FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 16, 2011

BEAR ON THE SQUARE MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL

ANNOUNCES MAJOR SPONSORS FOR 2011

The major sponsors have been announced for the 15th annual Bear On the Square Mountain Festival, which will be held the weekend of Saturday and Sunday, April 16-17, around the Historic Public Square in Dahlonega.

The Pender Family continues as the festival's Founding Sponsor. This 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. It honors Nick’s request that he be remembered every year through a family sponsorship of the festival.

Heritage Sponsor once again is Billy Roper Folk Art (www.billyroperart.com). A famed, self taught North Georgia folk artist, Billy Roper is an important contributor to the festival’s annual Live Country Auction and his work is in art collections throughout  the United States and in over 30 countries.

On the list of sponsors for the third consecutive year as Artist Marketplace Sponsor, and also serving as the festival's primary sponsor this year, is the internationally-renowned John C. Campbell Folk School (www.folkschool.org) 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.

Norman Adams Insurance (www.cottonstatesinsurance.com), which has its offices on the Historic Public Square in  Dahlonega, is back for the fourth consecutive 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. Since 2000, the business has been run on a day-by-day basis by Donna Logan.

LVS Homes Inc. (www.lvshomes.com) of Dahlonega is for the fourth time serving as Workshop Tent Sponsor. LVS Homes places its focus on building green, sustainable and healthy homes in North Georgia, putting its efforts into both beautiful appearance and conscientious design. The company has been involved in building site renovation, site planning, site development, and apartment and home building for more than 30 years.

Auction Sponsor for the second year is North Georgia Wealth Management Group (www.ngwmg.com) of Dahlonega. Founded by Laura J. LaTourette, CFP®, the independent financial planning practice specializes in serving pre-retirees and retirees with fee-based and hourly financial planning and fee-based wealth management services, including wealth transfer and preservation through wealth structuring, estate planning, investment management and trust services.

The Traditions Sponsor, Foxfire Museum and Heritage Center (www.foxfire.org) from Rabun County, Ga., is a place where Foxfire program students can store and preserve their growing collection of artifacts and a place to interact with the community that has so strongly supported them. Through the acclaimed publication, The Foxfire Magazine, the students have portrayed the previously-dismissed culture of Southern Appalachia as one of a proud, self-sufficient people with simple beliefs, pure joy in living and rock-solid faith.

The Georgia Appalachian Studies Center at North Georgia College & State University (www.northgeorgia.edu/gasc), which is the festival's Education sponsor, is designated by the Georgia General Assembly to serve as the state's official center for the study of Appalachia. The center's mission is to educate students and the community about Southern Appalachian culture through art, history, music, and nature. The center strives to be an active and vibrant learning environment and to preserve and share Appalachian culture.

Glenda Pender, president of Bear on the Square Mountain Festival Inc., expressed appreciation to the festival's major sponsors for their vital role in making the event possible by saying, “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 2011 festival.”

The 15th annual Bear on the Square Mountain Festival will be an entertaining and lively weekend of music and art held in the foothills of the North Georgia mountains. Pre-festival events will take place on Friday, April 15, with the first of the  jamming sessions on Dahlonega’s Historic Public Square, as well as Master Classes in the afternoon, and the Live Country Auction that night. On Saturday and Sunday, April 16-17, there will be on-stage performances by local, regional, and national musicians throughout the day in the MainStage Tent at Hancock Park. The juried Artist Marketplace on Saturday and Sunday features traditional mountain crafts and will also have a Country Store. More jamming on the square and  music workshops on Saturday and Sunday, a Sunday morning Gospel Jam led by Glenda Pender, a Saturday evening old-time Mountain Dance, family activities, and food complete the offerings. For more details about the festival, including the complete lineup of performers, and updates between now and the event, visit 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 whose mission is to preserve and celebrate 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.