The Bear on the Square Mountain Festival committee has issued a final request to the local business community for items for the Live Country Auction during the 2008 festival. 
The auction on the opening night of the festival (Friday, April 18) will take place under the Mainstage Tent at Bear Central in Hancock Park. Auction items will be available for preview at 5 p.m. that day, and the auction itself will begin at 6 p.m. with professional auctioneer Sam Williamson. A highlight each year is the folk art of Billy Roper, and other artists' work will also be offered along with work from approximately 20 of the juried artists taking part in the festival's Georgia Mountain Marketplace.
The annual Bear on the Square Mountain Festival is a significant revenue-producing event for the Dahlonega community and local merchants. The auction, a major fund-raiser for the festival each year, is open to the public. All donations are fully tax deductible, since Bear on the Square Mountain Festival Inc. is a registered 501(c)3 not-for-profit cultural arts organization. Bear on the Square celebrates traditional mountain music and art, thus helping keep  alive the heritage of the mountains. 
Local businesses and others with items to contribute for the auction are asked to contact Melanie Pruitt, auction chairperson, by calling 706-864-0374 or 706-265-9459 or by emailing her at dpruitt@alltel.net . Drop-off point for donations will again be at Cranberry Corners in Dahlonega. Contributors should be aware that the auction committee needs a description of the donated item, its approximate retail value, the contributor's name and business name.
This year's Bear on the Square, the 12th annual festival, will take place Friday through Sunday, April 18-20, in and around the historic Public Square in Dahlonega. Complete details about the event, including information about featured musicians and artists, as well as the schedules for concerts, workshops and other events, can be found at www.bearonthesquare.org .