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The 40th annual Mushroom Festival bloomed over several streets of Kennett Square this weekend, featuring 229 vendors, mushroom-growing demonstrations and the pungent smell of mushrooms.

The “mushroom capital of the world” hosts the annual mushroom-themed festival to celebrate the heritage of the Pennsylvanian borough.

Gale Ferranto is one of the many Kennett Square residents with ties to the area’s mushroom farming heritage.

She is president of Buono Foods, a mushroom production company that stemmed from her grandfather’s farm in the early 1900s, which remains one of 53 family-owned and operated farms in the area.

Ferranto said those farms are responsible for about 64% of the mushrooms grown nationwide.
A volunteer explains the mushroom growing process. It is unique to different farming techniques as mushrooms don’t require sunlight, instead needing all their food in the soil or substrate. (Nate Harrington/WHYY)

Ferranto, who also serves as the festival coordinator, said the event started small in 1985, with just a few industry growers and shippers.

“[They] thought it would be a great idea for mushrooms, since Pennsylvania leads the country in mushroom production,” said Ferranto. “So they got together and said, ‘Let’s celebrate mushrooms.’”

In addition to celebrating the edible fungi, another purpose of the festival is to give back to the Kennett Square community.

“I’m a mushroom farmer, so I’m going to be swayed, but I’m quite proud that we could still live in the suburbia together and get along with the community,” she said. “The mushroom industry supports this community and this town and these people and these nonprofits.”

Kennett Square’s love for mushrooms has taken root across state borders, with visitors from Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey. The festival expects nearly 100,000 attendees over the weekend.