MILFORD - A new kind of bear will soon be spotted in the streets of Milford- colorful, decorated, and hand-crafted.

The Black Bear Film Festival announces that the Art Bears, created by local artisans, are back in town just in time to promote the 13th Annual Fall Film Festival. They made their debut in the garden of the Milford Community house on Saturday.

The Black Bear Film Festival began in Milford in 2000 when a small group of creative locals set out to produce an event that would support and promote innovate and independent films. The Black Bear Film Festival celebrates Milford’s rich film-making heritage and the conservation movement in tribute to Gifford Pinchot, who fathered the American conservation movement. Zane Grey, D.W. Griffith, Mary Pickford, Lillian Gish, and John Barrymore are just a few of the film legends who have lived in and visited Milford in the past.

This year’s festival is October 12-14.  The bears are part of a silent auction!

For more information on the Black Bear Film Festival and their art bears, please visit www.blackbearfilm.com,