Tickets available for Palin's Thursday Cape Girardeau appearance at Show Me Center

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will headline a Republican rally Thursday morning at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau.

Doors will open at 6:30 a.m. for the event featuring the GOP's vice presidential nominee, with the program starting at 8:30 a.m. "Governor Palin will discuss John McCain's plans to put an end to this economic crisis, create jobs that support the American dream and keep our nation secure by putting country first," the Missouri Republican Party said in a news release announcing the event.

The visit is the first to Southeast Missouri by one of the major party candidates since the national conventions in August. U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee, visited Cape Girardeau in May before securing the nomination.

Free tickets are available at four Republican headquarters locations around the area from 3 to 9 p.m. and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday until all the tickets are distributed. The location for obtaining tickets are:

• Cape Girardeau County Republican Headquarters, 601 N. Kingshighway, Cape Girardeau.
• Butler County Republican Headquarters, 1901A Greenwood Drive, Poplar Bluff, Mo.
• Scott County Republican Headquarters, 900 S. Main St., Sikeston, Mo.
• St. Francois County Republican Headquarters, 301 N. Washington, Farmington, Mo.

For more information, check back at semissourian.com or read Tuesday's Southeast Missourian.