For the past decade, Dixie Roadhouse has been an entertainment mainstay in the South Cape.

“It’s stayed pretty steady for all 10 years,” said marketing director David Townsend. “Which is kind of unusual for night clubs. They usually start off bigger and fade out as people have been there and done that. Here, it’s stayed steady and it’s only gone up.”

He attributes some of that success to the economy getting better.

Townsend also cited the nightclub’s warm and friendly reputation.

“It’s a friendly place where it wouldn’t be unusual to run into your aunt because it covers such a wide age range,” he said.

Either way, it’s hard to picture downtown Cape Coral without Dixie Roadhouse.

“It’s been 10 years and we’re looking forward to many more,” Townsend said. “And we love Cape Coral. We love being here. We’re not looking to go anywhere else.”

The Dixie does a lot of charity work in the community.

They’ll donate the building to charities that want to do an event.

“We’ll also contribute to charities who want to do gift certificates and things like that,” Townsend said. “Sometimes we’ll do fundraisers.”

The owner was previously in the retro club business.

“Those kind of ran their course,” Townsend said. “People who were into ’70s and ’80s music were getting too old to go to night clubs.”

After a nightclub project was completed in Chicago, the owners traveled across the country looking at available nightclub spaces to create the Dixie Roadhouse concept.

Owner and managing partner, Lynn Pippenger, fell in love with the building at 1023 S.E. 47th Terrace.

Cape Coral also seemed like a great place to raise a family.

The owners loved it and loved the city.

So, they decided to move here.

And the rest is history.

Dixie Roadhouse had an anniversary party on Friday and Saturday.

Townsend said on Saturday afternoon that the turnout was good so far and he expected a better turnout on Saturday night, when there was a prize wheel and a contest.

Dixie also sold T-shirts and sent postcards to commemorate the event.

Dixie Roadhouse doesn’t have a strict dress code or high coverage entry charge.

You can wear jeans, tennis shoes and casual shirts.

“You don’t have to get dressed up,” Townsend said. “It’s a good, casual, fun place.”

The Dixie is known for events.

“Halloween and Thanksgiving and right before Thanksgiving is big,” Townsend said. “New Year’s Eve, we go all out with those things.”

“So, people know when there is an occasion to go out, we’re going to be the place to be. You know we’re going to do it right.”

Townsend thinks Dixie’s success throughout the years is because it’s known as a friendly place for all age groups.

“Generally, we have an older crowd early when they’re doing line dancing, and a younger crowd later at night,” he said. “People are friendly so if they come and don’t know how to line dance, they’ll come teach you.”

It’s all about having fun and the line dancing lessons help make the experience more interactive.

The good thing about line dancing, Townsend said, is you don’t need a partner.

“You don’t need to bring someone else,” he said. “Just come by yourself. If you don’t know how to line dance, people there will teach you.”

The music appeals to all age groups.

“We don’t play obscure music or things that are not fun or upbeat or energetic,” Townsend said. “We try to get the crowd to create their own party. It’s good, clean fun.”

Dixie Roadhouse is a country western themed nightclub.

Townsend likes the tradition and timelessness of country music.

“It has a lot of tradition and it always has, but it’s continually updated,” he said. “It has roots

And people identify with it. It’s been around a long time and it’s comfortable. It pushes a lot of memory buttons.”

“That’s what people want in music–hitting those memory buttons. You associate the music with your first date, first kiss, first prom. People remember that music their whole life.”

And like country music, the Dixie is cemented in people’s minds.

It’s a place old and young go to create memories and have good, clean, fun.

And they’ll continue to do so for another 10 years.

“Lynn and I attribute most of the long-term success of Dixie Roadhouse to the outstanding staff,” Townsend said. “In the beginning, we picked 150 people from over 400 applications to audition for 50 team positions. Those auditions produced an amazing staff and a lot of the original hires are still with us today. Then we have continued to hire great people over the years. The incredible staff is what makes Dixie Roadhouse what it is. The rest of the Dixie magic is just smoke and mirrors. I just manage the smoke and mirrors.”