Heather Moggia, the new executive director of the Morgan Hill Mushroom Festival, with Mardi the Mushroom. Photo courtesy Heather Moggia.
Hello Morgan Hill. My name is Heather Moggia and I’d like to introduce myself in my new role as the director of the Morgan Hill Mushroom Festival.
I am very ecstatic to have recently joined this amazing group. I have a BS in Communication Studies with a minor in Women Studies from California State University, Chico. While attending college I interned at the associated women center on campus and assisted with the planning of the annual college conference.
I also worked for American Golf Corporation while I attended school in the food and beverage department and was blessed that the company paid for me to attend multiple food and beverage as well as event planning conferences.
Following college, I worked for Joie de Vivre Hospitality, Dolce Hotels and Resorts, The Stanford Park Hotel, The historic McArthur Park Restaurant in downtown Palo Alto and other incredible venues that all assisted in my knowledge and love for hospitality. I have been an active member in the Morgan Hill community for a long time and I am a local small business owner; having started my event planning business after many years in hospitality management at various venues and hotels.
My husband and I have two children both of whom attended Barrett Elementary School when they were younger.
I was a fundraising and social event chair for the home and school club as a parent volunteer and I will still be helping with their December holiday program as many of the parents in our neighborhood know they can still contact me any time for the school events the home and school club hosts.
I am a current active member of the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce where I get the honor to help with the Celebrate Morgan Hill awards program and various other events they put on throughout each year.
I am an active volunteer committee member with Air for Paws, I work with the founder and all the generous volunteers and sponsors for the annual pet parade and the annual Halloween Fundraiser at Morgan Hill’s amazing pirate paradise; Morgan’s Cove.
The Mushroom Festival began in 1980 and has decades of success in our community. It takes place in Morgan Hill during the Saturday and Sunday of Memorial Day weekend in May. The festival features a variety of artisanal crafts and products, market place and non-profits venders, live music on two stages, a variety of food and beverage venders, chef hosted cooking demonstrations and the educational Mushroom expo.
Our longtime board member, Ron Wolfe awards the scholarship recipients at the festival which is a memorable experience for everyone who is in attendance.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic the festival had to be postponed in 2020 and 2021with another postponement in 2023 due to safety concerns following the Garlic Festivals unfortunate incident.
With a very dedicated Mushroom Festival Board of Directors and Event Director Sunday Minnich, the festival was a success in 2024. With that being said we are very excited and looking to expand the festival area in our downtown for 2025 as well as bring back the Munchkin Land children’s area for all our mini mushrooms to come and enjoy.
Sunday, having decades of festival expertise, agreed to stay one more year with the festival to see it grow and pass along her wealth of knowledge and experience during the transition.
I love seeing how our community has grown over the years. I look forward to bringing awareness to what the Mushroom Festival supports and how truly incredible it is for our Morgan Hill students.
Heather Moggia is a Morgan Hill resident. She wrote this for Morgan Hill Life. Please contact her at (408) 858-8694 or at www.morganhillmushroomfestival.org if you have any questions or would like to volunteer.
