Bear Fest Unveiling Celebration
in Easthampton this Saturday, June 9th, 2012

The Easthampton Bear Fest is a public art project in which life-size bear sculptures are creatively transformed by locally- and nationally-known artists and will be highly visible throughout the downtown area of Easthampton from June to September. (Submitted Photo)

Easthampton’s annual Bear Fest, a celebration of local art and artists, kicks off on Saturday, June 9th!  The event features giant bears designed and “dressed” by local artists, and they will be placed throughout downtown Easthampton and will be on display through the summer.

The event officially begins with the unveiling of a single bear, which will take place at 2pm at the municipal parking lot on Cottage Street, along with speeches from Mayor Michael Tautznik and Rep. John Scibak and free tastings of the official Bear Fest ice cream flavor provided by Mt. Tom’s Homemade.

Following the unveiling, families can venture throughout downtown Easthampton for other activities and events including live music (barbershop singers, bluegrass, and more!), a teddy bear picnic featuring food from local restaurants, kids’ craft activities, learning about the artists who created each bear, and shows at galleries throughout town (as part of the normal Art Walk events).

For more information, pick up a schedule of the day’s events at a downtown Easthampton business or visit www.artwalkeasthampton.org.  Celebrate the strength and support of arts within your community by taking part in Bear Fest!