U.S. Rep. John Tanner will be the keynote speaker Sept. 3 for the Mayor's Kickoff Luncheon.

This event will officially open the 9th Annual Tennessee Soybean Fest-ival in Martin, Tenn.

The luncheon, sponsored by Leland Powell Fasteners of Martin, will begin at noon in UTM's Boling University Center.

The Tennessee Soybean Festival, is sponsored by the city of Martin, the University of Tennessee at Martin, the Tennessee Soybean Promotion Council, Union City Coca Cola Bottling Co., First Citizens National Bank and the soybean producers of Tennessee. The festival will last from the third to the eighth of September.

Tanner was raised in Obion County, Tenn., and attended Union City public schools. In 1962, he entered the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, on a basketball scholarship and earned a bachelor's degree in Business Administration in 1966.

He received his law degree in 1968 from the UT School of Law.

He then entered the U.S. Navy, and after an honorable discharge in 1972, he pursued various business interests in addition to his law practice, including a family-owned general insurance agency.

Tanner was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1976 and served consecutive terms there until his election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1988.

He was a member of the Committee on National Security and the Committee on Science until his appointment in 1997 to the powerful Committee on Ways and Means. He is now serving his seventh term, representing the 8th Congressional District.

Congressman Tanner is recognized for his effort to eliminate the national debt, his expertise on tax policy and his continued commitment to providing the financial resources Tennessee's teachers and parents need to prepare children for the 21st century. He is seen as a leader on budget, tax and trade issues, and also plays a prominent role in agriculture, conservation and health-care issues.

Luncheon tickets are $8.50 each. For information, call 731-588-1263.

Complete Tennessee Soybean Festival information is available on the Web at www.tnsoybeanfestival.org.