Two weeks ago, new and returning students flooded the campuses of William Woods University and Westminster College.
And from 4-7 p.m. Thursday, those students are invited to flood the Brick District for a welcome back party featuring food, music and more. The 500 block of Court Street will be closed to traffic during this time.
The annual Brick Blast, which debuted in 2014, is thrown jointly by Westminster, William Woods, the Brick District board and various downtown businesses.
"It's a good event for new students who aren't familiar with the area," said Andrea Whelan, assistant director of human resources at William Woods and planning committee member. "It's also good for returning students, who can see that the community is doing something for them."
Representatives from the mayor's office, William Woods and Westminster will be on hand. The event is intended to promote community - and to make sure students know they're part of the community.
"The merchants felt it would be a good way to reach out to students," said Debbie LaRue, Brick District board member. "We want them to feel that welcome feeling, like they can come downtown and get an ice cream cone at Sault's. We also wanted to reach out to the administration, because when students feel at home, that helps reach retention goals."
Whelan pointed out many downtown businesses have discounts exclusively for college students.
This year's event, which is free to attend for all William Woods and Westminster students, has all the traditional Brick Blast features.
Local eateries provide free food. There's a DJ on hand to keep the party grooving. There's even a scavenger hunt that will take students into businesses they otherwise might never discover. Competitors should get an early start - the first 200 finishers get a free T-shirt.
This year, the event will be better documented than ever before.
A crew of students from William Woods's communications department, under the leadership of communications professor Anthony Weed, plan on turning footage they film at Brick Blast into a short film.
"Our hope is that when students have family and friends in town, that they'll think about heading downtown instead of taking off to Columbia," LaRue said.