FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 16, 2010

MAJOR SPONSORS NAMED FOR 14TH ANNUAL BEAR ON THE SQUARE MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL

The major sponsors have been named for the 14th annual Bear On the Square Mountain Festival, which will be held Friday through Sunday, April 16-18, 2010, around the Historic Public Square in Dahlonega.

In addition to local supporters, the lineup of sponsors once again includes a well known Atlanta auto dealership known as “The Original Atlanta Audi Dealership”, and an internationally-renowned folk school, which describes its goals as seeking to bring people toward two kinds of development: inner growth as creative, thoughtful individuals, and social development as tolerant, caring members of a community.

Back as Corporate Sponsor for the third straight year is Jim Ellis Audi of Atlanta (website), the full service new and used Audi dealer which has been in business for over 37 years.  During the Bear on the Square Festival next spring, Audi of North America will display some of its new Audi models along North Chestatee Street at the edge of the Public Square.

Appearing on the list of sponsors for the second consecutive year as Marketplace Sponsor is the John C. Campbell Folk School (website) of Brasstown, N. C.  Throughout its history, the Folk School has worked toward accomplishing its goals through performing arts, agriculture and crafts rooted in the traditions of Southern Appalachia and other cultures of the world.

MainStage Sponsors for the fourth year are two businesses located on Dahlonega’s Historic Public Square, The Crimson Moon Cafe and The Fudge Factory. Known as “The Southeast’s Most Intimate Music Venue”, The Crimson Moon (website) hosts regionally and nationally known acoustic artists and talented local performers and offers a full service menu supervised by a chef, a coffee house, and the upstairs Half Moon Saloon . The Fudge Factory (website) is a second-generation family-owned candy business which was opened for business by the Owens family in 1982. The store's confectioners make over 12 varieties of fudge, along with other offerings.

Norman Adams Insurance (website) of Dahlonega is returning for the third year as Food Court Sponsor. An exclusive Cotton States agency since it was founded in 1961, Norman Adams Insurance offers personal lines of insurance, including life and health plans, as well as commercial coverage.

LVS Homes Inc. (website), a Dahlonega-based home builder, is for the third time serving as Workshop Tent Sponsor. LVS Homes utilizes progressive building techniques to provide homes which are energy efficient and environmentally conscious, providing a healthier living space for home owners.

The Pender Family is the festival's Founding Sponsor, whose sponsorship is in memory of Nick Pender, one of the original founders of Bear on the Square Mountain Festival who passed away in August 2004. This sponsor honors Nick’s request that he be remembered every year through a family sponsorship of the festival.

Heritage Sponsor is Billy Roper (website), the famed, self taught North Georgia folk artist, who is an important contributor to the festival’s annual Live Country Auction and whose work can be seen at galleries in Dahlonega and elsewhere.

Expressing appreciation to the festival’s major sponsors for their vital role in making the event possible, Glenda Pender, president of Bear on the Square Mountain Festival Inc., said, “As Bear on the Square celebrates traditional mountain music and art, it helps to keep alive the heritage of these mountains -- a treasure we don't want to let slip away from us”. Dobbin Buck, sponsorship director for the festival organization, added that event organizers “are extremely pleased by the outstanding lineup of major sponsors for the 2010 festival.”

The 14th annual Bear on the Square Mountain Festival will be an incredible weekend of music and art held in the foothills of the North Georgia mountains. During that weekend, old-time and bluegrass music will fill the Historic Public Square in Dahlonega. There will be on-stage performances by local, regional, and national musicians on Saturday and Sunday, and a juried traditional mountain crafts market both those days. Extensive music workshops, a Sunday morning Gospel Jam, an old-time Mountain Dance on Saturday evening, a Live Country Auction on Friday night, family activities, a heritage focus demonstrating mountain traditions, and food complete the offerings. For more details, bookmark us and come back frequently for updates as the time for the festival approaches.