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On Sept. 2, maverick former congressman Jim Traficant, known for his spiky gray hairdo, eccentric oratory and polyester bell-bottomed suits, is scheduled to beam out of the Minnesota prison where he's served the final years of his eight-year prison sentence for official corruption.

Traficant's Mahoning Valley fans have scheduled a Sept. 6 "welcome home" party for the ex-congressman at a banquet facility in Boardman. Its organizers told the Vindicator newspaper the honoree may or may not be present.

Former Traficant congressional staffer Linda Kovachik of Boardman, who is coordinating the event, says she expects all 1,200 tickets will sell out.

"A lot of people are grateful for all he did as a member of Congress," said Kovachik, who believes Traficant was innocent of the crimes he was accused of committing, and hopes he decides to seek his old job in Congress. "He did for us, now we'll do for him."

Traficant's congressional seat is currently held by Niles Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan, who once served as an aide to Traficant. Traficant ran a write-in re-election campaign from prison in 2002, and lost in a landslide to Ryan.

Traficant's wife, Tish, declined comment on her or her husband's plans after his release.

"When he comes home, it's up to him, whatever he wants to do," she said Friday.

A Bureau of Prisons spokeswoman had no information on Traficant's plans, but said he'll be on probation for three years after he's released.

A Cleveland jury found the nine-term congressman guilty of 10 charges that he traded political favors for cash, gifts and work on his horse farm. Traficant claimed he was innocent and that his prosecution was a result of a government vendetta against him. After his conviction, he was ejected from the U.S. House of Representatives.

Traficant took up art in prison, where he painted watercolors and acrylics of horses and barns. Kovachik said Traficant has also spent his time in prison working out and playing guitar.

In Congress, the 68-year-old Youngstown Democrat was known for his diatribes on the House of Representatives floor that often featured the colorful exclamation: "Beam Me Up!"

Here's a speech that Traficant delivered in the House of Representatives on Sept. 26, 2000:

"Mr. Speaker, the Pentagon wants to buy combat ships from foreign shipbuilders. Now, if that is not enough to sink your rubber ducky, check this out: We give billions to Russia and billions to China in tax breaks, and, even though the American worker builds the best ships in the world, the Pentagon now wants to buy ships from Russia and China.

Beam me up. Who is running the Pentagon, Monte Hall? I think it is time to tell the Pentagon that we can hire generals and admirals a hell of a lot cheaper from Korea too.

I yield back the fact that American jobs are literally being shipped overseas."

In Congress, the 68-year-old Youngstown Democrat was known for his diatribes on the House of Representatives floor that often featured the colorful exclamation: "Beam Me Up!"

I was probably one of the few on this board to defend Traficant.

I always found him to be the most entertaining Democrap in Congress.

He also had a certain honesty that I could respect (probably the most honest Democrap that I could name. Pretty bad sense he was convicted of corruption).

What I most enjoyed though was that he more a thorn in the side of the Democraps than he was the Republicans. That was probably his down fall. He had no friend to defend him on his side of the isle and because he was a Dim the Republicans had no interest in defending him (not that the Repubs defend their own much anyway).

I suspect that Traficant will run again but I doubt that he will win. He is gone too long and his former supporters have invested in successor. He will simply have to fade in to the background as best as he is able.