By BRETT McKAY
Michigan Correspondent

MESICK, Mich. — If there is one thing on which most Northern Michigan residents agree, it’s that spring and the arrival of the Morel mushroom go hand-in-hand.

A fact that is celebrated each year during the Mesick Mushroom Festival, which is currently in it’s 48th year.

The Morel mushroom is an elusive fungi - only growing in the damp, wooded forest of Northern Michigan in May and the first few weeks of June. It’s relative scarcity does not discourage people from spending hours at a time seeking out the delicious mushroom.

Drive down most Northern Michigan roads at this time of year, and cars will be lined up on the side of the road while people scour the woods in search of this treasure. The Morel is so rare, many are willing to pay more than $50 per pound.

The Mesick Mushroom Festival has been a staple of the community since 1959. According to Lester Barnes, one of the event organizers, the mushroom festival was originally the Gladiola Festival.

Several small, seven-acre farms in the area grew Gladiolas as one of their main crops, but the marketplace for these crops began to fade. So, the local chamber of commerce decided to recreate the festival into what it is today.

The Mesick Mushroom Festival has been offering family entertainment for nearly 50 years, and this year was no different.
Some of the more popular events included a large flea market, carnival, softball tournament, horse pull and a grand parade.

Also included in the day’s activities was a mushroom contest, which in past years has had entries of mushrooms that were taller than nine inches.