SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — The Curve Inn has reopened almost nine months after a fire forced the Springfield neighborhood business to close.

A fire in February destroyed a large section of the building’s exterior and most of the area inside the decades-old bar.

In the week following the fire, regulars and other community members came out to the Curve Inn to help clean out the space and throw away burned furniture and other items.

Now, the Curve Inn is back open, serving lunch, dinner and drinks.

“Those guys worked really hard to make this place a really good place,” said Kathy Strubbe, a former employee and regular. “It’s just that this place means a lot to a lot of people.”

More than two dozen people were lined up outside of the Curve Inn before the doors opened at 11 this morning. Some people took the day off work just to show up in support of the reopening.

Kim Winking, a 21-year regular of the Curve Inn, was one of the first people to visit the Curve after it re-opened. She said many fans of the bar have been anxiously waiting for the reopening.

“They are our family, and we are part of their family now,” Winking said. “It’s our home away from home, and we are so happy to be back.”

Jay Bishop has been visiting the Curve Inn for more than two decades. He’s a member of the “Old Guys,” a group that meets at the Curve twice a week.

“There are some very loyal people here, and she’s loyal to us, and we’re loyal right back,” Bishop said. “We were here the day it burned and, we’ve been waiting a long time.”