T-ride_Shroomfest said:

Thursday, December 6th, 2013

Dear friends and supporters of the Telluride Mushroom Festival,

The Telluride Mushroom Festival, also known as Shroomfest, has been a festival tradition in Telluride for 32 years. Our next event will be held August 15th-18th, 2013. It is the biggest festival of its kind in the United States and offers a unique educational and festive experience to its attendees. We offer academic presentations in a conference style from cutting edge researchers, mycologists, and PhD’s around the globe. Our festival is renowned for its cooking events, world class presenters and the festival parade. We have brought in pop culture icons and notable people like Dr. Andrew Weil, Paul Stamets, Kat Harrison, Gary Lincoff, Terrence McKenna and many more. We also support grassroots organizations like Radical Mycology, the Amazon Mycorenewal Project, Amateur Mycology, and small cultivators and businesses that want to help improve our environment and educate the public. The setting for our event is compared to none in our beautiful little mountain town, and well known around the world.

All of this is in jeopardy right now. The Town of Telluride is considering booking a large music festival over the same dates as the Shroomfest, which would result in crowding, noise, and a significant loss of quality and amenities which the Shroomfest participants have come to value.

We need your help to try to avoid this outcome.

Here’s what you can do:

Attend the meeting on Tuesday Dec. 11th at 2pm in Rebekah Hall in Telluride, CO. You should try at any cost to get there and show your support for the Telluride Mushroom Festival. The more people we pack into the place the more visual will be our presence in front of the Town Council.

If you cannot attend the meeting on Tuesday, please send an email of support to the town clerk mjschillaci@telluride-co.gov by noon on Monday December 10th. CC me scott@shroomfest.com so I can keep track of how many emails of support the town is receiving.

Share this information with everyone you know. The more emails they get the stronger our message is.

In the subject line of your email please write, “I support the Telluride Mushroom Festival”
Cut and paste the paragraphs below.
And put your name at the end.

Thank you for your support of Telluride Mushroom Festival.

Scott Koch
Director, Telluride Mushroom Festival.

Dear Telluride Town Council,

I am writing to express my support of upholding the 32 year tradition of the Telluride Mushroom Festival.

I am asking you not to approve “an Exemption to Koto, from the Requirements of Telluride Municipal Code Section 11-4-20 “Advance Notice Of Impacts” For The Ride On August 16 – 18, 2013.”

The Telluride Mushroom Festival is a valuable cultural event and is unlike any other event in the community of Telluride. Allowing a major festival to be on the same dates of the festival will diminish the ability of the TMF to grow in the future and will degrade the experience for its festival attendees.

The Telluride Mushroom Festival represents more than just a history of presence in Telluride, it represents the entire mycological community across the globe. It offers year round educational programming in the community and has built long standing relationships in Telluride and around the world. It offers a way for grassroots mycologists and academics alike to share their knowledge in a public forum for the benefit of humanity and the environment.

Thank you for considering my voice in this process.

Sincerely,

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