When 3 Legged Cowboy closed on April 30, gay Atlanta fans of country music and two-stepping were left without a nightlife home. This weekend, that changes.

Deana Collins and her partner, Sheila Whitehead, owners of 3 Legged Cowboy, have teamed up with the Heretic to start up country music and dancing nights at the club on Cheshire Bridge Road.

“That was so sweet of them,” Deana Collins says of the owners and management of the Heretic. “They’ve been in the community almost as long as we have. We told them if we’re going to do this we’ve go to do it right.”

And doing it right means having many of the same 3 Legged Cowboy decorations hanging from the walls and ceiling of the Heretic. And, of course, the music and dance floor.

“I used to work for them [Deana and Sheila] at the original Hoedowns on Cheshire Bridge Road,” says Alan Collins, general manager of the Heretic. “We all met and said why don’t we give this a try. And we’re getting a whole lot of their paraphernalia — the corral, putting up the disco ball boots and the saddle. A lot of stuff you used to see will be hanging at the Heretic.”

The Heretic will host 3 Legged Thursdays and select Saturdays. There will be line dancing and lessons offered on these nights. But, Alan Collins stressed, the Heretic is not going country all the time.

“We will still be bringing in international DJs once a month and regular dance on the other nights,” he says.

One thing Alan Collins and the Heretic owners — Bev Cook and Ray Collins — are excited about is women coming to the Heretic on Thursdays. It was “lesbian night” at 3 Legged Cowboy on Thursdays and the Heretic expects the same crowd.

“We’re excited about the girls joining us,” he says.

Deana Collins (no relation to Alan or Ray) is thrilled bring back 3 Legged Cowboy, even if it is just for a couple nights a week. She and Whitehead continue to look for a permanent space for a new incarnation of the country western bar, likely in Midtown.

“We’re looking at a couple spots,” she says, adding she wants to open the bar again because of the people who come.

“I just love them to death. They’re my kids. This is all about them,” she says.

Top photo: 3 Legged Cowboy Night, complete with the corral, comes to the Heretic every Thursday and Select Saturdays. (by Dyana Bagby)