By Debra Shankland
The Dick Grimm Memorial Banquet was held at the Mediterranean on 33 restaurant in Lancaster on Saturday, November 7 this year. Twenty-five members gathered to reconnect and share stories before winter puts a temporary stop to foray activity. Everyone was in good spirits, coming from all over the state to attend.
Following a tasty meal of freshly-prepared Greek, Mediterranean and Continental fare, Debra Shankland took a moment to recall Dick Grimm’s many contributions to our club and mycological study, and introduced our special guest for the evening, Dr. Shannon Nix of Clarion University.
Dr. Shannon Nix of Clarion University
After driving down from Clarion, PA, Dr. Nix delivered an excellent presentation on mushroom spore dispersal aptly titled, ‘The Great Escape’. The visuals were stunning, and perfectly illustrated her discussion. While the primary difference between Ascomycetes and Basidiomycetes is in how they produce spores, how those minute reproductive spheres travel may be active or passive. Animal vectors, mushrooms creating their own small-scale “wind”, funicular cords that lasso nearby vegetation, and the sheer number of spores produced and released by different species were just a few details that made this a fascinating lecture.
Everyone went away with a shroomy door prize, some great, some small, but a wide variety of prizes were available for the choosing. A major donor of the prizes was Karen Kelly, whom we miss since she has moved to Florida. We thank everyone who donated prizes, and also Shirley McClelland for organizing the banquet.
It was a lovely evening. We stayed late and went home smiling!
Respectfully submitted,
Debra
Ohio Mushroom Society 