 1 tablespoon Challenge Butter, Sliced Mushroom Blend with rosemary, and any reserved burger drippings, and chopped bacon. Stir to combine. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and fresh cracked pepper. Keep warm.

Making the Patty Melt: Butter 8 slices Marbled Jewish Rye bread with room temperature Challenge butter.

Using a large sauté or grill pan turn heat to medium.

Cook two burgers at a time. Place 4 slices bread, butter side down in the pan, add 2 slices Swiss cheese to each piece of bread, lay a cooked burger patty on top of 2 of the pieces of bread. Top both burgers with caramelized onions, 4 slices bacon for each burger, and top with 1-2 tablespoon mushroom gravy. Cover the burger with second slice of bread and cook for 2-3 minutes. Carefully, flip patty melt over and continue cooking until cheese is melted, about 3 more minutes or until heated through.

Repeat process for the remaining burgers. Serve with more mushroom gravy for dipping.

This year, the contestants were charged with presenting a dish using blended mushrooms (with beef or lamb) in the company of pasta.

Jen Basciani, who is in charge of the event, receives the applications each year, tries them out ahead of time and narrows down the finalists to the six most competitive.

Basciani, an experienced cook and cafeteria manager, said this year she received 17 entries, has them tested and they are ready to compete.

The Amateur Mushroom Cook-Off this year is on Saturday, Sept. 7, in the Special Events Tent. Cooking starts at 10:30 a.m. Judging begins at 11:30 a.m. The contestants this year – including last year’s winner, Evans – are the following: Amy Fossett of Severn, Md., making Grill Pan Ravioli with Crispy Pancetta and a cream of Mushroom Purée Rebecka Evans of Pearland, Texas, making Prosecco Mushroom butter Gnocchi with garlic chili Trumpets Lisa Keys of Kennett Square, making Mushroom-Tomato sauced Cheese Ravioli with Maitake-bacon crumbs Daniel Richeal of Kennett Square, making Wild Mushroom and Cheese Dumplings with Spicy lemon brown butter sauce and shiitake bacon Ronna Farley of Rockville, Md., making Pistachio and Bacon kissed Linguine stuffed Portabellas.

Sarah LaMack of Kennett Square, making Sage, Pancetta and Mushroom Gnocchi with Garlic cream sauce.

88 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

The Mushrooms by Flavor, Preparation and Nutrition Photos by Carla Lucas

Mushrooms are the only source of Vitamin D in the produce aisle

Agaricus Mushrooms

Buttons

Portabellas

Flavor: mild; blends with anything.

Common preparations: raw, sauteed, fried, marinated In a serving of 4-5 white buttons: • 18 calories • 0 grams of fat • 3 grams of carbohydrates • good source of the antioxidant selenium, the B vitamins riboflavin, niacin and pantothenic acid; and copper • Approx. 300 mg of potassium • 2.8 mg of the antioxidant ergothioneine • 15 IU of vitamin D

Flavor: deep, meat-like texture and flavor.

Common preparations: grilled, broiled, sauteed and roasted; can also be used as a meat substitute.

In one medium Portabella cap: • 22 calories • 0 grams of fat • 4 grams of carbohydrates • excellent source of the B vitamin riboflavin • good source of the antioxidant selenium, potassium, phosphorus, the B vitamins niacin and pantothenic acid; and copper • 4.3 mg of the antioxidant ergothioneine

Criminis Flavor: deeper, earthier flavor than whites, great addition to beef, game and vegetable dishes Common preparations: saute, broil, grill, microwave In a serving of 4-5 crimini mushrooms: • 23 calories • 0 grams of fat • 4 grams of carbohydrates • excellent source of the antioxidant selenium, the B vitamin riboflavin and copper • a good source of potassium, phosphorus and B vitamins niacin and pantothenic acid • 4.9 mg of the antioxidant ergothioneine

Continued on Page 90

Book a walking food tour of Kennett Square, and visit several of our town’s restaurants and markets, as well as a winery and craft brewery. Sample sweet and savory food samples and local wines and beer on your guided tour.

Leave with a satiated appetite and a taste of what makes Kennett Square so unique!

Visit our website for more information and to book your tour!

www.tastekennett.com Our town...Our restaurants...Our hospitality

Proud Partners of the

Taste Kennett Food Tour

Visit our website to book your tour!

90 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

JumpMushrooms by Flavor, Preparation and Nutrition The Continued from Page 90 Continued from Page 88

Other Popular Specialty Mushrooms Maitake

Pom Pom

Flavor: distinctive aroma and a rich, woodsy taste Common preparations: sauteed lightly in butter or oil. Use in egg dishes, pasta sauces, soups, stews, and any recipe calling for mushrooms for a richer taste.

In a serving of 4-5 maitake mushrooms: • 31 calories • 0 grams of fat • 6 grams of carbohydrates • good source of the antioxidant selenium; B vitamins riboflavin, niacin and pantothenic acid; and copper • more than 2 grams of fiber • more than 900 IU Vitamin D

Flavor: mild, sweet taste.

Common preparations: slice and saute in butter, oil, or broth; can be used as a substitute for lobster or veal.

Royal Trumpet Flavor: delicate, chewy texture Common preparation: grilled or used in stir frys. The stems can be substituted for baby scallops.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 91

Oyster Flavor: very delicate.

Common preparations: sauteed or stir fried then used in pasta dishes, meat dishes, omelets and soups.

In a serving of 4-5 oyster mushrooms: • 36 calories • 0 grams of fat • 5 grams of carbohydrates • good source of B vitamins riboflavin, niacin and pantothenic acid; and copper. • more than 2 grams of fiber, nearly 10 percent of the Daily Value. • nearly 3 grams of protein, 6 percent of the Daily Value.

Beech Flavor: crisp with a mild nutty flavor.

Common preparations: sliced or served whole in sautes. Soups, pasta dishes.

Sources: A Consumers Guide to Specialty Mushrooms and The Mushroom Council (www.mushroominfo.org)

Shiitake Flavor: rich and woodsy, meaty texture Common preparations: best when cooked in stir-fry, pastas and soups.

Can be marinated and grilled.

In a serving of 4-5 shiitake mushrooms: • 41 calories • 0 grams of fat • 10 grams of carbohydrates • good source of the antioxidant selenium, providing 26 percent of the Daily Value. • a great source of B vitamins riboflavin, niacin and pantothenic acid; and copper

92 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

|Mushroom Festival Photo Essay|

Mushroom Festival Fun

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|Mushroom Festival Photo Essay|

Mushroom Festival Fun

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|Mushroom Festival Photo Essay|

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Mushroom Festival Fun

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Photo by Dylan Francis

Kennett Square’s weekly Farmers Market is held weekly throughout the year.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 99

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

I

n 2010, Budget Travel ranked Kennett Square number five in its ranking of America’s coolest towns. In 2018, the online magazine Culture Trip named Kennett Square one of the top five towns in Pennsylvania.

Curbed Philadelphia recently named Kennett Square as one of the “top 22 small towns near Philly that you have to visit.”

In its current issue, Philadelphia Magazine listed Kennett Square as one of the area’s top shopping destinations, in its “Best of Philly” category, reeling off just a few of the many urban chic boutiques that line State Street like a string of progress and individuality.

From online to print, the shout outs to the town’s planning, ingenuity, connectivity and down-home, small-town feel have echoed the sentiments of the more than 6,000 people who call Continued on Page 100

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Kennett Cool: Town climbing the charts of popularity

Photo by Michelle Sanchez

Over the past several years, Kennett Square has earned accolades from several publications for its diversity of shops, restaurants and activities.

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Kennett Cool Continued from Page 99

Kennett Square home, and those who read about the accolades and visit there.

Kennett Square has melded the necessary ingredients of what makes a town earn all of that praise: A tapestry of ethnic diversity, two outstanding school districts, a thriving local economy supported by corporations and a major industry, near-immediate access to major tourism centers, a sprawling and well-kept park that borders the town, yearly festivals and events, a bold and innovative group of small business entrepreneurs who own shops and restaurants, a bonded consortium of organizations, and a walkability factor that has attracted real estate developers to build new residences within a ten-minute stroll of everything.

“I don’t necessarily need to convince anyone about the benefits of living in Kennett Square, because they already know what they’re coming for,” said Gretchen Apps, a realtor with REMAX in Kennett Square, who specializes in selling homes in Kennett Square and nearby Chadds Ford. “They’re coming for the walkability, for being able to live in a town that is becoming

known for its restaurants, its cute shops and its tons of activities.

“On top of all of that, there is easy access to Anson B. Nixon Park, which appeals to everyone, no matter what point you may be in your life,” Apps added. “The park is attractive for those who wish to walk their dogs, see a concert, or jog, or play tennis or other activities.”

While there are likely as many reasons for the surging popularity of Kennett Square as there are new businesses in the borough, several local leaders and residents point to the decision by Michael Walker, the founder of Genesis Healthcare, to establish the company’s headquarters at State and Union streets in the 1990s. One of the largest caveats in the decision – one set forth by Walker himself – was that there would be no cafeteria in the building, providing an incentive for Genesis employees to venture throughout the borough during lunch time.

Suddenly, white-collar employees were scarfing down pizza, sandwiches and ethnic dishes beside those who worked in the mushroom industry and in the blue-collar sector, in all parts of the borough.

Local restaurants experienced a new

Photo by Michelle Sanchez

Kennett Square has become well known for its many street festivals held every year, including the popular Cinco de Mayo Festival.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 101

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growth, which led to the start of other eateries. Among those was Talula’s Table on State Street, which opened in 2007 and has since become one of the most successful markets of its kind in the Northeast. In succession, other shops, cafes and boutiques opened nearby; the Market at Liberty Place became a meeting place for new vendors and small eateries; and through the vision of Historic Kennett Square, the organization turned the borough into a vibrant center for continuing events and festivals.

“The accessibility of the boutiques, restaurants and the walkability factor has made Kennett Square the place to be,” said Kennett Square real estate attorney David Myers, who also served as board president for Historic Kennett Square. “When I do transactions, I meet a lot of young families who are moving here because of the strong schools (Unionville-Chadds Ford and Kennett Consolidated school districts), but they’re also drawn to the diverse population, as well.”

Myers pointed to three factors that he said linked together in succession to create the success Kennett Square enjoys today.

“Walmart forced it, Genesis Healthcare assisted and businesses committed to it,” he said. “A lot of people thought that the opening of Walmart [on Baltimore Pike] would destroy downtown Kennett Square,

Photo by Kelly Giarrocco

Residents and visitors enjoy the wide diversity of restaurants – and tastes -- throughout the borough.

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Kennett Cool Continued from Page 101

but what it did was force new types of businesses to open there. While certain stores did indeed go away, Genesis Healthcare came in, which helped to redevelop and redefine the town.

“Finally, it was these new businesses who committed to buying into that change, with the help of a lot of organizations who have made the necessary connections to bring these businesses here.”

Apps said that she is beginning to see the homebuying and rental trend in Kennett Square gradually changing to a younger demographic, who is looking to consolidate their home, work and social connections in the space of a walkable distance. Recently, she met with a married couple who had just sold their townhome in the borough, but instead of wishing to relocate out of town, they told Apps that they wanted to remain in Kennett Square, this time in a single-family home.

“I found them a home in the borough, and they love their new location on North Broad Street,” she said.

“Now they’re a block away from the town’s main activity, and they enjoy the fact that Anson B. Nixon

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 103

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Park is nearby. They’re part of that younger demographic who don’t want to have to drive everywhere, who work from home a few days a week, and who wish to get out and have lunch in town.”

If there is a blueprint that has helped guide the growing Courtesy of Historic Kennett Square popularity of Kennett Square, Of the many benefits for Kennett it is the Kennett Region Eco- Square’s rising popularity, Anson B. nomic Development Study, Nixon Park ranks high on the list. issued on Sept. 15, 2016. The study implements the goals and recommendations of both Kennett Borough and Kennett Township’s comprehensive plans in addition to Landscapes2 (Chester County’s Comprehensive Plan) and the regional planning efforts of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC).

In short, the study is a document of collaboration between local municipalities and their stakeholders -- residents, municipal officials, developers and property and business owners – that provides a forecast for the area’s future. Peering into the residential housing crystal ball forecast, the study Continued on Page 104

Call for 2019 Brochure!

Vallorani Casing Material, LLC and

Vallorani Mushrooms *Reservations suggested.

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Kennett Cool Continued from Page 103

predicts that Kennett Square will continue to attract both young professionals and empty nesters. By 2030, the study writes, the borough will have the opportunity to support the development of between 610 and 1,210 new multi-family units – in particular, townhouses/condos apartments).

The study also projects that strong household spending within the discretionary categories of dining, personal care, and entertainment and recreation are “quite favorable to existing and prospective restaurants, cafes, and entertainment venues in Kennett Square,” it read.

Myers, who grew up in Kennett Square, believes that the success of Kennett Square is two-fold: it has become more appealing to those who want to be a part of it, and it’s also stimulating the need for more residential building within close proximity to the action, as opposed to creating more subdivisions on the outer reaches of the borough.

On a smaller scale, he now sees the children in his neighborhood riding their bikes to and from their friends’ houses. “That small-town feel that connects me back to my own childhood is coming back,” he said.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@ chestercounty.com

Embracing all of Southern Chester County

COMMUNITY FAIR October 4, 5, & 6, 2019 101 West Street Rd, Kennett Square, PA

Beer & Wine Garden Friday - 6:00 – 9:00pm, Saturday - 4:30 – 9:00pm

Haunted Tent & Escape Room Friday & Saturday - 6:30 – 9:00pm Lower Scare Factor both evenings – 5:00 – 6:00pm

2nd Annual Farm Show 5K Run & Walk on Steeplechase Race track - Saturday - 8:30am

1st Annual Car & Truck Show Walk with Antique, Classic Custom, Ratrod, Restomod vehicles - Saturday 11:00am – 5:00pm

Food Truck Festival Road Rancher BBQ, Polish Connection, Kona Pizza, Baily’s Ice Cream and more Sunday 10:00am – 4:00pm

See Lego Robotics in the new Tech Tent, local musical entertainment, kids activities, Craft Booths and much more

For more info go to www.ucfair.org to see all activities, entertainment & times $5.00 parking fee / per car, per day

VISITORS GUIDE

106 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

Walk through history in downtown Kennett Square Site No. 1. The Brosius House, 119 E. Linden Street.

Edwin Brosius built a pottery at the corner of Broad and Linden Streets around 1844. The Brosius home serves as a fine example of the Federal style, having been updated later in the century. The more modern Italianate details of the structure are seen in the ornate bracketed cornice and the iron porch with the balcony above. An added wooden porch protects the center doorway with its sidelights and transom on the south elevation.

Site No. 2. District Court and Old Ben Butler, Southwest corner of E. Linden and N. Broad Streets. The official opening of the former municipal building was April 17, 1939. The materials were taken almost entirely from the old high school building. The building was completed by WPA labor. In 1861 Bayard Taylor presented the home guard of Kennett Square with a cannon cast at the Pennock Foundry at State & Willow Streets. It became known as Old Ben Butler. The cannon was fired to hail Union victories in the Civil War. The District Court moved to this location in 2004.

Site No. 3. The Walls House, 219 E. Linden Street. At the turn of the 20th century the house served as a parsonage for a church which was next door. Later it was the home of Dr. Orville R. Walls, a noted black physician. He graduated from the Meharry Medical School in Nashville, Tennessee in 1936 and was a general practitioner in Kennett Square from 1937 to 1964.

Site No. 4. Bethel A.M.E. Church, 301 E. Linden Street. Early records show that a number of free blacks had owned land in the town of Kennett Square from as early as the 1850s. The African Methodist Episcopalian Church was officially founded in 1894. Meetings were held in Taylor Hall at the southwest corner of Broad and Cypress Streets in the 1890s, until a church could be built. A lot was purchased on East Linden Street and a building was erected and dedicated in July, 1895.

The structure underwent extensive renovations in 1973, although the fine example of a federal steeple is still evident at the south end.

Site No. 5. New Garden Church, 309 E. Linden Street. On September 4, 1824, the Union African Methodist Episcopalian Church purchased one acre of land from Joseph Broman for $50 at Buck Toe Hill in

New Garden Township. The church was established from the Union Church of Africans in Wilmington. A log building constructed on the site was later destroyed by fire, and was replaced by a stone building. In 1904, property was purchased on East Linden Street and a new building erected with the stone from the original church. The congregation worshipped at an existing building in the intervening year until the new church was dedicated on February 18, 1911.

Site No. 6. The Vincent Barnard House, 315 E. Linden Street. Vincent Barnard (1825-1871) was a local naturalist who came to Kennett Square to work for Samuel Pennock, and whose daughter Joanna, he married. At the time of his death he had a two acre botanical garden containing numerous rare and indigenous specimens of trees and flowers.

Site No. 7. The Kennett Square Inn, 201 E. State Street. Built between 1820 and 1839, this structure is a combination of a two-bay Penn plan on the west side and a four-bay federal plan on the east side.

Site No. 8. The Former Quaker Cemetery, Apple Alley and Marshall Street. The Bayard Taylor Memorial Library and the Post Office occupy the site of the original State Street Friends Meeting House. The cemetery was located behind the meeting house. All of the graves were moved to the Kennett Meeting cemetery on U. S. Route 1, just east of Longwood Gardens. In 1827, the State Street Meeting elected to follow the noted ideas of Elias Hicks, whose followers were known as Hicksites. The more conservative members of the Meeting, (Orthodox Quakers), founded the Marshall Street Meeting on the southeast corner of Marshall and E. Cypress Streets. During the Civil War years, the Hicksites were active in the Underground Railroad. The more moderate Orthodox Quakers did not risk involvement.

Site No. 9. The Hicks-Schmaltz House, now Borough Hall, 120 S. Marshall Street. Built in 1899 in the Queen Anne style by Harry K. Hicks, from plans from architect, George Barber. This home is characterized by its eclectic mix of contrasting materials and patterns: the use of stucco, clapboard, decorative shingles, and halftimbering. Verandas and turrets were also common architectural elements of this style. Noteworthy details

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VISITORS GUIDE

include a slate-hipped roof, Site No. 14. The Presbyteconical roof porch, and Chirian Parsonage (Manse),213 nese or chinoise lattice work S. Broad Street. Built in on the porch railing and the about 1890 in the Stick classical columns supportstyle, it is an excellent ing the porch roof. Also of example of its type and apnote is the gallery above the pears to retain nearly all its front porch and the applique original exterior features work on the gabled detailincluding roof and porch ing. Hermann Schmaltz, a trim. Note the drop-finial at native of Germany, came to the apex and bargeboards America in 1884. In 1903, with unique bulls-eye dehe settled in Kennett Square, tail at the porch eaves, the where he owned and operGothic window beneath ated a hardware, plumbing The Chalfant House, in the center of Kennett Square, is one of the the apex detail, and the and heating business, and architectural showplaces of the borough, but there are plenty of type of bonding used belater moved into the Hicks other spectacular homes to see. tween brick courses. Across house. the street is the Westminster House (formerly the LutherSite No. 10. The Sharpless an Church, and previous to that the Episcopal Church).

Lewis House, 211 Marshall Street. Most of the original Note the variety of patterns and character of the slate features of this Stick style house are intact, although roof, modified buttresses, and gothic windows. the stucco on the second floor was originally wood.

Automation of wood working allowed for mass proSite No. 15. The McMullen-Walton House, 216 S. duction of decorative elements.

Broad Street was built in 1869 by Joseph McMullen, a Burgess of Kennett Square. The decorative trusses in Site No. 11. The Eli & Lewis Thompson House, 221 the gables are a common architectural detail in town.

Marshall Street. This circa 1882 Gothic house has This one is in the form of a rising sun. The sun design wooden posts and scrolled brackets trimming the first was a popular symbol for a rising country from 1860 floor porch. A barn which is approximately the same to 1890. age as the house occupies the property as well. Eli Thompson was the father-in-law of William Swayne Site No. 16. The Gregg House, 307 S. Broad Street. who built his greenhouses across the street (where BarThis house dates to the early 1900s when A.W. Gregg, ber’s Florist is now located). Swayne was not only a a physician, lived at this address. This is a two-and-asuccessful florist, but along with Harry Hicks, built the half story brick house in the Queen Anne style, notable first mushroom house in Kennett Square in 1885. for its large and irregular shape. The large, exceptionally detailed gable-roofed dormer on the facade contains Site No. 12. The Roberts House, 222 Marshall Street. a recessed porch trimmed with cornices, dental brackThis home is Queen Anne/Gothic stick style built ets, and lattice work. Bulls-eyes and paneling trim the about 1880. A gambrel-roofed cross gable has a decogable ends. Note the upper balcony and lamp black rative pendant and a window with a Gothic arch. A used in the mortar. The gable also uses the sun motif. one-story shed roofed porch has chamfered posts and open brackets.

Site No. 17. The Isaac Pyle House, 312 S. Broad Street. It was built in 1870 and has beautiful filigree Site No. 13. The Chandler House, 219 S. Broad ironwork and a “circus tent” tin roof. The striped Street. This house was built by Samuel D. Chandler, circus- tent-style metal porch roof was a popular decoa local pharmacist, in the Second Empire style. Dorrative effect. mers and dormer windows appear in a great variety of styles. Note the three distinct slate patterns – diaSite No. 18. Kennett Square Academy, 313 S. Broad mond, brick, and fishscale. The detailed and carved Street. This large building is three stories high above cornices are similar to the closely related Italianate a raised basement, and has a flat roof with projectstyle. The appliques on the dormers and between the ing cornice. Stucco now covers the exterior brick cornices are noteworthy for their presence. The porch walls. Built in 1870 as Swithin C. Shortlidge’s Kennett was probably added later. The chamfered posts with Square Academy for Young Men and Boys and Kennett scroll brackets and arched form are identical to details Seminary for Young Ladies and Girls, this is a historion other porches in town. cally important building within the district. A Harvard

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graduate, Shortlidge operated the school here for 12 years and then Rev. A. S. Vaughn of New Jersey took over, giving it the name Hofwyl Academy.

Site No. 19. The Woodward House, 332 S. Broad Street.

The house was built in 1858 by Thomas Pyle for the Woodward family. When it was built, it looked similar to the colonial houses across the street at 323 and 325 S. Broad Street. Over time, it grew with the addition of rooms and embellishments. In about 1888, the exterior got a drastic facelift under the guidance of a Dutch architect who had recently come to town. At this time, the tower, circular porch, and Victorian gingerbread were added.

It is three-and-a-half stories high and has a mixture of brick, wood, stucco, and half-timbering for wall construction and features windows in a variety of sizes, shapes, and pane configurations. The main roofs are gables, and a bell-shaped roof tops a three-story tower at the corner.

There is a gambrel roof on the rear wing, and a hip roof on a one-story wing at the side. A porch across the facade extends to a round pavilion at each corner of the facade; Tuscan columns rise from a stone balustrade to support the porch roof. A recessed porch on the second-floor side, and a gallery above the main entrance on the facade are

just a few of the unusual architectural features.

Site No. 20. The Gawthrop House, 402 S. Broad Street. This house was built in 1879 by James Gawthrop, Jr. He establish a fertilizer company, located near the railroad line at the bottom of Broad Street. Charles George Gawthrop, James Gawthrop, Jr’s son inherited the house in 1888. Charles founded the C.G. Gawthrop Company, a coal, lumber and feed (grain and hay) business in 1888. He lived in the house until his death in 1940. Particularly interesting is the six-sided turret with the original cap.

The main roof is gabled and a hip-roofed dormer projects from the tower. Note the Gothic window in the gable peak on the facade, and the cross gable filled with lattice work above the entrance. Heavy turned posts connected by a wooden balustrade, support the roof of the wrap-around porch.

Site No. 21. The Catherine Reed House, 401 S. Union Street. Once the home of Catherine Reed, a seamstress, this one half of a brick duplex appears to be in fine traditional mid-19th century condition.

Each side is two bays wide making the entire building four bays wide. A gable roof has its ridge line parallel to the street and has two interior end chimneys. The entrances in the central bays are topped by transoms. Awooden balustrade connects the heavy turned posts with solid brackets which support the flat roof and its wraparound porch.

Site No. 22. The Lamborn House, 341 S. Union Street. This stucco house was originally brick and had an iron gate around the property. This house was built by Emma Taylor Lamborn, a sister of Bayard Taylor. It was here that their mother died in 1890. Note the ocular window. The original brick sidewalks still remain.

Site No. 23. The Kirk House, 316 S. Union Street.

This is a brick house with wrap-around porch. Note the bonding mid-way between the second story and the barn in the rear of the property.

Site No. 24. The Philips-Grason House, 306 S. Union Street. This is a large Victorian house built in the Queen Anne style. Of special note are the beautiful tulip-shaped porch railing, stain glass windows, and three-story tower with conical slate roof. There is a large carriage house in the rear alley.

Site No. 25. The Lydia Walton House, 231 S. Union Street. This house was built about 1860 by John and Lydia Walton. Support of women’s leadership positions was evident with the 1869 election of Lydia Walton to the post of school director. Since 1908, as stipulated in her will, $40 annually has been distributed to buy shoes and mittens for needy children in the borough. The dimensions and two-

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019 MUSHROOM GUIDE - CHESTER COUNTY PRESS 109

room-deep design of this traditional Penn Plan house were originally made by William Penn to take in the breezes of country air and provide good ventilation. A double row of dental moulding trims the cornice. Next door, at 233 S. Union Street, is the former site of The Walker House, home of James Walker, who played a role in the Underground Railroad in antebellum Kennett Square.

Site No. 26. The Dr. Sumner Stebbins House, 221 S. Union Street. Dr. Stebbins was a noted doctor, temperance orator, and abolitionist. His wife, Mary Ann Peirce, was the daughter of Joshua Peirce, who, along with his twin brother, began the planting of the arboretum known as Peirce’s Park, which later became part of Longwood Gardens. Another noted resident of this house was William Marshall Swayne, an artist and sculptor. In 1878, he completed a plaster bust of local author Bayard Taylor, which is now prominently displayed in the Bayard Taylor Memorial Library. Another of Swayne’s outstanding works was a bust of Abraham Lincoln. This Victorian home was built in 1845.

The house is three bays wide. The porches and back addition were added in 1855. The gabled roof with its ridge line is parallel to the street. Most of the windows are sixover-one, double-hung wooden sash. The main entrance is in the side bay and has a fanlight. A wooden balustrade connects heavy chamfered posts with brackets that support the roof of a one-story porch across the facade. A matching one-bay wide porch shelters a second entrance at the side.

Site No. 27. The Samuel Pennock House, 222 S. Union Street. Cypress Lawn was built in 1864 by Samuel Pennock, founder of the American Road Machine Company and inventor of the snow plow and various road grading machines. The house has a Queen Anne porch which was added later.

Site No. 28. The Samuel Martin House, 209-211 S. Union Street. Samuel Martin is reputed to have lived in the house to the right (Dr. Stebbins house) with his wife Rachel Mercer while this one was being built. He started his career in Kennett as a school teacher and went on to build many of its houses and a school.

Site No. 29. The Pyle House, 208 S. Union Street. This Queen Anne style house dates from about 1907, and has one of the most outstanding porches in town. Also of note is the octagonal tower and gable-roofed dormers with multi-pane windows.

Site No. 30. The Entrikin House, 204 S. Union Street. This house dates from about 1907 and is in the Queen Anne style. Note the hexagonal dormer with peaked roof which faces the street.

Site No. 31. The intersection of State and Union Streets.

Here, on September 11, 1777, 12,000 British and 5,000 Hessian troops gathered prior to marching east for what later became known as the Battle of the Brandywine. On Continued on Page 110

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the northwest corner was the site of the oldest building in Kennett Square, the Unicorn Tavern, and on the southeast corner was the site of Bayard Taylor’s birthplace. On the northeast corner was the original site of Evan P. Green’s mercantile store, and later the Chalfant Block. The structure was razed in 1996, and the present building constructed as the national headquarters of Genesis HealthCare, listed on the New York Stock Exchange. In the tower of the office building are three faces of the original workings of the Kennett Town Clock.

Site No. 32. The Miller-Hannum House, 200 N. Union Street. This Federal style house dates from 1841 and was built by John Lamborn. It has a dormer with a segmentally-arched roof and brick dentals trim the cornice, similar to the 3 houses to the north which were also built in that time period.

Site No. 33. The Chalfant Mansion, 220 N. Union Street. A fine example of Queen Anne architecture attributed to the firm of Frank Furness, the ornate north aspect date stone is inscribed WSC 1884. Note the elaborate corbeled brickwork on the

three chimneys restored in 1987.

Site No. 34. The M. Ellen Taylor House, 233 N. Union Street. This Queen Anne/Stick style house, built in 1876 on land deeded to her by her father Joshua, has a gable roof with large cross gable on the facade tops. Fish scale wood shingles cover a two-story bay window at the side and the cross gable. Ellen was Bayard Taylor’s first cousin.

Site No. 35. The Gilmore-Marshall-Pennock House, 234 N. Union Street. Robinhurst was built in 1859 in the Federal style, and was once the home of Charles Pennock, local banker and well-known ornithologist.

He was an eccentric who suffered amnesia, disappeared, and resurfaced in Florida under an assumed name. He eventually returned to Kennett. Behind the house is a large wooden carriage house with lacy barge boards and a steep gable roof.

Site No 36. The Joshua Taylor House, 315 N. Union Street. Fairthorn is the oldest house in the historic district, and was the home of Bayard Taylor’s grandparents. The house served as the setting for his novel The Story of Kennett, written in 1866.

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112 CHESTER COUNTY PRESS - MUSHROOM GUIDE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

Nearby Longwood Gardens is always a beautiful place to visit, but there’s always something special going on there – from small, indoor concerts to outdoor extravaganzas, the lineup this fall is as diverse as ever. For more information, visit www.longwoodgardens.org. The 2019-2020 entertainment series includes:

October A World of Music Series Flamenco Fantasies: The Paco de Lucía Project Tuesday, October 15, 8 p.m.

Created by 10-time Latin Grammy Award-winner Javier Limón, The Paco de Lucía Project reassembles the original band that toured with the legendary flamenco guitarist for the last 10 years of his career. A longtime collaborator and producer of de Lucía, Limón creates an experience that honors the legacy of de Lucía, while paving a new path into the future of flamenco.

Performance: Ballroom $40 Reserved Seating $34 Gardens Preferred and Gardens Premium Members A World of Music Series Yumi Kurosawa with Special Guest Anubrata Chatterjee Tuesday, October 22, 8 p.m.

Koto visionary Yumi Kurosawa teams up with worldrenowned tabla player Anubrata Chatterjee for a program bridging the music and culture of Japan and India and illuminating the deep-rooted similarities between the two. Kurosawa and Chatterjee spin mesmerizing musical tales as they reinforce the powerful idea of music as a means to enhance the collaborative spirit of our global community.

Performance: Ballroom $30 Reserved Seating $26 Gardens Preferred and Gardens Premium Members A World of Music Series Nella Tuesday, October 29, 8 p.m.

Hailing from Margarita, Venezuela, Nella creates a distinctively soulful blend inspired by Venezuelan folk songs, the music of the Andalusian region, and her contemporaries. Nella lends her voice to the soundtrack

for Asghar Farhadi’s film, Everybody Knows, starring Javier Bardem, Ricardo Darín, and Penélope Cruz. Her recently released debut album, Voy, features songs written by Grammy Award-winning producer and composer Javier Limón. Voy sets Nella’s expressive voice over a clean, sparse accompaniment, and is global Latin music for the 21st century.

Performance: Ballroom $28 Reserved Seating $24 Gardens Preferred and Gardens Premium Members

November Organ Series Sebastian Heindl Friday, November 1, 8 p.m.

Sebastian Heindl, winner of the 2019 Longwood Gardens International Organ Competition Pierre S. du Pont First Prize, Audience Choice Prize, and AGO Philadelphia Chapter Prize, makes his Longwood solo performance debut. Heindl’s wide-ranging program includes the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, Sigfrid Karg-Elert, César Franck, and more.

Performance: Ballroom $28 Reserved Seating $24 Gardens Preferred and Gardens Premium Members Continued on Page 114

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Longwood Gardens Continued from Page 112

Jazz Series Jazzmeia Horn Saturday, November 9, 8 p.m.

Winner of the 2015 Thelonious Monk International Vocals Jazz Competition, 2013 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, and a 2018 Best Jazz Vocal Album Grammy Award nominee, Jazzmeia Horn has a name that speaks for itself, capturing the very essence of her expressive and lively music. Having earned a reputation as a jazz rising star, Horn appears on the national and international jazz scene while leading her dynamic group The Artistry of Jazz Horn.

Performance: Ballroom $36 Reserved Seating $31 Gardens Preferred and Gardens Premium Members Organ Series Steven Patchel Sunday, November 10, 3 p.m.

An accomplished organist and recitalist, Steven Patchel serves as music director at Immanuel Episcopal Church, Highlands in Wilmington, Del. Patchel has presented organ recitals at Saint Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue in New York and the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, Princeton University Chapel, in addition to recitals at Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Art Museum, Leeds Minster, and St. Paul’s Cathedral in the UK. Performance: Ballroom Free with Gardens Admission Classical Series Keyboard Conversations with Jeffrey Siegel: Concerts with Commentary Friday, November 15, 8 p.m.

Internationally acclaimed pianist Jeffrey Siegel offers four decades of experience presenting Keyboard Conversations, featuring lively, captivating remarks and virtuoso performances. In his The Joyous Music of Beethoven performance, Siegel helps answer who was behind Beethoven’s Theresa Sonata, who was leaving in his Farewell Sonata and why he was so profoundly affected by the departure, and more mysteries about one of the world’s favorite composers.

Performance: Ballroom $35 Reserved Seating $30 Gardens Preferred and Gardens Premium Members

Holiday Series The DePue Brothers: A Magical Grassical Christmas Tuesday, December 3, 8 p.m.

Celebrate the sounds of Christmas with The DePue Brothers. These four violinist brothers encompass a vivid blend of genres resulting in a style they refer to as “grassical”—a combination of bluegrass and classical music, with elements of jazz, blues, and rock mixed in for good measure.

Performance: Ballroom $40 Reserved Seating $34 Gardens Preferred and Gardens Premium Members Holiday Series Lúnasa Thursday, December 5, 8 p.m.

Internationally recognized as one of the best traditional Irish bands in recent times, Lúnasa delivers complex arrangements and a unique sound. Formed from members of some of Ireland’s most influential bands and considered an “Irish music dream team” by Folk Roots magazine, Lúnasa modernizes traditional Irish music like never before.

Performance: Ballroom $42 Reserved Seating $36 Gardens Preferred and Gardens Premium Members A Longwood Christmas On View Friday, November 22, 2019Sunday, January 5, 2020 This holiday we celebrate the many shapes of the season with a display that is both nostalgic and inventive.

Free Holiday Performance Highlights: Oxford Choral Ensemble Monday, November 25, 7 and 8 p.m.

Haverford School Notables Tuesday, November 26, 7 and 8 p.m.

Rehoboth Welsh Choir Monday, December 9, 7 and 8 p.m.

Cherokee High School Girls Ensemble Tuesday, December 10, 7 and 8 p.m.

Ring of Praise Handbell Choir Wednesday, December 11, 7 and 8 p.m.

Forty Niners Thursday, December 12, 7 and 8 p.m.

Voce and The Belles of East, Cherry Hill High School East Monday, December 16, 7 and 8 p.m.

Chester County Choral Society Tuesday, December 17, 7 and 8 p.m.

Central Bucks High School West Choir Wednesday, December 18, 7 and 8 p.m.

A Longwood Christmas features free organ sing-alongs and performances daily.

Continued on Page 116

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Longwood Gardens Continued from Page 114

February A World of Music Series Carlene Carter Saturday, February 15, 8 p.m.

The daughter of June Carter Cash and country star Carl Smith, and stepdaughter of Johnny Cash, Carlene Carter has been releasing music for more than four decades and is the physical embodiment of The Carter Family in the 21st century. Her most recent album release is Carter Girl, a collection of Carter family songs and originals honoring her ancestors and confirming her proud place among them.

Performance: Exhibition Hall $35 Reserved Seating $30 Gardens Preferred and Gardens Premium Members

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A World of Music Series An Evening with Altan Friday, February 21, 8 p.m.

For more than 35 years, Altan has brought the joy of traditional Irish music to audiences around the world.

Altan returns to our Gardens for a heartwarming, dynamic performance with songs ranging from the most touching old Irish songs to hard-hitting reels and jigs.

Performance: Exhibition Hall $40 Reserved Seating $34 Gardens Preferred and Gardens Premium Members Classical Series Berlin Philharmonic

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Piano Quartet Friday, February 28, 8 p.m.

The Berlin Philharmonic Piano Quartet is committed to performing undiscovered masterpieces as well as the standards of classical, romantic, and modern literature.

Comprised of three members of the Berlin Philharmonic and pianist Markus Groh, the Berlin Philharmonic Piano Quartet presents a program by composers Frank Bridge, Danny Elfman, and Richard Strauss.

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