As the grand finalé for McCook's 125th anniversary celebration, the Quasquicen-tennial Committee and the George W. Norris Foundation will present the McCook community's second Governor's Ball.

The prestigious event, featuring Gov. Dave Heineman, will take place at the Republican River Valley Event Center. The date is Saturday night, Dec. 8, beginning with a social hour at 6 p.m.

Dinner will be served at 7 p.m. A program and dance will follow. Music will be provided by the Lonny Lynn Orchestra of Lincoln.

"This will be an elegant celebration," said Terri Shipshock, a member of the Governor's Ball planning committee. "As a formal event, it will be a special time for celebrating the community's history."

McCook's first Governor's Ball took place Oct. 5, 1991. That event honored Ben Nelson, who took office as Nebraska's governor in January of that year. Nelson, who was born and raised in McCook, went on to be elected to a second term as governor and two terms as a U.S. Senator.

Gov. Heineman also has ties to the McCook area. During his childhood, Heineman's father served as an assistant manager at the McCook JCPenney store. Later, his father became the manager at the JCPenney store in Benkelman and several other Nebraska towns. The governor's father passed away earlier this summer.

Nelson and Heineman followed distinguished footsteps. In previous years, two other McCookites -- Ralph G. Brooks and Frank B. Morrison -- also served as Nebraska governors. Further adding to McCook's political reputation was the public service of George W. Norris, a District Judge from McCook who went on to serve 40 years in the U.S. House and Senate. Known as the Gentle Knight of Progressive Ideals, Sen. Norris authored legislation creating the Rural Electrification Administration and the Tennessee Valley Authority. He is also heralded as a leading advocate of Nebraska's unicameral form of government.

Tickets for the Governor's Ball cost $50 each. Reser-vations may be made by calling the McCook Area Chamber of Commerce, (308) 345-3200.

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I don't know if City Council members knew what they were getting themselves into when they chose the seven members of the Sales Tax Committee. The members are all strong-minded individuals, firm in their beliefs and not shy about expressing their opinions.

I can say that because I'm one of the "Sales Tax Seven." From the standpoint of age and gender it's not a balanced group. There are no women on the committee, and the youngest of the bunch, I'm guessing, is in his mid to late 40s.

Still, I think the group might do a pretty good job of representing the community. That's because the seven men have varied viewpoints on the need and use for sales tax revenues.

I, personally, am a strong advocate of the sales tax as a tool for economic and community development. In my opinion, McCook is at a crossroads. We are losing population and if we don't invest in our future we will continue to slide, jeopardizing the quality of life for the town's future generations.

But not everyone on the committee feels the same way. In Dick Trail's columns, which appear in Saturday editions of the Gazette, he has raised questions about the sales tax. As far back as July 14, Dick mentioned the possibility of leaving out sales tax revenue and bumping the property tax to its statutory limit.

As an opponent of increased property taxes, I'm troubled by that scenario.

But the ideas need to be discussed ... openly and honestly. That's the American way. All sides need to speak out, telling as best they can the pros and cons of a sales tax for property tax relief, improvement projects and economic development.

If you have questions or suggestions, you may contact any of the members of the Sales Tax Committee. The Sales Tax Seven, listed alphabetically, are Don Harpst, Wayne Michaelis, Gene Morris, Jerry Reitz, Duane Tappe, Dick Trail and Gary Wiemers.

See what I mean? All seven guys are the kind of people who stand up for what they believe.

Let's have a lively discussion and decide, together, what's best for the future of our community.