Chamber Santa Cash Auction Saturday

Six local businesses collaborated to provide a 50-in plasma TV for the 2009 Chamber Christmas Promotion. The TV will be auctioned off using Chamber Santa Cash at 4 p.m. Saturday in front of the Chamber office at 107 Norris Avenue. Providing the TV are, from left, Shary Skiles with McCook Daily Gazette, Trevor Taylor with VK Electronics, Leanne Miller with Community Hospital, Deanna Dallam with Amfirst Bank, and Gloria Mefford and Darryl Volquardsen with First Central Bank. Great Plains Communications also helped provide the TV for the promotion. (McCook Daily Gazette)

The value of the dollar has taken a beating in recent months, but Chamber Santa Cash is still a strong currency at the McCook Chamber of Commerce. Only a few days remain for shoppers to exchange their receipts from participating local businesses for the unusual-looking greenbacks. After Saturday's Chamber Santa Cash auction, they will become worthless.

Chamber Santa Cash is the only currency that will be accepted at the auction, which will take place in front of the Chamber office at 107 Norris Ave. beginning at 4 p.m. on Saturday. One of the items that will be auctioned is a 50-inch plasma TV donated by six area businesses -- Community Hospital, Amfirst Bank, VK Electronics, First Central Bank, Great Plains Communications, and McCook Daily Gazette.

Other items up for auction include a LazyBoy Recliner donated by Samway Floor Covering and Furniture; two round-trip tickets to Denver donated by Great Lakes Aviation; two tickets to next year's Nebraska vs. Texas football game donated by McCook National Bank, as well as many other items. The auction items, all donated by the 28 participating businesses, are on display at the McCook Chamber of Commerce.

Chamber staff will be available to exchange receipts for Chamber Santa Cash today, Thursday, and Friday until 5 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 to 1 and from 2 until auction-time at 4 p.m.