Festival Dedication

IN MEMORIAM: Norman Adams

The 2026 Bear on the Square is dedicated to Bear and bluegrass music supporter Norman Adams, who passed away in July 2025 at the age of 90.

Norman was a longtime supporter of the festival, and his insurance agency, Adams & Logan has remained a Bear sponsor in the many years since he retired. In addition to his support of Bear on the Square, Norman promoted and produced a large number of Bluegrass festivals over many decades.

He and his wife, Judy, were promoters of family-oriented bluegrass festivals for 45 years, presenting the biggest names in the industry throughout the southeast until their retirement in 2019. From Myrtle Beach to Jekyll Island, Cherokee, Palatka and beyond, Adams nurtured the genre by providing venues for musicians to perform and fans to enjoy.

Norman and Judy Adams received the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Distinguished Achievement Award in 2020. Norman had already received the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America’s Bluegrass Promoter of the Year numerous times, earning the Grand Marshal Gold Award in 2004 for being a ten-year recipient in the category. Read more about Norman’s dedication to bluegrass music here.