Cheers: Grain Belt Beer Sign To Shine Again On Dec. 30

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- After years of being in the dark, the iconic Grain Belt Beer sign near downtown Minneapolis will shine bright again in late December.

On Saturday, the August Schell Brewing Company – who purchased the Grain Belt beer label 15 years ago – announced it will be flipping the switch on the classic sign on December 30.

Along with relighting the sign, the New Ulm brewing company is selling a limited number of commemorative packages that include a bulb, a certificate stating which letter the buyer helped to restore, a t-shirt and a porcelain Grain Belt sign.

Those packages went on sale Monday at 10 a.m.

The push to relight the sign, which was built in 1941, has been years in the making, ever since August Schell Brewing bought the Grain Belt brand in 2002.

August Schell Brewing's goal is to see the sign, which has been dark since the 1990s, as the "best-lit sign" in Minneapolis.

Minneapolis Mayor-elect Jacob Frey said as a city council member in early 2016 that relighting the sign is an important part of a bigger effort along the riverfront.