Jethro's Bar + Stage Will Be A Gathering Place For Local Musicians

Jethro’s Bar + Stage, owned by Kayla Howran, will open in the location of the former Sapphire Room, on Friday.

The mural at Jethro’s was painted by local artist Tim Wales. Photo by Luke Best.

Jethro’s was born in hopes to provide a small venue for artists to showcase their talents, in a cozy space with a small crowd.

As a musician herself, Howran notes how many great, larger venues are in Peterborough like The Red Dog, Market Hall and The Gordon Best theatre, though she thinks there is still room for a more intimate space.

“I feel like Peterborough has lost a lot of it’s smaller venues over the years. Some maybe due to COVID, some maybe not,” she said. “Whatever the reason I feel like we’ve lost those great, small stages.”

Howran owns Huck’s Lakeside Bar + Restaurant in Buckhorn, a seasonal restaurant, and hopes that Jethro’s will keep her busy the rest of the year.

Melissa Payne, local musician, will be the first to officially take stage at Jethro’s on their opening night, Friday. Payne is set to begin playing at 9 and Howran says she will stop whenever they see fit.

“If the crowd wants to hear more, if they’re enjoying themselves, we’ll keep going.”

The bar will be closed Monday and open the rest of the week, with an anticipated opening time of 4 p.m. daily.

Howran hopes to be able to provide matinees for parents and families to be able to enjoy, as well as late night performances.

“I think that’s important, my husband and I have two kids and there’s very few places to take them,” she said. “I can’t think of anything nicer than a Sunday afternoon going out for lunch and listening to some good local music.”

Jethro’s is inspired by the natural world, with plenty of natural wood interior, plants and a mural by artist Tim Wales.

While Howran knew hwat she wanted her new bar to look like, she also knew she wanted to preserve a bit of the iconic Sapphire Room that lived in that space for 24 years prior.

The legs of the refurbished bar stools are original from the Sapphire Room, and they’ve left a bit of the iconic blue on the exterior of the building.

“At times it felt painful, we didn’t want to cover up the old bar, but at the same time this is new,” she said. “It’s been interesting and exciting to see the transformation from one place to the other, but also nerve-wracking in that I hope I do the space justice. It is hard to cover up what once was for so long and what people loved for so long.”

To keep up to date with Jethro’s follow them on Instagram and Facebook.

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Inspectors to Ensure Bars Comply to Health Requirements on New Year's Eve

Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) compliance officials will visit bars and restaurants in Peterborough on New Year’s Eve to ensure compliance with health requirements announced Thursday.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

On Dec. 19, 2021, the Government of Ontario introduced public health measures in response to the spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant.

These measures include a 50 per cent capacity limit in restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments and strip clubs. Alcohol cannot be sold after 10:00 p.m. and must close by 11:00 p.m.

Violation of the restrictions can include a suspension or revocation of their liquor licence.

“As the countdown to New Year’s Eve approaches, anyone considering heading out to a bar or a restaurant should be aware of all public health measures in place, and not give establishment staff a difficult time for enforcing them,” said Tom Mungham, AGCO registrar and CEO.

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Peterborough's Bars and Restaurants Rock

There is no shortage of amazing places to eat and drink and dance in downtown Peterborough. PtboCanada's Creative Director Evan Holt gives us a taste in this photo tour...

251 George St. N.

379 George St. N.

129 Hunter St. W.

216 Hunter St. W.

182 Charlotte St.

306 George St. N.

123 Simcoe St.

225 Hunter St. W.

180 Hunter St. W.

217 Hunter St. W.

What's your favourite bar/restaurant in the Patch and why?

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