OUR PASSION
We are a local community dedicated to learning and sharing knowledge about the culinary, healing and medicinal properties of mushrooms and plants.
JOIN US!
We love spending time in nature and enjoying the bounty of the outdoors! Come and join us as we celebrate by guided foraging, workshops, live music, delicious food and local art.
Vint Elijha Westley
Founder
Meet Vint, he grew up in Ohio where his fondness of foraging came from picking blackberries as a kid. At the age of 18 he moved to Berkeley, California. He was able to explore his love for the outdoors, working at a camping store. Vint’s traveled coast to coast and all of the lower 48! He’s been hunting morels for 20 years now, but it was his move to the Oregon Coast in 2010 that grabbed his interest in mycology from exploring the coastal range. Vint's hobbies are beekeeping, rock hounding, foraging, herbalist farming and kayaking. He also makes art from nature; floating macrame end tables, mushroom shelves and plant hangers. Sometimes you'll find him in his garage, crafting with wood and screen printing spore print designs on clothes. All of which will be on display and for sale at the Ohio Mushroom Festival. He's blessed with 2 nature loving kids, Miles and Marin, his muses are coastal lines, good eats and the trusty woods!
Kevin McLane
Organizer
Hospitality Lead
Kevin is an educator in topics ranging from mathematics to food literacy. His passions include foraging and local ecology. He has foraged wild mushrooms for 15 years, a hobby that Kevin's eternally grateful for in how it brings him closer to nature. Kevin teaches mathematics in both high school and college. For his graduate thesis, he built a mathematical model to describe the symbiosis between ectomycorrhiza and trees in a forest ecosystem. He loves teaching others about the natural abundance around us and the benefits of sustainable local food systems. Kombucha fermentation has been a very fulfilling hobby from both a health and culinary perspective. Kevin enjoys the versatility of mixed culture fermentation and the innumerable possibilities for new applications.
Marin Pearl Westley
Organizer
Marin is a young, independent artist who is working towards being a tattooist. Music and being in nature inspire her creativity. Traveling is a passion of hers. Living on the coast of Oregon gave her a love for rainy days! With her parents always taking her in the woods to go foraging, hiking has became one of her hobbies and relaxations.
Elijha Miles Westley
Head of Merchandise
Miles is a free spirited young man with a love for all things nature. Growing up on the oregon coast & traveling with his parents from a young age developed his love for seeing the world. He enjoys foraging, hiking in the woods, cooking & spending time with his family. He is working to become an electrician with the goal to begin his own business one day.
Michael Wilson
Vending & Volunteer Coordinator
Michael Wilson Michael has been working with entheogens since 2008, and has had a meditation/yoga practice since 2010. He is a permaculture designer, and reiki certified. After completing an organic farm apprenticeship and yoga teacher training he began working with wild foraged mushrooms in 2016 and preparing medicines from them. He began working with Amanita muscaria for personal healing in 2021 and soon after began preparing it for clients. He has a business based around medicinal mushrooms and plants, providing high quality extractions and dried mushrooms, serving retail and wholesale customers world wide, as well as providing: one on one consultations, ceremonies, workshops and lectures. He has international distributors in Canada, UK, and EU and has served over 15,000 individuals world wide with various preparations. You may find him vending his tinctures and his non-alcoholic elixir bar at mushroom festivals and other events. He has an amazing team that all work for the same purpose, getting natures medicine to the people who need it. He is an admin in the largest amanita community online, a Facebook group with over 68,000 members called Amanita muscaria Science and Magic. He is currently working on an Amanita muscaria master class online program. Amanita muscaria has been the main focus of his life since he began working with this amazing mushroom. He has personally explored many of the ways one can commune with this mushroom spirit in various potencies, preparations, and species.Amanita Muscaria: The Original Magic MushroomSpeech description:Amanita muscaria is the most occult mushroom, it is featured in popular media, myths, children's books, holiday greeting cards, and the mushroom emoji on your phone... but what is true about this enigmatic mushroom? Join us in a presentation about what we know about this sacred and mysterious mushroom. Michael will cover some of the history and indigenous shamanic use, as well as the mythology and lore behind the Amanita muscaria mushroom. He will also discuss the identification, chemistry, preparation and safety that must be known before working with this mushroom; also covered will be the dosage and effects of amanita muscaria. Finally he will close with sharing where the market around amanita muscaria is going now and safe places to procure knowledge and products.Thank you and Be Blessed!-MichaelHarmony Acres FarmAll Things AmanitaFarm and Forage LLCLink Tree:https://linktr.ee/Harmony_acresBook a consultation:ConsultationsCustomer Service:+1 412-595-5469
Myco Mike
Foray Coordinator
Steve & Amy Adams
Organizers/chefs
James Mann organizer/presenter
James Mann is a naturalist, with a specific focus on wild food. Growing up in the rolling Appalachian hills of southern Ohio, James grew up immersed in nature, not truly appreciating it until he moved away to the city, training and working as a chef in fine dining for 10 years. This all culminated in an apprenticeship at Faviken, a two Michelin star restaurant in northern Sweden where all food was grown and foraged on site. Now James Guides nature walks for kids, and has regular foraging classes for adults that includes a wild food lunch, bringing the wild food journey from the forest to the table in one, 3 hour experience. Check out his website www.spicebushwoodcraft.com to learn more.
Joe Gergley
Art Director
Joe is full time artist whom is driven by the act of creating. Born in Youngstown, Ohio. He studied illustration at Columbus college of art and design (ccad). When Joe isn’t creating art he enjoys finding inspiration within nature and foraging wild mushrooms. @strangehumanstudios (Instagram) www.strangehumanstudios.com www.strangehumanstudios.bigcartel.com (Shop)
Jim Sayer
Jim Sayer's work as an Herbalist blossomed from his own experience with chronic illness in his family and how conventional medicine failed them miserably. Jim has been studying Herbalism for over twenty years leading to his development of The Herbal Ally Way through his passion for true spiritual allyship with the Herbs themselves. Jim is the owner of the House of Life Botanicals as well as the Coordinator for the Herbal Allies Chapter of the Herbalist’s Without Borders-Youngstown, OH. In addition to Jim's herbal studies, he holds a Bachelor of Science in Alternative Medicine with two years of Nutrition education, Certified as a Nutritional Consultant and many other continuing education credits and certifications related to his field. With that said, he is not a doctor, nor a licensed professional of any kind. These sessions are for informational purposes only and are not intended to diagnose or treat any disease. You are encouraged to speak with your healthcare provider about all herbal products, dietary changes, or supplements you choose to use.
Organizer
Desiree Harvestlove
Marketing Director
Meet Desiree HarvestLove, a nature enthusiast and foraging expert on a mission to connect people with the beauty of the natural world. With a background in horticultural botany and environmental science, Desiree is not just an educator but a passionate advocate for sustainable living. Utilizing multiple platforms and resources, Desiree puts her skills to work to support community growth emphasizing the importance of traditional food and medicine.