BEAR ON THE SQUARE FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES
MUSIC LINEUP, FREE ADMISSION FOR 2012
The Bear on the Square Mountain Festival has announced the lineup of featured musicians for its 16th annual celebration. Also, a major change in the operation of the festival this year is that admission to the MainStage concert tent in Hancock Park will now be free.
Previously, only limited MainStage events were free to the public, but this year two days of music will be presented on the stage at no charge to festival goers.
Glenda Pender, president of Bear on the Square, said that once again, the MainStage lineup offers a number of acts which will perform bluegrass and old-time music from the Southern Appalachian region, as well as other musical genres. The MainStage performers during the festival, scheduled Saturday and Sunday, April 21-22, 2012, in and around Dahlonega's Historic Public Square, will include the following:
* Dahlonega bands: Buzzard Mountain Boys with Barefoot Creek; Gold Rush with Neel Pender; John Grimm & Beverly Smith; Curtis Jones with Insonnia, and Pick & Bow students. Another Dahlonega band, Ugly Cousin, will play at the Live Country Auction, a pre-festival event on Friday night.
* Atlanta-based bands: The Georgia Crackers and The Rosin Sisters.
* Athens-based acts: Curley Maple and Packway Handle Band.
* Other acts: Whitepath from Canton and John Lilly from Charleston, W. Va.
In announcing the decision not to charge admission to the festival's MainStage Tent, Pender said, "We're pleased to make the MainStage performances available to all at no charge this year and hope we'll fill every seat for the great acts we'll have on stage. We also want to encourage folks to visit our traditional Mountain Crafts Market on the square, our Country Store and our Bear on the Square Merchandise locations as well as Dahlonega's shops and eateries."
The highly entertaining and well-attended Bear on the Square Mountain Festival is held the third weekend of April every year. Pre-festival events for the 16th yearly festival will take place on Friday, April 20, with the start of jamming on the Square, as well as Master Classes in the afternoon and the auction that evening. Saturday and Sunday's schedule includes MainStage performances, more jamming on the square, additional workshops, a Gospel Jam, an old-time Mountain Dance, and kids activities. More details about the festival, including the complete list of performers, activities, sponsors and updates between now and the event, can be found at www.bearonthesquare.org.
Bear on the Square Mountain Festival, Inc., which stages the festival each year, is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit cultural arts organization with the mission of preserving and celebrating the culture of the Southern Appalachians through the presentation of music, traditional craft and folkways. Tax deductible donations are welcome and can be sent to P.O. Box 338, Dahlonega, GA 30533.
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