Bargeway Pub: The Making of a Legend
Steve Kane on the other side of the bar - Steve and his wife Stacey have come out of the other side of the pandemic with a revitalized Bargeway Pub that is tailor-made for outdoor music, events and catering. And they’re just getting started. The pub is celebrating its 5th anniversary this weekend with 20 bands.
By Tom Peterson
Nolan Hare
The Dalles, Ore., May 18, 2024 — As 20 bands fill the stage at Bargeway Pub this weekend, Steve and Stacey Kane celebrate the establishment’s 5th anniversary by sending out a thank you to the people who have made their success possible.
“It’s got that festival vibe here,” said Nolan Hare who books bands for the pub. “We have a lot of bands that play here all the time, but they never cross paths, so it is fun to get everybody on the same page. We thought about going with a bigger band, but we’d rather bring all the musicians that come here to play and are part of the family rather than a band that does not have a connection.”
It’s a kinda of a dance-with-who-brung-ya thing going on. Here’s the line up:
Countryside Ride plays this evening, May 18
Saturday, May 18:
Whiskey Villains
Alonzo Garbanzo
Sunday, May 19:
Terry Robb plays Sunday
Bart Hafeman of Hit Machine unplugs for a set at Bargeway
Steve and Stacey
The Kanes and Hares have been huge supporters of local musicians and Nolan’s brother, Al Hare created “Little Music City” the moniker for The Dalles and a tight-knit network of artists that call the Gorge home.
That’s all been part of the mix in the Bargeway’s success these past 5 years.
Steve and Stacey got into the business about 10 months before the pandemic.
But they found not only ways to survive but thrive. They landed a contract to feed 450 first responders and front-line employees during the pandemic.
Toney Smiley enjoying the stage.
They also had a vision. The need for outdoor seating sent them into a total makeover. They took out the “prison” fences and added a stage, lighting, and PA system for live music.
It’s now the premier outdoor venue in The Dalles.
Everybody else is too.
Outdoor seating was expanded at the Bargeway last year by adding an additional concrete apron on the riverside of the building while also adding to the back patio that will be able to accommodate weddings. It also looks pretty enticing from Riverfront Trail for trail trodders.
Inside the Silo. Oh, it begs for a Hot Toddy or an Irish Coffee on a cool winter night.
The Kanes have recycled two, grain bins for cover, - one for a bar, one for seating complete with a fire pit and an Irish coffee if you dare.
They’ve also remade the interior.
“I’ve probably touched every pipe and fixture in this place,” Steve said of remaking the restaurant during the past four years.
The location had been through several iterations: The Windseeker was builty by Vita and Ray Bingman. It then became Bent River by Martin Schwartzbach, and Mike Earland dubbed it the Bargeway Pub in his short ownership of it. He contracted to buy it from MId-Columbia Producers. He’s the owner of Fun Country.
Steve and Stacey took it over from Mike.
Family Affair
Steve’s parents, Jay and Mary Kay back in the day. The couple ran the Shamrock Cafe - the local hot spot for music in The Dalles back in the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s.
It served up Country Music and Chinese food made by Tommy and Albert Chin.
The bar was located in a gravel parking lot hemmed in by basalt rock outcroppings that have since been blasted away in the vicinity of Dairy Queen and Shari’s.
Steve's dad, Jay is still behind the bar and his mom, Mary helps out on occassion as well.
And Steve tips his hat to his Dad - a 1965 TDHS grad who taught him everything he knows.
Steve comes by his trade rightly.
He has bartended for 20-plus years, helping his parents at multiple restaurants, including the Wagon owned by Don Martin and now the location of the Last Stop, Tug Boat Annies in the Port of Hood River and the Hi-Way House. You name a restaurant or bar in TD, and Steve’s likely had a hand in it.
Steve met his wife-to-be, Stacey Lynn, who waited tables at the Hi-Wayway House.
“I’ve seen it all,” Steve said. “I’ve made every mistake you could make, but you can learn from mistakes.”
“Is there any other way,” Jay said from behind the bar as we talked.
Jay points out that his grandfather and his dad both ran restaurants in Minnesota, and he learned about the business by doing, working in the service bar at special events when he was a youth.
“It’s in my blood,” Steve said later on. “I definitely learned how to work.”
And how do you get from behind the bar to becoming the owner and operator?
“We took a chance and rolled the dice,” he said. “We were nervous buying this place. We made a collective decision to go all in - Stacey inspired me.”
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