The annual SVIMS mushroom show, taking place for the second time at the Royal BC Museum, was a huge success. This year the event took place in Clifford Carl Hall, the main meeting space on the first floor of the museum. Short mushroom talks–four of them–were scheduled in Newcombe Hall on the mezzanine. A smaller room next to the RBCM store became the ID room and edibles/poisonous table. Children’s activities and special displays (lichens, etc) were ranged around sides of the room. The RBCM store put on a special display of mushroom merchandize.
SVIMS members under the direction of mycologist Shannon Berch spent Saturday in Newcombe Hall, receiving collected mushrooms, identifying and labeling them, and arranging them on tables by groups and spore colours. The tables were then moved down to the main hall and placed in a large ring. Signs created by SVIMS graphic artist Leya were placed at strategic locations.
Between 10 am and 4 pm on Sunday (October 20, 2024), visitors were able to enter the hall and take in the displays. Because of the multiple entry points to the hall, an exact count of visitors was hard to come by, but one estimate put the number of people at 1200. The four talks in Newcombe Hall were all attended at room capacity (about 100).
Coordinated by show runner Maggy and SVIMS president Mel, the volunteers–about 20 of them–interacted with visitors throughout the day. About ten volunteers staffed the inside of the ring (the “bull pit”), answering questions and rapping about mushrooms. Other volunteers, coordinated by Ai Linh, engaged visiting children in several crafts. Jenny, with the assistance of Ian and Tina, kept the volunteers fortified with snacks. Kem and Mitch spent most of the day identifying mushrooms brought in by visitors. Sinclair fielded endless questions about edible and poisonous mushrooms. Bob, Elora, and Sky took applications for SVIMS membership (a record number of new memberships for a SVIMS event) and sold about 65 of the SVIMS 2025 mushroom calendars.
Visitors took breaks from the mushroom displays and talks to view two mushroom films (Fantastic Fungi, Fungi: The Web of Life) that Alex, the RBCM Theatre Manager, had scheduled in the IMAX theatre.
Kim and Liz and Amina other RBCM staff were on hand for much of Saturday and Sunday to keep the show running smoothly.
SVIMS offers a big “Thank You” to the many RBCM staff and all of the club volunteers who made the day possible.
In the picture are six of the bull pit staff, left to right Richard, Mel, Josh, Sarah, Steve, and Brandon. (All pictures on this page were taken by Elora Adamson and are used with permission.)
