This year’s National Black Bear Festival saw the advent of exciting new events, as well as the return of old classics to keep throngs of visitors entertained.

The festival began with vendors opening up their wares on Friday afternoon, giving some of the early visitors a taste of what was to come during the biggest day of the festival.

Saturday kicked off with the Run With the Bears 5K race, which boasted record numbers of participants across a wide swath of age groups and endurance levels. The runners braved a brief spate of scattered showers, which made some of the participants remark that it was a refreshing respite from the heat...