Sellout crowd of more than 3,300 attends Cattlemen’s Ball

Some of the volunteer nurses and staff from The Nebraska Medical Center and the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center who worked at the Cattlemen’s Ball.

The 2005 Cattlemen’s Ball was winding down. The nurses and staff in the UNMC tent had put in a full day, taking blood pressures and screening people for prostate cancer and skin damage.

A man walked into the tent and approached one of the nursing team. He didn’t introduce himself, but he said he wanted to say, “Thank you.”

At the 2004 State Fair, the man had come to The Nebraska Medical Center and UNMC booth to get his free prostate specific antigen (PSA) screening for prostate cancer. Five months earlier, his PSA level had been at four, a level considered normal. When he got his results back from the State Fair screening, his PSA level had soared to nine, an abnormally high level.

“I just wanted you to know that you saved my life,” he said.

Gov. Dave Heineman with Alison Freifeld, M.D., infectious diseases, and Ken Cowan, M.D., Ph.D., director of the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center.

After getting the high PSA reading, the man had gone to his doctor and found that he did indeed have prostate cancer. One surgery and 37 radiation treatments later, he was pleased to let the nursing staff know how grateful he was for the free screening provided by UNMC.

“That was really a special moment for the entire staff,” said Sue Wardian, staff nurse for The Nebraska Medical Center and the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center. “He never even told us his name, but his message was unforgettable.

“It really let us know what a difference we can make by volunteering for an event like the State Fair or the Cattlemen’s Ball. It gives added meaning to the ball – not only is it a great fund-raiser for cancer research, but it also has the potential of saving lives. That’s a pretty special event.”

Wardian said 96 people had PSA screenings done this year, while 350 were screened for sun damage, 250 blood pressures were taken and 140 hemocult kits were given out for people to be screened for colon cancer. In addition, the Cosmopolitan Mobile Nursing Center of the UNMC College of Nursing screened 129 people for cholesterol and blood glucose levels.

University of Nebraska President James B. Milliken, second from left, and his wife, Nana Smith, met Sandy Keim, a nurse for The Nebraska Medical Center, and Lon Keim, M.D., a physician in the UNMC Department of Internal Medicine.

This year’s ball was held June 4 at the Herb Albers Feedlot six miles north of Wisner, Neb., and about 85 miles from Omaha. It marked the first time the ball has come to the northeast corner of the state.

Hosts for this year’s ball were Herb and Kathy Albers. Diagnosed just over two years ago with a type of leukemia, Herb Albers is a cancer survivor.

“Our lives have been touched by cancer,” he said. “This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us to help in the fight against cancer, while also bringing a great event to Northeast Nebraska.”

Over the previous seven years, the Cattlemen’s Ball has raised more than $880,000 for cancer research at the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center. Although final numbers for this year’s ball won’t be known for a few weeks, it looks like the 2005 ball could be one of the best ever, said Ken Cowan, M.D., Ph.D., director of the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center.

The event sold out several months in advance with 738 people buying Trail Boss tickets at $300 and 2,601 people buying Top Hand tickets at $65. Of the Trail Boss tickets sold, more than 90 people and businesses paid between $25,000 and $1,250 to show their additional support for the ball.

Bob Lahue, Ph.D., right, a researcher in the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center, and his wife, Elaine, left, look over some pottery on sale in the General Store at the Cattlemen’s Ball, while a sales clerk looks on.

“Words can’t adequately express how grateful we are for the Cattlemen’s Ball,” Dr. Cowan said. “What an incredible event. It is just amazing how much work goes into the ball and how many people volunteer their time and talents to make it work. It is one of those events you have to see to believe.”

This year’s ball was highlighted by a concert from the country rock group Sawyer Brown. The group has been entertaining people for more than 20 years, performing in more than 3,000 live shows and recording 13 gold and platinum albums in the U.S. and Canada as well as 19 Top 5 singles.

Other event activities included: a tour of the Albers Feedlot, live and silent auctions, golf scramble, car or truck raffle, style show, quilt show, clay shoot, horse whisperer, working dog show, wine tasting, civil war reenactment and a tractor promenade.

Rep. Tom Osborne, right, and Rep. Jeff Fortenberry and his wife, Celeste, were among the dignitaries at this year’s Cattlemen’s Ball.

The Cattlemen’s Ball is held each year to showcase rural Nebraska, promote beef in a healthy diet and raise money for health care research. The UNMC Eppley Cancer Center is the primary recipient of this fund-raising effort with 90 percent of the proceeds going toward cancer research programs at Eppley. The remaining 10 percent of the funds raised will stay in the local area and be used for health care activities.

With 15,000 head of cattle, the Herb Albers Feedlot is a huge operation. Basic feeding of the cattle is orchestrated through a fully automated feed mill built in 2001. All cattle are tracked daily from their arrival through their ship date.

Tours of the feedlot were especially well received. “It was incredible to see first-hand what a high tech business cattle feeding has become,” said Keith Swarts, director of business services at UNMC. “I was totally impressed with the operation. It was fascinating.”

Tractors performed a square dance routine in the Farmall Promenade at the Cattlemen’s Ball.

As always, the event was attended by a number of prominent individuals. This year’s attendees included Gov. Dave Heineman, Rep. Tom Osborne, Rep. Lee Terry, Rep. Jeff Fortenberry and gubernatorial candidate Dave Nabity. University of Nebraska President James B. Milliken and his family were also in attendance.

Next year’s ball will be June 3 in Milford, Neb. The event, which is open to the public, will be hosted by Bob and Marg Dickinson and the Midwest Feeding Company. Tickets can be purchased at Jones National Bank & Trust in Milford, phone 1-888-562-3602.