Nestled in the hills of south-western Pennsylvania in Armstrong County, where you could once find the best mushrooms on earth, "or under the earth," was Creekside Mushrooms Ltd., grower of Moonlight brand mushrooms. What made Moonlight brand mushrooms so special? The answer could be found 300 feet under the earth in about 150 miles of tunnels and over 800 acres of underground growing rooms and 2,036 acres above ground. Creekside had been harvesting mushrooms packaged under the Moonlight Mushroom brand name since 1937 and was the only underground mushroom farm in the nation and the only farm to accomplish a production record of 60 million pounds of mushrooms per year. The farm was even recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records in the 1994 edition for being the world’s largest fully-integrated mushroom growing facility.
The underground facility was efficient because mushrooms do not undergo photosynthesis and therefore do not need sunlight to grow and thrive in cool temperatures and high humidity. An ideal mushroom environment is around 62 to 64 degrees and 95% humidity. The mushroom process begins in the raw material blending yard where the facility’s aerated floors keep the mushroom compost material aerobic. The organically grown mushrooms are then harvested, sorted, and rinsed by hand before being packaged and shipped throughout the East and Midwest.
One of the masterminds behind the operation of Creekside Mushrooms was Dan Lucovich, who began his career in the mushroom industry as a maintenance man and ended it as President and part-owner 44 years later. His connection to the mushroom industry began with his father who worked at the mine as well. Dan originally obtained a position at the farm working in maintenance during the summer months to work his way through college. Once he completed a degree in Electrical Engineering from Penn State University, Dan found himself unable to find a job in the field locally, so he decided to return the Creekside in the meantime. Shortly after his return, Dan became the youngest individual in company history to obtain his miner’s license and become a supervisor. Throughout his time with Creekside, he worked several years in the Packaging and Shipping Division as well as Human Resources. When the farm closed for the first of three times in 2003 due to union disagreements, Dan had not had enough of the mushroom industry, so he began his search for partners to reopen Creekside Mushrooms, Ltd. Upon the reopening of Creekside, Dan worked as the Vice President of Sales and Marketing until taking on the title of President two years later. Sadly, in 2009, the farm faced closure again due to lack of workers along with a significant rise in competition.
Two years following the second closure, Creekside started up again as a compost facility.
An interesting note: In 2010, Dan was contacted by Marvel about hosting the filming of a scene for the ‘Avengers’ movie. The farm was featured in a “large chase scene underground” that took just around five weeks to complete. In the opening scenes of the movie, as Loki gets away with the hypercube, the underground passages through which he makes his escape are the miles of tunnels at Creekside Mushrooms. Upwards of fifty cars were stored underground to film the scene. The filming took place after adding lights and some other props, of course.
Unfortunately, Creekside Mushrooms only held on for two more years before closing permanently because it was simply no longer cost effective to remain in operation.
I sat down with Dan to get a better insight into what exactly he did for not only Creekside Mushrooms, Ltd., but Moonlight Mushrooms, Inc. as well and the impact it has had on him personally and professionally. He shared his roles with the companies throughout his 44 year career along with some very interesting information about the mushroom growing process, the industry, and the Creekside facility.
Despite the final demise of the company in 2013, Dan’s love for Creekside Mushrooms, Ltd. and the mushroom industry is still instilled within him, and he loves to talk about the industry and share his experiences with anyone willing to listen.
***All photos were either shot by me or provided by Dan Lucovich along with his permission for their use.
