Grain Belt Beer sign shines bright, first time since the 90s

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - It was a magical moment in Minneapolis as August Shell Brewing Co. flipped the switch on the Grain Belt Beer sign in Minneapolis Saturday night. 

The iconic sign was originally built in 1941 and has been on Nicollet Island since 1950. It went dark in 1975 and was ceremonially re-lit in the 1980s and 1990s, but has been dark ever since. 

Now it will light the night and the island once again. 

“The Grain Belt Beer sign both reflects and contributes to the downtown Minneapolis character as a historic industrial and commercial city,” August Shell President Ted Marti said in a 2016 press release that announced that the company had purchased the sign.

In true Minnesota fashion, people were bundled up in hats, mittens and winter coats to celebrate the historic event. 

The sign will be lit up for the foreseeable future, at least through the Super Bowl, August Schell Brewing told Fox 9.