Jethro’s Bar + Stage at 137 Hunter Street West in downtown Peterborough will be closing in April, almost four years to the day when musician Kayla Howran first opened it.
After several local musicians broke the news on Friday (March 13) that the venue would be closing, Howran confirmed the closure on social media the following day.
“It has been a rewarding, fulfilling and heartfelt journey the last four years – watching our music community grow in this intimate space,” she wrote on Facebook.
“Peterborough has an incredibly special arts and music scene and it has been an honour to be even a small part of it,” Howran wrote. “We are proud of what Jethro’s became. Small, independent venues are never just businesses — they’re gathering places and this one was built by the people who filled it. So thank you.”
“Over the next four weeks we will be celebrating the best way we know how: great music, good drinks and the best company. We hope you’ll join us, raise a glass and see us out in true Jethro’s style.”
Located in the former location of The Sapphire Room cocktail lounge, Howran opened Jethro’s on April 22, 2022 and it quickly became a favourite spot for musicians and music fans alike, eventually featuring live music in the evenings from Wednesdays to Saturdays, as well as the popular all-ages blues jam on Sunday afternoons hosted by drummer and harmonica player Al Black.
“The jam has grown into something I could have never predicted,” Black wrote on Facebook. “I have met so many fantastic musicians young and old and from far and wide and been blessed with so many new friendships.”
“Owner Kayla and fixer Andy along with his fur buddy Reggie have always been there at load in and load out with words of encouragement and laughs. Bartenders Colleen and Lauchie have always been so good to me and all who attend.”
Singer-songwriter Jeanne Truax, the Peterborough Folk Festival’s 2025 emerging artist of the year, wrote on Facebook that “although my heart is so sad, it is also so very full,” noting that she played her first-ever show at Jethro’s.
“I feel as though I’ve made a family there,” added Truax, who currently performs with the Jet Airliners during a residency at the venue.
“Kayla Howran, I am so beyond grateful for all you poured into this community and I thank you for the opportunity to perform at your bar. It absolutely changed my life and I could not be more appreciative.”
An email from musician Craig Paterson, who performs regularly at Jethro’s with his jazz band Carpe Noctem, notes the venue is closing as of April 13.
