It has been almost two months since Dubuque Street in downtown Iowa City re-opened for vehicle traffic, and the large, chain-link fences akin to prison bars were removed from alongside a renewed sidewalk on Aug. 30. In those two months, business has slowly returned.

Over the summer, Dubuque Street businesses faced declining profits, with businesses reporting upwards of 50 to 60 percent drops in sales.

To commemorate the new life breathed into the street by replacing critical infrastructure and the return of traffic to the area, the Iowa City Downtown Association and Think Iowa City hosted a block party celebration on Thursday.

Starting at 4 p.m., the event featured live music from Brad and the Big Wave, an Iowa City band. The street was blocked off, ironically restricting traffic like during the taxing reconstruction project. The large, block letters that spelled “Iowa City” were taller than most patrons on the street, who in their hands carried food and alcoholic beverages sold out front of Pullman, Mickey’s Irish Pub, The Sports Column, Masala, and other Dubuque Street staples.

At the street’s edges, at the intersection of Dubuque and Washington and Dubuque and Iowa Avenue, the red-shirted Iowa City Ambassadors stood watch to play their parts as a force of guidance and safety during the event.

To Downtown District Marketing Director Christopher Hunter, the event serves as a celebration of more than the business reopening but what the businesses — and Dubuque Street in general — mean to Iowa City.

“We wanted to bring the community down to continue supporting these businesses,” Hunter said.

Hunter said the street reopening, combined with students moving in for the fall semester, has helped businesses climb back to where they were fiscally before the construction.

He said the planning process required a discussion with the businesses, and the plan ended up being that their doors would stay open for longer into the evening. The bars and restaurants served food and alcoholic beverages out on the street.

“It’s a little extra special that you can come outside, take your food, and enjoy something,” he said.

Catherine Champion, owner of Catherine’s Boutique on Dubuque Street, said business has not yet returned to pre-construction levels. She contributes that fact to the timing of the construction. She said it is because the street was not open in time for new and returning students to include it as a route.

“It takes a while to get back to normalized foot traffic again because people get used to going a different way,” she said.

David Stein, owner of Mickey’s Irish Pub, said business levels have returned closer to normal. For the event, they were selling discounted beer on the street.

Jan Weismiller, co-owner of Prairie Lights Books and Cafe, said Prairie Lights is excited for business to return.

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“You can easily walk into prairie lights now, and we welcome you,” she said.

The store is selling children’s books at 20 percent off for the block party, she said and a deal similar to the support of children’s merchandise they had with 223 Baby Co. down the street during the construction.

223 Baby Co. Manager Amanda Campbell said she is thankful for the end of the construction and the community’s support.

“We’re very thankful that the Downtown District cares about small businesses and wants to uplift us, even when there’s some hurdles,” she said.

One element that illustrates the continued support of downtown businesses is the ever-expanding Iowa City Ambassadors.

Iowa City’s Nighttime Mayor Joe Reilly, who is a liaison between downtown Iowa City’s nightlife and the Downtown District, said the ambassadors have a growing role in making downtown a safe and welcoming environment.

“The spirit of the ambassadors is that they’re really not only welcome people to downtown, but they’re here to help us make it welcoming,” Reilly said.

Attending the block party was Iowa City City Councilor Josh Moe. He said the city and the Downtown District are happy to see the continued support of the businesses and the city’s efforts through the construction.

“Construction is painful, and so we’re grateful that people were patient. I think it looks great,” he said.

The event attracted residents of all ages who enjoyed a new but still recovering area of Iowa City that has a storied past and, thanks to construction and community support, appears to be looking towards further life and success going forward.