2026 August Economic Report

Discover Lewis County will host the 2026 Discover Lewis County Tourism Summit & Leadership Awards on Friday, September 18, at The Mason Jar in Onalaska.

The countywide event will bring together tourism partners, businesses, community leaders, elected officials, organizations, and destination stakeholders for an evening focused on connection, collaboration, and the future of tourism in Lewis County.

This year’s Summit will feature presentations from Lewis County Commissioner Scott Brummer, Lisa Smith with the Washington State Microenterprise Association, and Matthew Ozuna with State of Washington Tourism. The program will include local and statewide perspectives on tourism, small business, economic development, and the role of partnerships in strengthening communities.

The evening will also include networking, dinner, a State of Tourism update, and the introduction of Discover Lewis County’s 2027 marketing direction: Discover Volcano Country. The new visitor-facing strategy is designed to help promote Lewis County’s unique location between Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, and Mount Adams while supporting destination development across the county.

A highlight of the evening will be the 2026 Tourism Leadership Awards, recognizing the individuals, businesses, organizations, events, and volunteers helping strengthen tourism across Lewis County. Award categories honor leadership, visitor experience, collaboration, stewardship, community impact, and volunteer service.

Tickets for the Tourism Summit & Leadership Awards are $45 and include admission, networking reception, dinner, the 2027 marketing plan introduction, and the Tourism Leadership Awards program.

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For event information and tickets, visit DiscoverLewisCounty.com.

Discover Lewis County serves as Lewis County’s destination marketing organization. Discover Lewis County is charged with representing Lewis County as a tourism destination and supporting the long-term development of our communities through sustainable tourism marketing and management strategies. They bring together government, related organizations and industry stakeholders to secure funding, and protect our natural environment while simultaneously boosting the local economies.

Third round of Evergreen Manufacturing grants support growth in key industries

By The Economic Alliance of Lewis County

The Washington State Department of Commerce announced $1 million in grant funding to seven businesses and organizations to accelerate manufacturing expansion, creating workforce development and economic opportunities across the state, including Custom Source Woodworking in Lewis County.

The grants include $150,000 awards to four businesses and $130,000 awards to three industry cluster organizations.

“Washington offers manufacturers a strong culture of innovation and a highly skilled workforce,” said Commerce Interim Director Sarah Clifthorne. “These investments build on those advantages, helping businesses grow and compete while expanding opportunities in rural and underserved communities.”

The funding is from the Evergreen Manufacturing Growth Grants program, which supports projects that increase manufacturing and research and development jobs through investments in business expansion, technology advancement, workforce development and industry collaboration.

“These grants help Washington businesses expand, create living-wage jobs and strengthen local economies,” said Andrea Chartock, assistant director of Commerce’s Office of Economic Development and Competitiveness. “This round includes projects in communities that don’t always have access to the same investment opportunities as larger markets.”

Custom Source Woodworking, Lewis County

For expansion to the City of Chehalis, grant funding will support market analysis and workforce development initiatives to recruit and train new manufacturing employees over three years. The project also anticipates approximately $4.9 million in capital investment, including building acquisition and improvements.

Supporting Washington manufacturing

The Evergreen Manufacturing Growth Grants help Washington businesses and industry organizations expand manufacturing capacity, develop skilled workers, and strengthen industry networks that support economic growth in communities across the state.

The program invests in projects that advance manufacturing growth in Washington’s key industries, including business expansion, workforce development, technology adoption, and industry collaboration.

DiscoverLewisCounty.com

Discoverlewiscounty.com is supported by the Economic Alliance of Lewis County

Packwood’s Labor Day Flea MarketLabor Day Weekend

The Packwood Flea Market is held in the charming town of Packwood every year on Labor Day weekend. This lively flea market draws in locals and visitors from all around, creating a vibrant atmosphere filled with fun and treasure-hunting spirit. The market features a wide array of vendors offering an eclectic mix of goods, including antiques, collectibles, handmade crafts, clothing, home decor, and much more. Strolling through the aisles, visitors can explore the diverse selection of items, discovering hidden gems and unique finds at every turn. Whether you’re searching for a nostalgic item, a one-of-a-kind piece, or simply enjoy the thrill of the hunt, the Packwood Flea Market offers a delightful and memorable day of exploration and discovery.

Gifford Pinchot Fungi Fest

Oct. 9-11

The Gifford Pinchot Fungi Festival is a vibrant, three-day gathering that celebrates the ecological, culinary, and artistic wonders of fungi, hosted in the heart of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, in Packwood.

Dive into hands-on workshops, wild forays, artisan markets, delicious local food, and more — plus hear from an inspiring lineup of featured speakers including Daniel Winkler, Alan Rockefeller, Aaron Hilliard, Paul Whitney, Sue Manning, Sarah Richelle Starnes, Tess Barlow, Junie B. Fungal, Langdon Cook, Rose Tursi, Amelia Nora, Chris Adams and more.

Schedule of events

Friday Night:

Open to the public — 3 to 4 p.m.

Spor-y Time (Youth reading activity) —

3 to 4 p.m.

Registration — 4:30 to 9 p.m.

Marketplace — 5:15 to 5:30 p.m.

Intro to Keynote — 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Mushroom App Bar Happy Hour — 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Keynote Speaker: Daniel Winkler — 6:30 to 10 p.m.

Fungal Fruits of the Forest — Choice Edible Mushrooms of the PNW

Enjoy Keynote Speaker: Daniel Winkler

Fungal Fruits of the Forest — Choice Edible Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest with Daniel Winkler

Daniel grew up collecting and eating wild mushrooms in the Alps and is sharing his enthusiasm as a mushroom educator, photographer, and guide. The Puget Sound Mycological Society, which he joined in 1996, was instrumental in exposing Daniel to mycology and inspiring him to bend his career towards mushrooms. Daniel published his “Fruits of the Forest — Field Guide to Pacific Northwest Edible Mushrooms” (available at mushroaming.com), a product of a lifetime of mushroom hunting, the last thirty years in the Pacific Northwest. Previously, he published a series of fold-out field guides: Edible Mushrooms of the PNW, Edibles of California (both Harbour Publishing), Amazon Mushrooms, and Medicinal Mushrooms of North America, as well as MycoCards “Boletes of Western North America.” As an ecologist and geographer, Daniel focused on High Asia in researching Tibet’s enormous fungal economy. His ethno-mycological Cordyceps research has been featured in National Geographic, The New York Times, The Economist, NPR, BBC World Service, etc. In the last decade, Daniel started exploring neotropical fungi. With his travel agency, MushRoaming, Daniel has been organizing mushroom-focused eco-adventures since 2007; current destinations are Bhutan and Colombia.

Saturday and Sunday:

3-hour mushroom forays starting at 9 a.m., 10 a.m., and 11 a.m.

Capturing Fungi: A Mushroom Photography Workshop with Alan Rockefeller

Join mycologist and photographer Alan Rockefeller for a hands-on workshop. Participants will learn how to maximize the potential of their equipment, whether it’s a cell phone, DSLR, or mirrorless camera. He will guide attendees through the fundamental principles of composition, lighting, and macro photography specifically tailored towards fungi.

You will also be introduced to post-processing techniques using Photoshop and Helicon Focus to enhance and stack images for unparalleled clarity and depth of field. Whether you are drawn to the delicate gills of a Mycena or the vibrant hues of a Cortinarius, this workshop provides a comprehensive toolkit to transform your mushroom photography from ordinary to extraordinary.

Fungus Among Us: Wild Edible Mushrooms from Patch to Plate with Langdon Cook

Explore the woods of Washington with award-winning author and culinary adventurer Langdon Cook, on a quest to find the region’s most sought after wild mushrooms for the table. Slides of fall fungi in their habitat and in finished dishes will have you reaching for your boots, baskets, and sauté pans. Q&A and book signing to follow.

Langdon Cook is a writer, instructor, and lecturer on wild foods and the outdoors. His books include Upstream, a finalist for the Washington State Book Award, The Mushroom Hunters, winner of the Pacific Northwest Book Award, and Fat of the Land, which The Seattle Times called “lyrical, practical and quixotic.” Cook’s work has been nominated for two James Beard Awards, a Society for Environmental Journalists award, and a Pushcart Prize. He has been profiled in Bon Appetit, Whole Living, and Salon.com, and his writing appears in numerous magazines, including National Geographic, Outside, Eating Well, Gray’s Sporting Journal, and Seattle Magazine, where he was a regular columnist for a decade.

Dye Fungi of Gifford Pinchot National Forest with Tess Barlow

Tess Barlow loves walking through forests in search of dye fungi — especially in Gifford Pinchot National Forest. She’s been inspired by the rich colors available from fungi for over 16 years. Learning from mentors, friends, online resources, and personal experiments have all contributed to her current expertise. This will be a picture slideshow with lecture on dye fungi from Gifford Pinchot National Forest, a brief history of mushroom dye, and the basics of how to mordant fiber and dye with mushrooms.

Dye Your Own Silk Scarf With Mushrooms with Tess Barlow

This will be a 5-hour open dye demo outside with scarves for purchase ready to dye at $50/each scarf. Takes 45 minutes. No class size limit, anyone is welcome to watch and learn for free, or buy a scarf to dye.

A stroll through Mushroom Wonderland with Aaron Hilliard

Aaron Hilliard is a mycology educator for Kitsap County where he teaches classes at Olympic College, he’s past Vice President of Kitsap Peninsula Mycological Society, and creator of the popular YouTube channel and social media outlet Mushroom Wonderland. After studying the bizarre and wondrous world of fungi for 30 years, Aaron’s presentation will be a dive into the mysterious world of fungi and the amazing things it can do. You’ll leave with your mind blown after a “Stroll Through Mushroom Wonderland.”

Guided Forest Bathing Walk with Janene Ritchie

Forest bathing, from the Japanese shinrin-yoku, simply means taking in the atmosphere of the forest. Humankind’s unique relationship to forests means that there are many scientifically proven benefits of time spent in nature for the human body, including reduced blood pressure and stress hormones as well as increased heart rate variability and white blood cells. But the most noticeable effect for people is how relaxed and calm their minds and bodies feel at the end of a forest bathing walk. Walking with a guide who can hold a safe container for the experience encourages people to move from their thinking mind into their feeling body — using their senses, in tandem with the forest, to co-create a unique and powerful experience. In this fungi-inspired forest bath, you will walk very slowly and intentionally, stopping occasionally for prompts that will invite you deeper into your own senses and into the forest itself. Please wear clothing and shoes appropriate for the weather and bring a water bottle. If it would make your experience more comfortable, you may also bring a small, easily carried folding seat.

Janene Ritchie trained as a forest bathing guide with the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy in 2018. Since then, they have guided forest bathing experiences for various groups across both the Midwest and the Pacific Northwest. Janene most enjoys observing the sense of lightness and connection people exude when they shift their focus from their thinking mind to their feeling body. Janene has also been the executive director of the Pinchot Partners since 2020, and lives in Southwest Washington with their partner, three children, and three dogs.

Spor-y Time With Christina Brischetto

Kid’s Foray and Scavenger Hunt with Christina Brischetto

Christina spent 20+ years as a youth services librarian. She now freelances as a “librarian off-leash.” She founded the nonprofit organization, Kids Read Books, to address the need for better access to print materials and children’s programs in east Lewis County. After a couple of years of distributing children’s books and performing storytimes, Kids Read Books grew into Family CIRCLES (Cooperation in Rural Communities of Lewis County for Education and Support). CIRCLES offers affordable educational programs and free resources for kids. Christina believes the way to get kids excited about reading is by making storytimes interactive and helping them find books that follow their interests.

Fungal Fornication and What’s in the Bag? With Sue Manning and Paul Whitney

This 1½-hour-long session includes exploring the intimate details of how mushrooms reproduce. Paul will suggest possible locations in the mushroom life cycle where sex occurs and let the audience vote on what they think. He will also present a simplified explanation of how fungus can have more than two sexes. Finally he will briefly discuss the spawn used in the bag making. During the hands-on bag making activity with Sue, you will learn the basic ingredients needed to grow your own Oyster mushrooms. Participants will discover how 4 simple components join together to produce mushrooms at home. You can watch them grow and send their spores flying.

PAUL WHITNEY PH.D.

Paul has advanced degrees in mammalian ecology and genetics. He was president of a mid-size environmental consulting firm in Portland. He is not a mycologist and struggled to find out how mushrooms had sexual reproduction and up to hundreds of sexes. Precovid, Paul organized a journal club to review and understand journal articles related to fungal sex. Oregon State graduate students in genetics and fungus ecology participated in the journal club to help Paul and others get their heads around the role of amino acid sequencing in fungal sex.

SUE MANNING, M.ED.

Sue holds a Master’s degree in Education with a focus in Biology and dedicated more than 30 years to science education as a teacher and curriculum specialist. Throughout her career, she shared her passion for hands-on science with learners of all ages — from preschoolers to adults — across Oregon and Alaska. A native Oregonian, Sue recently retired from teaching middle school science after inspiring countless students to explore and appreciate the natural world.

Having spent her entire life in the Pacific Northwest, Sue developed a deep appreciation for its natural beauty and biodiversity. Twenty-five years ago, a field trip in the Mount Hood National Forest sparked her fascination with mushrooms and fungi, launching a lifelong passion for mycology. Since then, she has enthusiastically hunted, cultivated, and cooked numerous mushroom species. Sue values both teaching and learning, finding great joy in sharing her experiences and knowledge while continuing to learn from fellow enthusiasts and the communities she serves.

Forest of Sound — a musical meditation in a cave with Sarah Richelle Starnes

Join Sarah for an hour-long sound journey that will take place in a nearby cave tucked in the forest. A 30-minute drive up into the woods, and a short hike will bring you to our destination (Layser Cave), where Sarah will provide a soundscape for your reclined relaxation. Please dress in warm, comfortable clothing and bring a camping pad, pillow, and sleeping bag or blankets.

Fungi Flow – a yoga practice for forest dwellers with Sarah Richelle Starnes

Strengthen and stretch the body and the breath with an alignment-based yoga practice to create balance and invite healing. All levels of experience are welcome. Please dress warmly, bring a yoga mat or blanket and water.

Sarah Richelle Starnes was born into the ways of collecting and cultivating natural treasures. She shares local offerings under Gifford’s Nest, a name reflective of dreams awakened on the banks of the Cispus River and volunteer work with rescued birds of prey. A feral creature herself, she hosts magickal ceremonies, instructs yoga internationally, produces impromptu musical soundscapes, and creates deeply organic artwork. Encouraging a nature-focused life, Sarah offers yoga, sound journeys, forays, and other ways to have fun in the forest.

Intro to Mushrooms for Food, Medicine, and More with Rose Tursi

The Matsutake Talk with Rose Tursi

This is a great intro to the wondrous world of mycology. But even if you’re already a seasoned forager, you’re still guaranteed to learn something new too. This entertaining talk will cover historical and modern uses of mushrooms for food and medicine, as well as other interesting uses in bushcraft, art, and more.

Rose Tursi is an illustrator by profession. When she’s not creating art, she loves spending time outside exploring the natural world. She’s led forays and ecology walks for many organizations throughout the country and is an advocate of the community science movement. Her happy place is at the crossroads of art and mycology, and most recently she has been experimenting with and teaching paint making using fungi as the binder and pigment source. She just finished a 6-year term as the Visual Arts Chair for the North American Mycological Association and is a past Vice President for the South Sound Mushroom Club in Olympia.

Ibotenic Acid and Muscimol with Amelia Nora

Let’s myco-talk about some mycotoxins. In this presentation we will go through a few of the lethal toxins that are found in some genera of mushrooms. Find out more about amatoxin’s physiological effects, follow a case study from subjects that consumed lethal mushrooms, get a few tips on what these mushrooms look like in the wild and learn about a “pop culture poisoning” or two!.

Amelia has been exploring the fungal kingdom since 2020 where it started as a way to become closer to the world around us — and as a solid way to get something tasty while avoiding people at a grocery store. While working in public health, Amelia has been able to spend time studying mycotoxins and presenting to her colleagues. She originally grew up in the Midwest and had been part of the Minnesota Mycological Society for 3 years. When she moved to the PNW in 2023 she was lucky enough to find South Sound Mushroom Club where she has settled in as the Outreach Chair.

Women in Mycology: past, present, future with Junie B

How did women shape early mycological studies? What hurdles did they face? What are women currently doing to further our understanding of mycology? Who is the next generation of mycologist? What are they focusing on and where is the study of mycology headed?

Junie B is a fungiphile with an enthusiastic passion for learning and teaching about mushrooms. She was originally led to fungi through her college studies in chemistry, biology, and wildlife ecology. She was fascinated by fungi’s ability to clean up pollution and went on to write her Master’s thesis on the novel use of fungi for landfill remediation. She honed her teaching skills by working with Wildkind Outdoors for several years, where she led nature walks, plant and fungi identification walks, and fungi forays. In 2024 she started her own outdoor education company, Backpack Biology, through which she leads classes on plant, tree, and fungi identification; coastal and intercoastal clamming and crabbing; tincture and salve-making; and self-sustainability. In addition to these diverse, in-depth training opportunities, Junie B puts her education to use as a public servant, protecting water quality across Washington State with the Department of Ecology. She has two Bachelor’s degrees from University of Providence: one in Chemistry and one in Biology with a wildlife ecology concentration. She also has a Master’s in Environmental Management and Policy from American Military University. In her spare time Junie B is an artist, adventurer, horticulturalist, herbalist, life long learner, avid reader, forest bather, traveler and year-round cold-water swimmer.

Art in the Field Foray & Drawing Workshop with Chris Adams

You will receive a “How to Draw a Mushroom” info sheet with some tips and nonsense and some basic tools will be available. Please bring your favorite media and some blank paper so we can make the most out of our forest time, and it doesn’t hurt to show up with technical questions or artistic goals you might want to discuss.

Join artist Chris Adams (Corvidopolis, The Mushroom Tarot and Sporelust!), for a walk in the woods to observe local fungi, flora and fauna. During our walk we’ll discuss the importance and power of observation, collect fungal forest friends for drawing demos, and share what each of us would like to glean from the workshop.

You’ll hear about one artist’s process, the overlap between scientific specimen collection and artistic observation, and some basic photo reference tips for remembering morphological traits and environmental cohorts.

There will also be some time –– either in the woods or under cover, weather permitting – –to work on and discuss basic drawing techniques for achieving your personal creative goals.

Since childhood he’s been wandering the coastal and mountain forests of the Pacific Northwest looking, listening and taking in everything he can. For the last decade he has merged his love of those wildly biodiverse ecosystems – particularly the fungi – with his creative influences.

With interests spanning skate-punk culture, scientific illustration at large and counterculture comics from the late 20th century, his work can be difficult to categorize and may simultaneously make you smile, laugh, scrunch up your face with unknown feelings, or maybe even inadvertently learn a little about mycology or forest ecosystems.

Friday night music provided by DJ Zephr

The neighborhood friendly DJ wherever you might find him, Dj Zephr (@theezephyrus) spins peace to your ears.

By way of Las Vegas, Starting from a pair of vinyl turntables, Zeph honors his predecessors in art by keeping his music selection versatile and full of the timeless classics.

A DJ who is no stranger to keeping heat in the crate. Most notable appearances include the last residency taken up at Beauty bar on Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas; however, you can find him spinning around Seattle now, from Hip Hop/R&B to House Music, Jungle, Edits, Soul, and Alternative music. From vinyl roots in Vegas to versatile sets in Seattle — Deejay Zeph’s mission is to bring peace to your ears with timeless blends and soulful energy every set.

Saturday night live music provided by The Return of Deadgrass

A popular Seattle-based acoustic string band led by musician Ricky Gene Powell and his Acoustic Laboratory. The group is famous for reimagining the Grateful Dead’s catalog and Jerry Garcia’s musical legacy through a high-energy bluegrass lens.