Pickin' on the Prairie

Pickin’ on the Prairie

Bluegrass Jam and Campout
Friday, Saturday, Sunday
May 29 – 31, 2026

This year’s Pickin’ on the Prairie will be the fourth time we get together to play and enjoy bluegrass music. The pickin’ is free and the camping is inexpensive.
 

Jamming Participation:

FREE, yes free.

This event is organized by a couple bluegrass pickers for friends to get together and pick and to encourage others to come out and pick and enjoy bluegrass music.

There are two options to pick with us and/or enjoy the music… drive out for one or more jams OR camp onsite.

 

Location:

Rockyford Lions Campground (map)
Rockyford, Alberta

A big thank you to the Village of Rockyford (an hour east of Calgary) for their enthusiasm for Pickin’ on the Prairie being held at the Lions Campground.

Rockyford residents: Bring a camp chair and a beverage. Come enjoy some bluegrass music… and if you are a picker, join us for the bluegrass jamming.

Rockyford Weather Forecast [ Environment Canada ]

  • Yellow area is the Dry Camping field / Jam Campout (compare to the baseball ballpark beside it – we have a really big field to dry camp and play music in).
  • Blue arrow – route to jamming / dry camping area.
  • Serviced sites are orange (1-5) and blue (13-30) sites. 

 

Camping:

  • Option #1 – Dry Camping for tents and RVs – $15 per night (these can be paid for with cash only on site and do not need a reservation)
  • Option #2 – Serviced sites – $30 or $35 per night.
  • Online reservation for serviced sites begins May 1, 2026.
  • Flush toilets and shower building onsite (nice newer building)
  • Potable water and RV dump onsite
  • Dogs and cats welcome. Pets must be leashed OR in a pen / crate at all times. Pet waste to be cleaned up immediately
  • Propane fires are welcome
  • No wood fires

 

Schedule:

Friday

  • anytime after noon – arrive and set up your camp
  • 4 pm – Happy Hour Social
  • 6 pm – Dinner (at your own camp)
  • 7 pm – Easy Jam / Introduction to Bluegrass Jam, followed by an Open Bluegrass Jam

Saturday

  • 1 pm – Open Bluegrass Jam
  • 5:30 pm – Potluck Dinner (see next section for details)
  • Saturday evening Open Bluegrass Jam after dinner

Sunday

  • 9:30 – Bluegrass Gospel Jam (until we run out of gospel songs) followed by an Open Bluegrass Jam until 11:30 am
  • Noon – Campground check out

 

Jamming:

  • Bring a chair or stool
  • Bluegrass Jam Etiquette in effect
    • When leading a song, call the Title, the Key, and Chords.
  • No jamming experience necessary
  • No pressure to lead a song
  • If you have one, bring your jam tent
  • Music stands / fakebooks / iPads / tablets welcome
    • To maintain the flow of the jam circles, sharing songs electronically generally doesn’t happen. Those in a jam circle will read a guitar player’s hands or hear the chord changes to follow along with the song.
  • New to Bluegrass Jamming? Bluegrass Jamming 101 will help you
  • Need some song inspiration… here are some bluegrass song ideas
  • Quiet hours are 10 pm – 8 am

Acoustic guitar, mandolin, ukulele, banjo, fiddle, dobro, and bass (electric bass guitars are ok).

 

Jam Circles:

  • Aim for up to 8-ish people in an inner jam circle or inside a jam tent (those who are leading songs and taking instrument breaks).
  • Jam circles of this size contribute to better music for players and harmony singers.
  • Players who are strumming along and people watching, feel free to form a circle or chairs or standing around the first circle.

  

Potluck Dinner:

For those who can and want to… join in on Saturday’s potluck dinner. Based on the first letter of your last name, please bring a dish of your choice to contribute and participate in this social meal. The potluck is planned to be in the Camp Kitchen / Picnic Shelter building.

Please identify any possible allergens (or better yet avoid them).

  • A to H – Main Dishes
  • I to Q – Appetizers or dessert
  • R to Z – Veggies or Side Dishes

 

Weather:

Pickin’ on the Prairie is held in a grassy field. There are jam tents and a large campground picnic shelter, and we play in all weather. Check the forecast and bring your rain boots if you need them.
 

Questions?

email us
 

Feel free to share this event with others

See you in Rockyford 🙂
 

Keep me in the loop about the Bluegrass Jam Campout:

We ask about instruments to get an idea of who is coming to the Bluegrass Jam Campout and we ask so we have a sense of the number of people coming to the potluck dinner.

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