NEWBERG, Ore. — On Friday, the doors to Bronco Kelly‘s opened an hour earlier than the standard 11 a.m. opening time. Owners and representatives from local music venues — including Clementine, Wolves & People Downtown Bar and Music Hall, Stoller Wine Bar | Newberg, Chehalem Valley Brewery, and the Chehalem Cultural Center — took seats in Bronco Kelly’s back room, served coffee and frittata from the bar and restaurant’s chef, Harvey Smith. Representatives from local marketing organizations Taste Newberg and the Newberg Downtown Coalition also walked in the door.
Kelly Koch, co-owner of Bronco Kelly’s, leaned against a pool table in the bar and addressed the crowd, letting them know why he and his business partners had called this meeting of what would otherwise be competitors.
“I think we’ve got really great things started here,” he said to the crowd of 15. “We have added half a dozen music venues in the last few years, and I think it’s important to get the word out further than just Newberg, because we’re on the brink of having something that no community in the Northwest has.”
Koch said that, with the growth of the music venues in Newberg, the town is well positioned to be a music capital of the Northwest and should start marketing itself as such.
Four Venues Have Opened Since March 2025
Bronco Kelly’s, which opened in September 2025 and routinely hosts three music acts per week, is one of several stages in town — and at least four within a few blocks. Stoller Wine Bar opened in March 2025 and hosts everything from singer-songwriter showcases to open mics. Clementine opened in March 2026 and consistently has three-plus acts per week on its large corner stage. Wolves & People’s downtown Music Hall and Bar, the youngest of the group, opened in June 2026 and hosts two to three live acts per week…