April 15, 16 and 17, 2005 in historic downtown Dahlonega - one of the most fascinating festivals ever, anywhere:

The first Bear on the Square Festival evolved from a visit from a "lost" baby bear that wandered into town one Spring night in 1996. Local musicians and merchants thought this occasion a fine opportunity to celebrate, preserve and promote the tradition of bluegrass and old time mountain music and crafts - and thus the Bear on the Square Mountain Festival was born.

The Festival is held within the rustic and beautiful confines of the Historic Square in Dahlonega, Georgia. Dozens of vendors descend each year upon this mountain village to market wares that are hand made and are representative of the Southern Appalachian Mountain Region, rather than the usual festival fare. The focus, however, is music.

Featured at THE 9TH ANNUAL BEAR ON THE SQUARE MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL are afternoon and evening concerts from nationally renowned recording artists, this year featuring musical performances by:

Bobby Hicks & Hazel Creek
The Dismembered Tennesseans
Ginny Hawker & Tracy Schwarz with Kari Sickenberger
Gold Rush Bluegrass Band with Neel Pender
Whistlin’ Rufus

But let's not overlook one of the most fun elements of this Festival - the multitude of both amateur and professional acoustic musicians who gather from miles around for impromptu jam sessions, creating the soundtrack to the old time atmosphere.

Numerous workshops are held for both music and crafts, and in addition to all of that there is great food, square dancing, a children's "musical instrument petting zoo", story telling, a songwriters showcase and more. That's not to mention all the wonderful shops and restaurants along the square. So bring your guitar, or banjo or just your own singing voice and appetite for good food and old time fun to The Bear on the Square, "Celebrating Treasured Mountain Traditions"

Follow the arrow for a detailed schedule of this year's celebration:
A special "Nick Pender Tribute Concert" will be held on Saturday and will feature original songs written by community folks in honor of Nick Pender, one of the Bear on the Square's first organizers.

Or follow this arrow to read a (still relevant) review of the 2002 Festival

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