Bear on the Square Mountain Festival Inc., which stages an annual weekend of music and art each spring in Dahlonega, has announced the major sponsors for the upcoming 12th annual event. Scheduled Friday through Sunday, April 18-20, the 2008 festival will once again be held around the historic Public Square and in Hancock Park in Dahlonega.
Corporate sponsor is Jim Ellis Audi, the full service new and used Audi dealer in Atlanta which has been in business for over 36 years. Jim Ellis and his wife Billie founded the Jim Ellis auto dealerships in 1970, and the Audi dealership, known as “The Original Atlanta Audi Dealership”, has been family owned and operated for over 27 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. The Corporate sponsorship agreement was negotiated through Tracie Dean, general manager of Jim Ellis Audi.
Mainstage sponsors are two Dahlonega businesses, The Fudge Factory and The Crimson Moon Cafe.
The Fudge Factory, located at the corner of North Park Street and North Main Street on the Public Square, 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 caramel “Dahlonega nuggets”, pralines, brittles, divinity, and hand-dipped chocolates. The store's offerings include seasonal specials, corporate gifts and event favors. Owner Tony Owens, who worked with Bear on the Square to complete the Mainstage sponsorship agreement, said that The Fudge Factory's products also can now be ordered through the store's website at www.dahlonegafudgefactory.com .
The Crimson Moon Cafe is in the circa 1858 Parker-Nix Storehouse on North Park Street just a few doors down from The Fudge Factory. The Crimson Moon opened in October of 2001, and after first operating an eclectic art and decorative antiques gallery there, owner Dana Marie LaChance next opened an authentic coffee house in the back saloon area of the building. The front part of the building then became The Crimson Moon Cafe, which now has a full service menu supervised by a chef. Called “The Southeast's Most Intimate Music Venue”, The Crimson Moon Cafe hosts regionally and nationally known acoustic artists, as well as talented local performers.
Marketplace sponsor is Hummingbird Lane Art Gallery, which has over 4,000 sq. ft. of space upstairs in Hall's Block on the historic Public Square. Owned by Amy and Todd Strickland, the gallery has been said to have “the largest collection of acquirable artwork in North Georgia”, hosting the latest works of over 190 artists, about 85 percent of whom are local to the Southeast area. Included in the collection are the works of woodworkers, photographers, painters, potters, glass workers and others.
Heritage sponsor is famed North Georgia folk artist Billy Roper, who is also featured in the Bear on the Square Georgia Mountain Marketplace and at galleries in Dahlonega and elsewhere. Roper began carving in stone when he was growing up, and he now works in both stone and wood, creating masks and totems. He also paints, with subjects ranging from his own uniquely stylistic florals to intricate scenes filled with animals, figures, and plants. Each of his works tells a story, and he writes his feelings and thoughts about the particular subject on the backs of the paintings. This “stream of consciousness” writing will sometimes cover the entire back of a painting. 
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. He was a bass player and singer who was devoted to the music of the mountains as well as country, soul, and rock and roll.  Nick was also an ardent community worker and environmentalist. He had a long-time professional career as a Certified Public Accountant. Along with his wife, Glenda, he developed the music program for Bear on the Square.  He also inspired and encouraged many an aspiring musician during his life. Nick's family is pleased to honor his request that he be remembered every year through a family sponsorship of Bear on the Square.  In addition to Glenda Pender, family members are his children Scott Pender, Marla Pender McGhee, and Neel Pender and grandchildren Nick Pender, Annie McGhee, Cory Pender, and Will McGhee.
GetUWired is the Website sponsor for the 2008 Bear on the Square. With an office at 21 North Grove St. (Ste. B) in Dahlonega, this company offers business website design and development services. Web solutions include newsletters, content management, calendar management, e-commerce, link exchange, search engine optimization and groupware management.
Co-sponsor of the festival is the Convention & Visitors Bureau of the Dahlonega-Lumpkin County Chamber of Commerce. The bureau is the destination marketing division of the Dahlonega Lumpkin County Chamber of Commerce. It manages the Dahlonega Visitors Center and promotes community lodging, attractions, arts, shopping restaurants and history, and it serves as the point of contact and assistance for visitors, group travel professionals, meeting planners, tourism business developers and media representatives.
In addition to the major sponsors, there are a number of Community and Business sponsors.
Community sponsors are Chestatee Regional Library, Stephanie Corn M.D., Rees Chapman Ph.D., Dahlonega Merchants Association, Historic Holly Theatre, North Georgia College and State University, and The Wiggins Group for Traditional Music.
Business sponsors include Coloth Type, Dahlonega-Lumpkin County Chamber of Commerce, City of Dahlonega, Lumpkin County, Doug Singleton CPA, and The Smith House. The Southeastern Bluegrass Association (SEBA) is also an annual supporter of the event.
Glenda Pender, president of the not-for-profit cultural arts organization which produces the festival, thanked these many sponsors for making the festival possible. “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” said Pender. 
Featured artists for this year's festival include the Carolina Chocolate Drops, an exciting group of young African-American string band musicians who observers say “are taking the music world by storm”; and legendary old-time country musicians Norman and Nancy Blake, who will be joined on stage by famed fiddler James Bryan and his guitarist/singer daughter Rachel. 
Bios of the entire lineup, visual artists applications for the juried marketplace, schedules, ticket information and more about the April Bear on the Square Mountain Festival can be found at www.bearonthesquare.org .
Bear on the Square Mountain Festival, Inc. 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.