Gov. Chet Culver visits with Cedar Rapids residents who came out to celebrate the re-opening of Sykora Bakery in Czech Village after last year's devastating flood.

Gov. Chet Culver visits with Cedar Rapids residents who came out to celebrate the re-opening of Sykora Bakery in Czech Village after last year's devastating flood.

CEDAR RAPIDS — Sometimes it is the little things that make getting back to “normal” seem possible. Visiting a favorite park or watching as children play on debris-free sidewalks all add to an overall feeling of well-being.

In Czech Village, a southwest Cedar Rapids neighborhood, residents and public officials came together over the weekend to celebrate pastries and progress.  Children and adults dressed in traditional Czech garb inside the bakery, known locally for its kolaches.

Gov. Chet Culver, who attended the re-opening along with local officials, spoke with residents and business owners who lined the street outside the bakery.

Culver sounded optimistic as he spoke of the progress Cedar Rapids is making, but he must have been aware of the boarded up business across the street and the closed and decimated Czech and Slovac Museum a block down the road, because he acknowledged that the city’s transformation is far from complete.

“We celebrate the progress,” Culver told those attending.  “We also understand that there is much more to do.”

Progress in Cedar Rapids, where more than 600 businesses and a multitude of residential and public facilities were impacted by the June floods, is marked by new windows, drywall installations and ribbon cuttings. According to Culver, roughly 450 of the businesses have re-opened during the 10 months since being devastated.

Sykora Bakery closed in late 2006 for renovations. It was near re-opening in 2008 when flood waters washed it away. Although owner John Rocarek had flood insurance, he  also benefitted from state Jumpstart flood assistance funds.

Several additional photos from the re-opening are available on Cindy Hadish’s blog.