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By Oregon Coast TODAY
YACHATS — The edible mushroom-hunting season on the Oregon coast is all too brief, but thanks to a program from the Yachats Chamber of Commerce, you can experience the thrill of finding mushrooms for much longer. And these mushrooms never go bad.
When the Yachats Mushrooms Festival concludes in October the chamber kicks off its Yachats Mushroom Treasure Hunt, which runs through March 1.
Every Saturday, chamber volunteers hide artistically crafted sculptures in hidden corners along easily accessible trails, inviting explorers to discover these whimsical treasures. The spots chosen by the trail gnomes could be near the beach, in a botanical garden or in the forest, but all look like natural spots for a mushroom to be hiding.
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“The fact that it’s on trails is a key difference from the glass float drops,” said chamber director Nichole Lippincott. “Our trail gnomes go all the way to Heceta Head. I have a guy that does the deeper trails for the more adventurous seeker.”
Similar to beachcombing but even more rewarding, these treasures are limited in number and uniquely special. Unlike traditional beachcombing, however, these handcrafted artisan mushrooms are safely hidden each Saturday morning through the winter — celebrating the mycological wonders that sustain the majestic Siuslaw Forest.
Each Saturday, after the treasures have been placed, the chamber creates and shares hints to their locations. A mix of photographs and poetry, the hints add a level of fun to the hunt and are often, but not always, helpful.
“We make up random clues to help people find the mushrooms and post them on the Yachats Mushroom Treasure Hunt website and on Instagram,” Lippincott said. “We’ve been having to make the clues harder though because people were finding the mushrooms so fast.”
The season less traveled offers plenty of extra enticements. It’s the perfect time to don your rain gear, put on cozy socks and breathe deeply in the moisture-rich, highly ionized, golden-hued atmosphere that defines the coastal winter months.
This year, two artist studios are involved in creating the one-of-a-kind, handmade mushroom sculptures. Paris Birdwell designs are creating mushrooms of colorful and mind-bending swirls of glass, and Rasa Clay Works make them out of high-fired porcelain covered in crystalline glazes.
“The mushrooms are created in a way that reflects the beauty and fragility of the Siuslaw Forest,” said an artist from Rasa Clay Works. “I’m not trying to make perfect mushrooms, more to represent the changing nature of mushrooms and the beauty in that.”
Rasa Clay Works are creators of fine porcelain wares ranging from functional to architectural and are also part of the Yachats landscape. The artists at Rasa have lived in the Siuslaw for many decades and have long been avid mushroom enthusiasts. They have chosen to be inspired but not to create replicas of our forest ‘shrooms, sculpting in the spirit of mycological flowers.
Birdwell has been honing her skills for many years. Her creations are an expression of her dedication and sensitivity to color and luminescence. Holmes Birdwell Glass can be visited right off Highway 101 just north of Yachats.
Both studios are making the collectible ‘shrooms with the hope of bringing smiles and encouraging adventure to be a year-round endeavor.
“They are all so uniquely made,” Lippincott said. “We are trying to support these small businesses and provide something that isn’t readily available for the people to just buy in a shop.”
- Check in each Saturday morning for clues at www.YachatsTreasureHunt.com and on the visit.yachats page on Instagram. For more information, call 541-547-2345.
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