Major sponsors have been named for the 13th annual Bear On the Square Mountain Festival, which will be held Friday through Sunday, April 17-19, 2009, around the Historic Public Square in Dahlonega.

In addition to local supporters, the lineup of sponsors 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.

Returning as Corporate Sponsor for the second consecutive year is Jim Ellis Audi of Atlanta (www.jimellisaudiatlanta.com), the full service new and used Audi dealer which has been in business for over 36 years. During the Bear on the Square Festival next spring, Audi of North America will display several new Audi models along North Chestatee Street at the edge of the Public Square.

Joining the list of sponsors for the first time as Marketplace Sponsor is the 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.

Another new sponsor, Montaluce, will be the Auction and Kickoff Party Sponsor. Montaluce Winery and Estates (www.montaluce.com) is a 400-acre Dahlonega area community with 300 Tuscan-style homes and 35 acres of vineyards.

Mainstage Sponsors once again are two businesses located on Dahlonega’s Historic Public Square, The Crimson Moon Cafe and The Fudge Factory. The Crimson Moon (www.thecrimsonmoon.com), known as “The Southeast’s Most Intimate Music Venue”, 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 newly-opened upstairs Half Moon Saloon . The Fudge Factory (www.dahlonegafudgefactory.com) 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 (www.cottonstatesinsurance.com) of Dahlonega is returning 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. (www.lvshomes.com), a Dahlonega-based home builder, is again 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 (www.billyroperart.com), the famed, self taught North Georgia folk artist, who is also featured in the Bear on the Square Georgia Mountain Marketplace and at galleries in Dahlonega and elsewhere.

Website Sponsor is 3by400 (www.3by400.com), a Dahlonega web design company which implements high-functionality websites and provides custom, affordable and professional web design services.

Thanking the festival major sponsors for 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 proud of the outstanding lineup of major sponsors for the 2009 festival.”

The 13th 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 artist's marketplace features traditional mountain art and crafts. Extensive music workshops, a Sunday morning Gospel Jam, a street dance, a live country auction on Friday night, family activities, a heritage center demonstrating mountain traditions, and food complete the offerings. For more details, visit www.bearonthesquare.org.