June marks the first anniversary of the NCBS Fourth Sunday Jam in Santa Cruz. Chilly winter weather forced us indoors for a few months, but since March we’ve been back at our preferred home in scenic Ocean View Park. The park, which boasts views of not only the ocean but also the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, is big enough for jammers to spread out into a number of jam circles, yet small enough that you won’t have any trouble finding everyone.

There are generally at least three groups - bluegrass, old time, and slow jam - and often more than that. Frequently, there is a group playing “Abbott style” and other small groups often break off. This is especially good news for bass players — there’s always room for one more!

With so many jam groups going, we don’t always get to say hello to everybody else there. With that in mind, one tradition we’ve tried to start is a pre-jam picnic and social hour. The jam itself starts at 1:00pm but everyone is encouraged to show up at noon, bring your lunch, and visit with your fellow pickers. It’s always good to get to know people beyond “that banjo player with the beard”.

Ocean View Park has a nice playground for non-jamming kids, with a new climbing structure and extra-long slides. Here in Santa Cruz we like to say ‘if you don’t like the weather, wait 5 minutes!’ Keeping that in mind, it’s always advisable to wear layers. For more details and updates, join the jam’s email list

The June Fourth Sunday Jam will be held on Sunday, June 28, starting at Noon.

Posted Jun 21st, 2009 by Stewart in Events |