Owner Gene Suh. Photo by Tom Wallace.

It's been a long time since downtown Minneapolis had a new dance club. Now comes Whisky Park, a country-themed party bar from Gene Suh, the owner of the Lyndale Tap House. The bar, located in the old Lodge space, is scheduled to open to the public at 7 p.m. on Saturday. The best part: free mechanical bull rides until 10 p.m.

Suh has said he doesn't want Whisky Park to be as country as, say, Toby Keith's St. Louis Park megabar, but it will have some cowboy flourishes, such as line-dancing one night a week. Mostly, though, it will just be cowboy in attitude. Don't be surprised if you hear Johnny Cash and Jay-Z while out on the dance floor. Suh hired Shea (design firm behind Barrio and Crave) to help give the place a sleek look. He recently told me he wants to "put more thought into the party-bar scene."

Opening night: 7 p.m. Sat. 15 S. 5th St, Mpls. More info on Facebook and the bar's bare-bones website.