Last Thursday’s column inspired John Hayes to go morel hunting. He pulled in my driveway as I was mowing. It was time to rub salt into my wounds. Hayes and I often hunt morels in the same woods.

“I saw your car parked at the woods this morning,” he said. “Find anything?” I told him that I hadn’t. A smile came across my friend’s face. He had hunted the same woods after I had left and found 31 small gray morels. “I found them all in one place,” Hayes continued.

Hayes and his wife, Debbie, found 44 more morels last Saturday. Reports are trickling in about local hunters finding small black and gray morels.

The temperatures are getting right. Hopefully, by the time you read this we have had a good rain. This is a late spring. The large yellow morels usually come up in conjunction with the lilac bloom. Those fragrant flowers are running about 10 days late, but are the morels in step? I think the big morels will get going late next week.

The Historic Mansfield Roller Mill will participate in Mansfield’s Mushroom Festival on April 26 and 27. Visitors can join in the fun by either bidding on a bag of morels during the mushroom auction held on both days of the festival, or coming out Sunday to see the car show.

The festival also features a morel hunting contest. Prizes are awarded for the largest and most morels found. A little rain will make this a fantastic event.

The mill will be open both days of the festival from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visitors are invited to explore this historic facility’s three stories, which contain original 1880s milling equipment. Of special interest this year are the new interpretive displays that help tell the story of the mill and the machinery associated with it.

The accompanying gift shop will have a variety of unique items for sale, including corn meal that was ground at the mill on water-powered buhr stones.

The Historic Mansfield Roller Mill is managed by Raccoon State Recreation Area and is located six miles south of U.S. 36, just off Indiana 59 in Mansfield.

One week later, May 3, you may wish to attend the second annual Morel Mushroom Festival at Brown County State Park. Last year, I thought the first Saturday in May was too late for this local, but it should be perfect this season.

This festival offers guided hunts in Brown County State Park. Experts will help you identify trees and plants that morels are likely to grow near.

Keynote speaker Stewart Miller is the expert I want to hear. He holds a U.S. patent on “Morel Cultivation.” This is a scientific breakthrough that I want to learn about. Stewart is the biologist who I wrote about last year. He will have a limited number of elm rootstock, inoculated with morel fungi, available at the park.

The festival is free with park admission and also features live cooking demonstrations. You get to be the judge on how these dishes taste.

While we are at it, how about tossing in an art and craft fair at the Brown County State Park Interpretive Garden? If you don’t find the mother lode or even enough to fill a skillet, simply purchase fresh morels from the Friends of Brown County SP. Morels will be available at the Nature Center.

Need more convincing? A morel “Monster” contest for the largest and smallest morel found. A FUNgus Coloring contest for kids. And, live music, with local musicians performing throughout the day. Get the scoop at www.morelmushroomfestival.com.