Information Booth
GeneralQuestions? Visit the Festival Information Booth for Festival-day info!
Kids Events
KidsBounces, Bungees & Balloons
Make sure to stop by the Kids Area where the little ones can ditch the shoes and jump all the wiggles out in inflatable bounce houses, or try and jump to the moon on a bungee jump.
Mushroom 'Chopped' Contest
Free ShowsDo you like mystery? Excitement? Anticipation?
FIVE contestants will square off in front of a LIVE audience to compete in the popular Food Network-themed 'Chopped' competition where each contestant will have 30 minutes to create a delicious mushroom-centric dish for THREE judges, to be judged on taste, presentation, creativity, and use of mushrooms. TWO WINNERS from each Saturday competition will advance to the FINALE on SUNDAY!
Contestants will have a shared pantry of ingredients like salt, pepper, oils, etc., as well as a few standard ingredients at the contestant’s workstation. And of course, a Mystery Basket of ingredients that MUST BE USED!
Come watch as these contestants create creative, unique, and delicious mushroom-themed dishes--'Chopped'-style!
Mushroom Growers Tent
GeneralDid you know mushrooms double in size every 24 hours? That they don’t need sunlight to grow? And a handful of mushrooms have more Potassium than one banana?
Learn about how mushrooms grow—from tiny spores to the yummy mushrooms that end up in your dishes. Hear from Kennett Square mushroom growers about the intricacies of mushroom harvesting, the many sustainable properties of mushroom production (there are a lot!), the nutritional value, and much more!
State Street Festival
GeneralWalk six blocks of State Street to visit our 200+ vendors offering food and crafts, including our wonderful Merchants, and restaurants!
Carla Hall Cooking Demonstation
Free ShowsCarla will be hosting cooking demonstrations at Noon and 4 p.m. on Saturday September 7th. Additionally, Carla will be one of three judges for our Amateur Cook Off Competitions being held at 10 am and 2 pm on Saturday, September 7th.
About Carla…
Carla Hall first won over audiences when she competed on Bravo’s “Top Chef” and “Top Chef: All Stars” and shared her philosophy to always cook with love. She believes food connects us all, and she strives to communicate this through her work, her cooking, and in her daily interactions with others.
Carla spent 7 years co-hosting ABC’s Emmy award winning, popular lifestyle series “The Chew”, and is currently featured on the Food Network in shows such as “Thanksgiving, Holiday and Halloween Baking Championships” (judge), and “Worst Cooks in America”.
Her latest cookbook, Carla Hall’s Soul Food: Everyday and Celebration, was published in 2018, landing on annual “Best Cookbook” lists across the country and receiving an NAACP Image Awards nomination. In 2024, Carla is being honored by Les Dames d’Escoffier as Grande Dame, a lifetime achievement award and honorary title is given to members in recognition of extraordinary contributions within the fields of food, beverage and hospitality.
Hall published her debut picture book, Carla and the Christmas Cornbread, in November 2021, with Denene Millner Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing. Illustrated by Cherise Harris, Carla and the Christmas Cornbread is a heartwarming tale loosely based on Hall’s childhood growing up in Nashville, TN, that celebrates family traditions, old and new, and also includes a child-friendly Christmas cornbread recipe perfect for the holidays.
She is active in many charitable endeavors and focuses her board member-level participation in organizations where she can make an impact advocating for children such as with 4H, Pajama Program, GenYouth, and Helen Keller International. In addition, Carla volunteers time to promote other non profit organizations such as: The James Beard Foundation, FEED America, Jacques Pepin Foundation, The Smithsonian Institutes and their membership of museums, and many others.
Paul Wilkinson
MusicLive Music / Entertainment
Todd Chappelle
MusicButch Zito
Music
Mushroom 'Chopped' Contest
Free ShowsDo you like mystery? Excitement? Anticipation?
FIVE contestants will square off in front of a LIVE audience to compete in the popular Food Network-themed 'Chopped' competition where each contestant will have 30 minutes to create a delicious mushroom-centric dish for THREE judges, to be judged on taste, presentation, creativity, and use of mushrooms. TWO WINNERS from each Saturday competition will advance to the FINALE on SUNDAY!
Contestants will have a shared pantry of ingredients like salt, pepper, oils, etc., as well as a few standard ingredients at the contestant’s workstation. And of course, a Mystery Basket of ingredients that MUST BE USED!
Come watch as these contestants create creative, unique, and delicious mushroom-themed dishes--'Chopped'-style!
Demitri Grivas
MusicLive Music Entertainment
Carla Hall Cooking Demonstration
Free ShowsCarla will be hosting cooking demonstrations at Noon and 4 p.m. on Saturday September 7th. Additionally, Carla will be one of three judges for our Amateur Cook Off Competitions being held at 10 am and 2 pm on Saturday, September 7th.
About Carla…
Carla Hall first won over audiences when she competed on Bravo’s “Top Chef” and “Top Chef: All Stars” and shared her philosophy to always cook with love. She believes food connects us all, and she strives to communicate this through her work, her cooking, and in her daily interactions with others.
Carla spent 7 years co-hosting ABC’s Emmy award winning, popular lifestyle series “The Chew”, and is currently featured on the Food Network in shows such as “Thanksgiving, Holiday and Halloween Baking Championships” (judge), and “Worst Cooks in America”.
Her latest cookbook, Carla Hall’s Soul Food: Everyday and Celebration, was published in 2018, landing on annual “Best Cookbook” lists across the country and receiving an NAACP Image Awards nomination. In 2024, Carla is being honored by Les Dames d’Escoffier as Grande Dame, a lifetime achievement award and honorary title is given to members in recognition of extraordinary contributions within the fields of food, beverage and hospitality.
Hall published her debut picture book, Carla and the Christmas Cornbread, in November 2021, with Denene Millner Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing. Illustrated by Cherise Harris, Carla and the Christmas Cornbread is a heartwarming tale loosely based on Hall’s childhood growing up in Nashville, TN, that celebrates family traditions, old and new, and also includes a child-friendly Christmas cornbread recipe perfect for the holidays.
She is active in many charitable endeavors and focuses her board member-level participation in organizations where she can make an impact advocating for children such as with 4H, Pajama Program, GenYouth, and Helen Keller International. In addition, Carla volunteers time to promote other non profit organizations such as: The James Beard Foundation, FEED America, Jacques Pepin Foundation, The Smithsonian Institutes and their membership of museums, and many others.
Dylan Zangwell
MusicAntje Duvekot
MusicInformation Booth
GeneralQuestions? Visit the Festival Information Booth for Festival-day info!
Kids Events
KidsBounces, Bungees & Balloons
Make sure to stop by the Kids Area where the little ones can ditch the shoes and jump all the wiggles out in inflatable bounce houses, or try and jump to the moon on a bungee jump.
Mushroom Growers Tent
GeneralDid you know mushrooms double in size every 24 hours? That they don’t need sunlight to grow? And a handful of mushrooms have more Potassium than one banana?
Learn about how mushrooms grow—from tiny spores to the yummy mushrooms that end up in your dishes. Hear from Kennett Square mushroom growers about the intricacies of mushroom harvesting, the many sustainable properties of mushroom production (there are a lot!), the nutritional value, and much more!
Mushroom Soup
GeneralMushroom Soup: A Classic!
Locally made savory, rich and creamy mushroom soup. Loaded with fresh hearty local portabella and white mushrooms. This soup offers earthy flavors enhanced by onions, carrots, herbs and black pepper. This local favorite is made with fresh locally grown mushrooms and milk from our local dairy farms.
Made by Sunny Dell Foods, collaborating with the Mason Lodge in Kennett Square.
The soup will be sold in 2 sizes, 8 oz and 16 oz containers for eating at the Festival or taking home!
State Street Festival
GeneralWalk six blocks of State Street to visit our 200+ vendors offering food and crafts, including our wonderful Merchants, and restaurants!
Mushroom 'Chopped' Contest FINAL COOK OFF
Free ShowsDo you like mystery? Excitement? Anticipation?
THE FINALE! FOUR winning Saturday contestants will square off in front of a LIVE audience to compete in the popular Food Network-themed 'Chopped' competition where each contestant will have 30 minutes to create a delicious mushroom-centric dish for THREE judges, to be judged on taste, presentation, creativity, and use of mushrooms.
Contestants will have a shared pantry of ingredients like salt, pepper, oils, etc., as well as a few standard ingredients at the contestant’s workstation. And of course, a Mystery Basket of ingredients that MUST BE USED!
Come watch as these contestants create creative, unique, and delicious mushroom-themed dishes--'Chopped'-style and wins the Grand Prize!!!!!!!!!!!
CiCCO
MusicCICCO is a newly formed band from Kennett Square PA. Their sound consists of a colorful spectrum of original rock and cover music ranging from soft to heavy. They have performed at several venues in the Kennett area. The group is lead by David Ciccone (guitar/vocal) and joined by Daniel Ciccone (drums) Mike Rogers (bass) and Chris Monteiro (guitars, vocals). They can be connected with on Instagram @CICCO610.
Amatuer Fried Mushroom Eating Contest
Free ShowsHosted by WXTU's Jeff Kurkjian and Frank Pastella
This event, puts the FUN in FUNGI when a group of brave contestants see how many fried mushrooms they can eat in eight minutes!
Buona Food's The Original Breaded Fried Mushrooms are a Festival favorite every year! But only a few have the opportunity to eat copious amounts of the crunchy, mouth-watering snacks during this years' amateur Fried Mushroom Eating Contest. The local amatuer record was set in 2021 at 4 pounds.
Join us to watch the spectacle and cheer on the contestants as they callenge these records!
NEW!!! 2024 Amatuer En Fuego Fried Mushroom Eating Contest
Free ShowsThis year, as a warmup (pun intended) to the annual fried mushroom eating contest, we will be hosting our first spicy mushroom eating contest that we have dubbed "Mushroom En Fuego". While we prepare for the fried mushroom eating contest, 10 Contestants will be tasked to eat 4 mushrooms, one at a time, with ever-growing heat. Each contestant will eat a fried mushroom coated in hot sauce, wait a specific amount of time, then move on to the next. If you can eat the last, hottest mushroom and wait out the final time without reaching for the delicious vanilla milkshake that will be in front of you, you will win a prize. Can you take the heat? Do you dare to try?
Ellis Paul
MusicEllis Paul is a songwriter, author, illustrator, and teacher. He has been a constant presence on the American folk circuit for over thirty years. In that time, he has released twenty two albums of original music and performed over 5,000 shows. His songs have made their into big screen features including blockbuster films such as: Me, Myself & Irene, Shallow Hal and Hall Pass, as well as having been recorded by Grammy award winning country artists.
His work has been described as descriptive narratives of people at a crossroads in their lives. Despite the nature of these stories, the humanity in the writing makes them about all of us.
His stage performance is a combination of humor, improv, and poignant story songs. He has performed on stages at the Newport Folk Festival, Carnegie Hall, clubs and coffeehouses all over the world, and was awarded an Honorary Degree from the University of Maine and inducted into the Maine Music Hall of Fame. He has received numerous award including fifteen Boston Music Awards and the prestigious Kerrville New Folk Award. His album released in 2019, The Storyteller’s Suitcase, was named NERFA album of the year and he was named IAMA International Acoustic Artist of the Year. His most recent album “55”, further deepens his reputation as one of folk music’s finest touring artists.