Bert’s Pharmacy donates iconic sign to Hastings Museum

HASTINGS, Neb. — An iconic part of downtown Hastings will now be preserved for the public to see.

The Bert’s Pharmacy sign hung at the corner of 2nd St. and Hastings Ave. for somewhere between 50 and 70 years, according to owner Tom Choquette. It survived a fire last March that destroyed the rest of the historic building.

Choquette donated the orange and blue neon sign to the Hastings Museum on Thursday. He said in a news release that he chose to give it to the museum because he wanted to share the sign with the community.

“What better place than the museum,” Choquette said. 

The sign, which weights more than 400 pounds, is currently on display outside of the museum’s Kool-Aid exhibit. Officials say they plan to eventually display it in the planned Hastings-area history exhibit on the second floor.

Bert’s Pharmacy continues to operate a location at 1021 W. 14th St.