Long-silenced during refurbishment to the Minneapolis City Hall clock tower, the building's storied bells will resume ringing out their regular concert series once again this week.
The chimes are scheduled to echo songs throughout downtown from noon to 1 p.m. Friday, the Tower Bell Foundation announced Wednesday.
The foundation produces dozens of concerts for the bells every year in cooperation with the Municipal Building Commission, which manages the late 19th-century building. The Friday noon concerts began in 1991.
On April 25, nine months after restoration began, the four-sided clock was again lit up and its bells chimed.
The 15 bells, ranging in weight from 300 to 7,000 pounds, last rang out songs May 30, 2016.
The $2 million restoration, paid for by the city and Hennepin County, returned the clock to its original state by replacing its ceramic faces and neon-lit hands with frosted, backlit glass. Because the clock gets its time signal from the bells, the chimes needed to be disconnected during the makeover project.
Friday's concert will include standards and pop songs, with longtime volunteer Dan Wascoe at the chimes console in the building's 4th Street rotunda.
Paul Walsh
