Volunteers Needed for MMS State Fair Display – Sign Up Today!

Whether you’re a seasoned mycophile or just starting to explore the fungal frontier, we’d love to have you join us at the State Fair! You don’t need to be a mushroom expert to volunteer, just an MMS member—you’ll be surprised how much you already know. 

What really matters is your enthusiasm and willingness to connect with others. The fair is a fantastic opportunity to share your love of mushrooms—whether that’s foraging, cultivating, photographing, cooking, or just admiring their beauty—with thousands of curious visitors. Help us inspire others and represent MMS in a big, bold, and fungi-filled way!

📅 Volunteer Opportunities – State Fair 2025

📦 Pre-Fair Transport & Setup

Secure Transport Needed

• A volunteer with a covered, secure truck or trailer to pick up items from our storage unit on the evening of Tuesday, August 19, or the morning of Wednesday, August 20, and deliver them to the fairgrounds by 10:00 AM on Wednesday, August 20.

Loading Help

• 2 volunteers to assist with loading the truck on Tuesday evening, August 19, or Wednesday morning, August 20.

Setup Crew

• 10 volunteers to help set up the display at the Horticulture Building on Wednesday, August 20, from 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM.

🎪 Booth Staffing – During the Fair

We need 3 volunteers per shift to staff the booth and engage fairgoers on:

• Thursday, August 21 (4 shifts available)
• Friday, August 22 (4 shifts available)

Each shift is 3.5 hours. Specific shift times are available on the signup sheet. Working a shift gets you a free entrance pass to the fair on the day of your shift so that you can enjoy the rest of the Great Minnesota Get-Together when you aren’t at the display.

Clean-up Help

• 5 extra volunteers needed to assist with tear-down and cleanup on Friday, August 22, from 9:00 – 10:00 PM.

🚚 Post-Fair Transport & Unloading

Return Transport Needed

• A volunteer with a truck to return items to the storage unit on Saturday morning, August 23.

Unloading Help

• 2 volunteers to help unload at the storage unit on Saturday morning, August 23.

🚗 Important Travel Info

Allow plenty of travel time when heading to the fairgrounds, as entrance lines can be long. Also note: the southbound Como Avenue exit is closed. If you’re coming from the north, you’ll need to continue past it and backtrack to the northbound exit.

✅ Sign Up Now!

Volunteer opportunities for the State Fair 2025 are now open!

👉 Click here to sign up
Or copy and paste this link into your browser: volunteersignup.org/KJKAP

It only takes a few seconds to sign up—just follow the instructions on the page.

🍄 Mushroom Foraging

To ensure a beautiful and educational display, we need fresh specimens!

• Volunteers needed for mushroom foraging on Monday, August 18, and Tuesday, August 19.

Thank you for helping make this year’s display innovative, interactive, and memorable! Warm regards,
Heather Erickson
📧 heatherericksonauthor@gmail.com
📱 612-850-0599 (Text and talk)
Minnesota Mycological Society