Telluride Mushroom Festival: Lincoff Scholarship Winner Announced

10 Jun Telluride Mushroom Festival: Lincoff Scholarship Winner Announced

Since 1981, the Telluride Mushroom Festival has celebrated all things mycological, from the newest advancements in mushroom science to its famous mushroom cook-off. The 39th annual Telluride Mushroom Festival takes place Wednesday, August 14 – Sunday, August 18, in Telluride, the Festival Capital of the Rockies. (For an overview, go here.)

The Telluride Mushroom Festival features three different kinds of event types listed in this year’s program and on the SCHED online schedule.

Full festival passes for the four-day event runs $300. Tickets/passes here. 

Please scroll down to learn more about the Gary Lincoff Scholarship.

Gary Lincoff is a founder of the Telluride Mushroom Festival & beloved presenter. He is sorely missed.

It’s official. The annual Lincoff Scholarship award goes to myco-enthusiast Lily Mickaill, a student at the University of Newcastle, in New South Wales, Australia.

“I received a bunch of interest from many amazing students out there, most were international. Gary would have been thrilled,” stated Dr. Britt Bunyard, Festival Director and Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of FUNGI Magazine. “It was very cool to see how far and wide the Festival is known. I think Lily perfectly embodies the spirit of the annual gathering and reminds me of the college student version of Giuliana Furci or Cathy Cripps, both of whom are now world-famous mycologists changing the world.”

Now offered for the second year in a row, the Lincoff Scholarship is a competitive annual award that provides applicants with a chance at being selected to attend the annual Telluride Mushroom Festival with a full festival pass, lodging for the weekend, and additional funds to help cover travel to Telluride, CO. The scholarship was developed in a kickstarter campaign in 2018 with a silent auction of Gary Lincoff memorabilia.

“We are thrilled to have Lily to join us in August for this year’s Festival and  to help her continue studying fungi,” says Bunyard.

Lincoff, mycologist and founder of the Telluride Mushroom Festival, died on March 16, 2018 in Manhattan, NY. after suffering a stroke at 75.

Gary doing what comes naturally, leading a foray. Image, courtesy Clint Viebrock.

Lincoff was best known for being a “fungi fanatic” and for the production of a field guide to North American mushrooms that sold more than a half-million copies. Additionally, Lincoff taught mushroom and plant identification for 40+ years at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx and wrote several peer-reviewed journal articles, as well as poems and songs about mushrooms. For those who knew Lincoff best, he will be remembered for his wit, humble curiosity, and devotion to learning, teaching and exploring forest floors for the pure joy of discovering plants and fungi.

The theme of this year’s Mushroom Festival, “Healing the Mind, Healing the Planet,” will feature a raft of myco-luminaries including Prof. Emeritus of Pharmacology at Purdue, Dr. David Nichols; Founder/Director of Chile’s Fundación Fungi, Giuliana Furci; Mushroom Mountain’s Tradd & Olga Cotter; and the weed & shroom loving wise woman of the San Juans, Katrina Blair.

Telluride Mushroom Festival, down & dirty:

The Telluride Mushroom Festival kicks off with Early Bird special events and a Myco-Beer Launch Party on Wednesday August 14th.

The celebration continues Thursday through Sunday for pass-holders, offering a variety of workshops, lectures, dinners, films and forays.

The famous Mushroom Parade lifts off Saturday afternoon, 4 p.m, on Main Street in downtown Telluride.

For more information and full Festival Passes and Special Event Tickets for the 39th Annual Telluride Mushroom Festival– Aug. 15-18, 2019 – visit the Telluride Institute website.