Jessica Shea’s parents are hippies, she says, so it was only natural for her to dip her toes in the world of psychedelic mushrooms and foraging when she was a teenager. As an adult, she would go on to found Forward Counseling as a licensed clinical and psychedelic assisted therapist, and she’d found the Memphis Mushroom Festival, which after a year’s hiatus returns this weekend.
“The purpose of Mushroom Fest is to unite the Mid-South and teach about self-sustainability and health through nature,” Shea says. Historically, the event’s been a ticketed camp-style festival, lasting four nights and three days, but this year, for its fourth annual celebration, it’ll be a free, one-day community extravaganza in Overton Park, done in collaboration with Overton Park Conservancy.
As for the change, Shea says, “The economy right now is really a problem for a lot of people, and the urgent burden of food costs is really weighing on folks, so our team got together and thought: The purpose of a festival is to educate the public; what is the public need this year? And I did not think they needed to pay ticket fees.”
And so this go-around, the festival, with its mission to establish inclusion and access, will focus on beginner-level classes and workshops led by regional speakers “to teach people the basics of backyard gardening, beekeeping, foraging, and growing their own mushrooms,” Shea says. “Our goals, for this year, are to teach people how to grow their own food, how to forage safely and identify edible plants, how to make herbal medicine at home, and how to build gardens that support pollinators.”
The day will also have a vendors and makers market featuring regional artisans, cooking demos, and eco and wellness activities. Festival-goers are encouraged to bring water bottles, something to sit on, and most importantly, an open mind.
“Just come try it. See how it feels,” Shea says. “A lot of the experiences that we offer are meant to change the way you may feel pretty immediately. So I really just want people to come in and experience what we’re offering. All they have to do is show up. The experiences, from Reiki to sound baths to chef demos to music, are all going to be there.”
And if you’re in for even more mushroom fun after the Mushroom Festival, organizers host events, like mycology classes, throughout the year. Visit memphismushroomfest.com for more information and to see a full schedule of the festival’s day.
Memphis Mushroom Festival, Overton Park, Saturday, September 20, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., free.
