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Grain Belt Sign May Light Up Again By Summer 2017

MINNEAPOLIS (AP/WCCO) -- A brewery says it hopes to relight the Grain Belt beer sign in Minneapolis by summer 2017 after recently finalizing its purchase of the sign and the land it sits on.

August Schell Brewing Co. of New Ulm bought the Grain Belt brand in 2002 and started looking into how to relight the sign along the Mississippi River. The company announced plans to buy the 40-foot sign in late 2014, but it took more than a year to close the deal.

The sign was built in 1941 and has been dark since the 1990s. August Schell president Ted Marti says the company sees the sign as part of the state's identity.

"The fact that the sign has sort of been dead for a number of years, I think people will really be excited to see it lit," Marti said.

The goal, the brewing company said, is to once again make the landmark "the best-known lit sign" in the city.

Minneapolis City Council member Jacob Frey says relighting the sign is important part of a bigger effort along the riverfront.

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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