The SWFBA hosts Monthly Jam/Fests meetings with open bluegrass music jams all weekend and a mini-fest/concert on our weekend Saturdays from 1-4:30PM. All events are open to the public and SWFBA Family memberships are always available!
Through the Summer months SWFBA will hold our Jam-Fest Weekends at Ramblers Rest Campground in Venice, Florida. For SWFBA Information: Call Herb Washburn, 941-743-8138. For camping information: Call Ramblers Rest at 941-493-4354 or 800-576-8565.

Our next Jam/Fest is July 11-13, 2008, Bluegrass Show on July 12.

Directions: Ramblers Rest is located at 1300 North River Road in Venice. From I-75, take exit 191 and go South approx. 3 miles to the park on the left. From US 41, go North to the Ramblers Rest on the right.

Bluegrass Show - 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday - Admission. $5.00 for non-members (12 and under free), Free for members. (Membership: $20/year/family). Shows are held in McDonald Hall, a 350 seat, air conditioned hall located to your right as you enter the facility. Chairs are provided. No lawn chairs. Parking is located in front of the building. Scheduled to appear are: The Myakka River boys, Roger Bass & The Hillbillies, and The Wirebeaters.

Slow-Jam - 9:30 a.m. Saturday - For beginning musicians, slow-jams are held in the McDonald Hall building. There is no charge for these sessions.
Guitar Workshop: Are held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday also in McDonald Hall.

Camping - SWFBA members get a special rate at the Ramblers Rest. Full hookups are $23 a night instead of the normal $31 a night charge. The SWFBA membership card can be used to verify membership and we will provide them with a list of our members to use if the card isn't available. Campsites can be reserved in advance with payment and can be canceled 3 days before the event. Check-in time is after 2:00 p.m. on Friday and checkout time is 11:00 a.m. on Sunday. Dry campers (including tents) must use one of the regular campsites and pay the full hookup fee. Tent campers who are in the family can set up on a rented campsite without charge. The camping area is gated and campers will be given an access card when they pay for their campsite. There will be a $25 deposit for the card, refunded at checkout time. All campsites have a 30 amp electric hookup, sewer, and water. 50 amp hookups are available at a higher rate. The bluegrass sites will be located all together in the ‘N’ section of the park. Maps will be available at check-in time and staff will give directions if needed. Trash: Must be taken to the dumpster near the front entry.

Facilities: Pool, hot tub, laundry, picnic areas, showers, restrooms, boat ramp, shuffleboard, volleyball, horseshoes, bocce court, dump station, fishing (Myakka River), propane, pool room, exercise room, putting and chipping greens, & basketball.

Jam Sessions start Friday around 7 p.m. Jams can be held in the McDonald Hall Recreation Center, in the Woodsmoke building, around the campsites, or in the other buildings throughout the park. There is a quiet time starting at midnight for jams held in the campsites. The normal quiet time for the park is 11:00 p.m. but management has extended it to midnight for us on a trial basis. If there are problems quiet time could revert back to 11:00 p.m., so please be considerate to your neighbors. There are some permanent residents in the ‘N’ section where our campsites will be located and they may not all be bluegrass fans. Jams can be held after midnight in the Woodsmoke or McDonald Hall buildings, located in the front of the park outside the gate.

Pets: All pets must be on a maximum 6’ leash and under control at all times. Pets must be kept quiet and owner must carry a bag for fast pick-up. No more than two pets per campsite, 18 pounds maximum weight each.

Rules: No alcohol, smoking, or coolers in McDonald Hall. No loud amplified music in the campground. The speed limit is 9.7 mph throughout the park.

Note: The instruments that are generally accepted in the jams are guitar, fiddle, mandolin, bass, dobro, and 5-string banjo. Drums, horns, accordions, spoons, tenor banjos, electric instruments, tambourines, and other instruments are not considered bluegrass instruments and are not generally accepted by the musicians in jam sessions. Exceptions are made for electric basses and pedal steel in stage shows. Our goal as an association is to preserve bluegrass music, not provide a venue for players of all instruments. Many jam sessions and clubs throughout the area welcome the other instruments to their shows and jams.