Arguably the best bluegrass deal in the Okanagan happens this weekend

Like bluegrass music? Then do we have a deal for you.

Starting this Friday, Keremeos comes alive with the sights and sounds of bluegrass. It's called the Keremeos Elks Bluegrass Jamboree, and it runs right through the weekend 'til late Sunday afternoon. And it'll cost you just five bucks for a one-day admission.

Five bucks. That's less than the price of a fast food burger.

Granted, you'll have to dig a little deeper for a full three-day pass. But at $10, it's still a fraction of the price of a standard concert at the SOEC.

Oh, and one other thing. School-aged kids are free.

Now, for that price you're not going to get Alison Krauss. But you will get to check out a wide variety of bluegrass and traditional country artists who do it for the love of it.

According to Jamboree chairman Dave Barker, the event will attract acts from as far as Vancouver Island, the lower mainland, Clearwater, and Castlegar. "They love it here because it's green," he says of the Jamboree's Rodeo Grounds setting. "We keep the area irrigated and mowed, so there's no dust to worry about."

They must love it. The Jamboree began four years ago, and expanded last year to include a second event in the fall. This year, the fall Jamboree take place in mid-September.

"It's all amateur type people," says Barker. "They just travel around from bluegrass to bluegrass, and enjoy the music and enjoy one another. They're a real fun bunch and the music is great."

And the location is pretty good too. The Rodeo Grounds are on the bank of the Similkameen River, in the middle of a picturesque patch of rural land that lies between that and towering K Mountain.

The performance stage resides in a large shelter the Elks built last year when they decided they'd have enough of their tents flapping around in the Similkameen wind. "It's out of the weather, out of the sun, out of the wind," says Barker. "The weather can do whatever it wants to do."

Breakfast is served at 7:30 every day for those who want it, and the Rodeo Grounds' concession stand is open throughout. There's no beer garden, though Barker says anyone who wants to enjoy a brew or two are welcome to do so in the comfort of their own "rig."

And he says the sound system is impressive. "It sounds just as good up front as it does in the back, and the clarity is exceptional."

Friday's music begins at 2 p.m., runs to the supper break, then continues to 9 p.m. Music starts Saturday morning with a "band scramble" (where musicians are "scrambled" between bands), continues with an "open mic" throughout the afternoon, and finishes with a $12.00 roast beef dinner and top-level performances in the evening. Sunday features gospel music in the morning and assorted performances until everyone's tired and wants to go home.

It's the very definition of relaxed, and that, along with the crazy low admission and down-home setting, make the Keremeos Elks Bluegrass Jamboree an appealing mid-June option.

For more information, hit up the Jamboree website.