Wine and Mushroom Train 2011
Saturday, November 5, 2010 – 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Fall in Northern California’s Mendocino County turns a bit magical when the rains come and delectable varieties of edible mushrooms begin to appear. Mendocino County is home to more than 3,000 mushroom varieties – including the rare candy cap mushroom, with its intense maple-syrup flavor and sweet fragrance – that grows along the northern coast of California. The pinnacle of mushroom season is Mendocino County’s annual Mushroom Festival, this year November 4 – 13, and what better way to celebrate this event than by being transported on the historic Skunk Train.
Mendocino County’s signature event for this two week festival is the Wine & Mushroom Train, which has been featured in numerous publications and most recently in Oprah’s – O Magazine, and is a benefit event for the new Frank R. Howard Foundation Medical Campus.
The depots will open at 9am with rather more than a continental breakfast available. Guests depart at 10am from either Fort Bragg or Willits and will be transported deep into the majestic redwood forest arriving at Camp Mendocino, roughly the mid-point of the scenic 40-mile rail line. Upon arrival at Camp Mendocino guests may continue to relax with a leisurely stroll amongst the redwoods and a glass of award-winning Mendocino County wine, or jump right into the mushroom dish cook-off in which each guest may cast a vote in the “People’s Choice Award” to their favorite dish. As if the sensory overload of food and wine isn’t enough, guests can enjoy guided walks, an informative talk with Mendocino County’s own “fun-guy” Eric Schramm, a mushroom cooking demonstration, and a live and silent auction filled with some amazing items.
Joining in the fun this year will be a panel of celebrity incognito judges mingling around secretly casting their own votes. This years panel is Sara Schneider – Sunset Magazine, Gibson Thomas – Edible Marin & Wine Country, Katie Arnold Ratliffe – O, The Oprah Magazine, Diane Werner – Taste of Home (a Reader’s Digest Association publication), Elizabeth Turner – Vegetarian Times, and Sue Elliott – Popular Plates. Also in attendance will be three journalists that Visit California is flying in on a special “Foraging California” FAM tour (though they will not be serving as judges): Assigned Writer for Intermezzo – Roger Morris, Contributing Food Writer for Newsweek – Marge Perry, and Contributing Editor for Cooking Light – David Banon.
For more information on the Skunk Train or to purchase tickets for the 3rd annual Wine & Mushroom Train, please call 800-45-SKUNK (457-5865) or visit www.SkunkTrain.com . All-inclusive tickets for this day are $125.00 per person.
The Frank R. Howard Foundation would like to thank our sponsors who have helped make the event possible. Our platinum sponsors are Adventist Health, Frank R. Howard Memorial Hospital, Anderson Logging, MCS/Northern Aggregates, Sparetime Supply, and The Skunk Train. Our gold sponsors are Bailey’s, MendoLake Credit Union, North Coast Plumbing, Heating & Sheet Metal, North Valley Bank, and Savings Bank of Mendocino County.
For more information and to purchase tickets please call 707.459.2777.
For more information download the Wine & Mushroom Brochure Here.
Or check out the articles on Visit Mendocino.
To purchase tickets visit the Skunk Train.
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