A humongous occasion
Dina Mia's of Iron River donated ingredients to make a 100-square-foot pizza at the Humongous Fungus Festival in Crystal Falls on Saturday, Aug. 1. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)
A crane on a flatbed truck was used to lift a 100-square-foot pizza pan, made by Crystal Steel of half-inch aluminum, to and from the cooking area, where multiple bags of charcoal burned inside a makeshift grill -- cinderblocks stacked in a square in a parking lot on South Third Street in Crystal Falls. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)
Jeff Ofsdahl, owner of Dina Mia Kitchens, slides the first section of the humongous pizza onto a cookie sheet. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)
Mushroom hats were encouraged at the Humongous Fungus Festival. (R. R. Branstrom)
People of all ages fetch candy thrown during the Humongous Fungus parade in Crystal Falls on July 31. (R. R. Branstrom)
Two youths in nonmotorized "cars" race down a hill in the soap box derby during the Humongous Fungus Festival. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)
Soap box races were towed back up the hill by side-by-sides after completing a run. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)
Over 90 pizza crusts from Dina Mia's in Iron River were used to make the humongous pizza at the Humongous Fungus Festival this past weekend. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)
Dina Mia's of Iron River donated ingredients to make a 100-square-foot pizza at the Humongous Fungus Festival in Crystal Falls on Saturday, Aug. 1. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)
A crane on a flatbed truck was used to lift a 100-square-foot pizza pan, made by Crystal Steel of half-inch aluminum, to and from the cooking area, where multiple bags of charcoal burned inside a makeshift grill -- cinderblocks stacked in a square in a parking lot on South Third Street in Crystal Falls. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)
Jeff Ofsdahl, owner of Dina Mia Kitchens, slides the first section of the humongous pizza onto a cookie sheet. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)
Mushroom hats were encouraged at the Humongous Fungus Festival. (R. R. Branstrom)
People of all ages fetch candy thrown during the Humongous Fungus parade in Crystal Falls on July 31. (R. R. Branstrom)
Two youths in nonmotorized "cars" race down a hill in the soap box derby during the Humongous Fungus Festival. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)
Soap box races were towed back up the hill by side-by-sides after completing a run. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)
Over 90 pizza crusts from Dina Mia's in Iron River were used to make the humongous pizza at the Humongous Fungus Festival this past weekend. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)
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CRYSTAL FALLS, MICH. — Dina Mia’s of Iron River and Sommers Sausage Shop of Crystal Falls donated ingredients to make a 100-square-foot pizza at the Humongous Fungus Festival last weekend. Festival attendees were able to purchase servings for five dollars each; all proceeds went to the local FIRST Robotics team, Trojan Power of Forest Park. Funds collected in previous years went to different nonprofits.
The humongous pizza was topped with nine gallons of tomato sauce, 60 pounds of cooked sausage, 60 pounds of sliced mushrooms, 80 pounds of shredded cheese, and some amount of peppers and onions the Press did not catch.
The festival, which also included a soap box derby, parade and vendor market, is held annually to celebrate one of the largest organisms on Earth, which lives underground beneath Crystal Falls. The “humongous fungus” is an ancient Armillaria gallica, a type of honey mushroom that is estimated to weigh hundreds of tons, occupy over 30 acres and be thousands of years old. It was discovered in the 1990s.