The next Salina Chamber of Commerce’s annual

banquet will be a bipartisan affair.

The chamber announced Thursday former GOP U.S. House speaker

Newt Gingrich and former U.S. Sen. Bill Bradley, a Democrat, will

be the featured speakers at the group’s banquet next Feb. 11.

The chamber says each man will give a speech, then answer

questions together.

Chamber president and CEO Dennis Lauver says nearly 1,000

tickets were sold by the Thursday evening.

The banquet sold out earlier this year when Republican Sarah

Palin was the speaker.