DYERSVILLE, Iowa — An establishment combining a restaurant, sports bar and wine lounge will be opening this week in Dyersville.

Fuse will open its bar at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 12, the same day as Dyersville’s St. Patrick’s Day festivities. The eatery will officially open daily starting Wednesday, March 16.

The name Fuse comes from the idea of combining three concepts — restaurant, sports bar and wine lounge — together into one space, said owner Tara Rahe.

“Nothing compares here to this type of atmosphere,” she said. “What we were wanting to do was give the community what they were looking for, what they were lacking.”

The sports bar is located in the front of the space with 12 televisions to watch games and space to seat more than 100 people. In the warmer months, an outdoor patio connected to the bar will be available.

The countertops at the bar are repurposed pieces from the space, and Rahe incorporated exposed brick and natural woodwork throughout the restaurant to keep some of the building’s historic touches. Rahe said that the building has been used as storage for a while, but Fuse occupies a space added on to a hotel that was open in the 1800s.

“It’s been fun to watch it all come to life,” she said.

Rahe said that the bar will feature specialty cocktails, wine and beer options. In addition to domestic beer, craft beer will be a staple, with the lineup changed from time to time, she said.

“I’ve been doing some testing on social media, and we’ve based the selection off of there and what people want,” she said.

The back room will feature the sit-down restaurant space and wine lounge. The restaurant can seat an additional 75 people, and the lounge another 10.

The sit-down area will open next week, Rahe said, though those who come to the St. Patrick’s Day celebration can utilize the wine lounge.

Rahe said that Fuse’s kitchen will not be open immediately, as kitchen equipment has been affected by ongoing shipping delays.

Until then, she said that she has partnered with multiple food trucks so that guests can have something to eat until the kitchen opens. Food trucks are currently scheduled to be at Fuse every Friday and Saturday, as well as some Thursdays and Sundays, until mid-April.

Happy Joe’s will be serving pizza for Fuse’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration, Rahe said, and Birds. food truck will be at the eatery on March 17. Dates for other food trucks will be posted on Fuse’s social media sites.

After the kitchen opens, Rahe said that she plans to have menu items like loaded nachos and a signature burger featured at the sports bar. In the back restaurant, she said she plans to have more upscale items like scallops and steaks.

Rahe, who grew up outside of Dyersville, said that the idea to open Fuse is what brought her back to the area after living in Chicago for a decade.

Since first teasing Fuse’s opening last year, Rahe said the response from the Dyersville community has been “amazing.”

“It’s a great community,” she said. “It’s great that there are several places in town that you can go. We bring something unique. The Palace (Saloon) is unique in its own way. The brewery (Textile Brewing Co.) is unique in its own way. It’s great that we can all bring something together for the community.”

Karla Thompson, executive director of Dyersville Area Chamber of Commerce, said that Rahe has done a great job keeping people excited and up-to-date on social media about Fuse’s progress, creating a good buzz in town.

She added that Fuse will be a great addition to Dyersville, especially for larger groups looking for a place to gather and eat.

“Ever since the closing of Country Junction, people have missed that sit-down restaurant sort of feel,” Thompson said. “This is just going to be another great restaurant that those people can go to.”

Dyersville Mayor Jeff Jacque also noted that community members are excited about the opening.

“Tara has been working hard at her place down there, and I know the community is very much behind her,” he said.