The 4th annual Stark County Morel Mushroom Festival will be held Saturday, April 28, at Thomas Park in Wyoming, Illinois, 40 miles northwest of Peoria. The Festival will feature food, crafts, family activities, and a Morel Mushroom Auction that will start at 2:00 p.m. The Festival will run from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. There is no admission fee.

Mushroom sellers are to register for the auction from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Morels to be auctioned must be in clear 8 oz. bags, cleaned but not washed. A $2.00 fee per bag will be charged to the seller. A drawing will be held at 1:00 p.m. to determine the order of selling.

The auction has been renamed in honor of Fred Howard who worked to make the auction a success and who actively supported the community.

New for 2012 are a free morel hunting seminar at 1:30 p.m. and a grade school coloring contest with prizes awarded at 1:00 p.m.  The bad-weather back-up site will be the new Stark County Community Center in Wyoming.

The Central Illinois Agricultural Society will offer hayrides pulled by an antique tractor. "World's Best" mushroom soup and other festival food favorites will be available for purchase. Thomas Park is located 2 blocks west of downtown, at 300 W. Elm St.

The event is hosted by the Stark County Community Center and the Stark County Economic Development Office. For more information, please contact chairman Duke Frisby at dukefrisby@hotmail.com, phone (309) 883-3057, or Dan Shockey at spoonriverlanding@frontier.com (309) 695-2900.

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