Outside The Wire At Sunrise Saloon Honors Veterans Across Montana

The Outside the Wire Benefit at the Sunrise Saloon last Saturday night felt like a dream. After two days, the only thing I can think of to say is THANK YOU. As of today, we have received over $4,000 for the Legion Riders of Corvallis and their Veterans Bear Camp. We were joking with Wayne, one of the primary organizers behind the camp, saying that because of everyone who donated on Saturday night, apparently there will be ice cream at hunting camp this year.

All jokes aside, that's what made Saturday night so special.

Missoula Shows Love for Their Veterans

There were a lot of old friends that I hadn't seen in a long time as well as many new ones. Everywhere I looked, people seemed to be genuinely having a good time. Since Saturday, I've heard from a bunch of people who have told me the same thing. That is exactly what we wanted Outside the Wire to be.

Also, we were able to gather a ton of raffle prizes thanks to local businesses supporting the cause. Businesses included Canyon Ferry Brewing Company out of Townsend, In Your Element in Stevensville, and Madhouse Cannabis giving us gift baskets. Bearded Viking Mead Company (a veteran owned and operated company out of Columbus, MT) gave us a whole case of mead along with a Viking Axe. We also had gift certificates from both The Depot in Missoula and Lolo Peak Brewing Company.

And then there was the prize that almost everybody wanted.

Montana Knife Company gave us a $400 Blood Brothers Speed Goat knife. I finally got the chance to meet MKC owner Josh Smith face-to-face when he came down to the event, which was pretty damn cool.

Better yet was seeing who ended up getting the knife.

A proud Desert Storm Veteran.

It doesn't get any better than that!

Tim Montana Came Through Big Time

Needless to say, none of this would have been possible without our buddy Tim Montana.

Tim traveled to Missoula with his extremely talented pal Kyle Rife. They both jumped up on stage at the Sunrise and totally killed it. He also came through big time for Montana veterans. For years, Tim has supported veterans, and Saturday night was just another example of him putting his actions towards supporting veterans where his heart is. I am truly grateful that he decided to be a part of this wild idea and help us take it to the next level and turn it into something special.

I also can't express my gratitude enough to Kammy and her crew at the Sunrise Saloon. Kammy jumped aboard and provided us with a place to host our event. She also helped promote it and collaborated with us throughout the whole process.

HUGE thanks to the extremely talented opening act KOVERKILL! We have been friends for many years, and JJ and Per still manage to impress me all the time. I would also like to give a shoutout to Justin at Hellhouse Sound for making the magic happen. BIG thanks to my brothers Shawn from the Rockstar Radio Show and Eddie from Local 406 for helping host. Not to mention all of the volunteers from the Corvallis Legion for being all around badasses. Plus, shout-out to my helper elf Katie for keeping me in line.

A HUGE Thank You goes to our main sponsors: Montana Knife Company, Madhouse Cannabis, A&B Roofing, and the Sunrise Saloon. You guys played a major role in this happening.

This One Was On a Very Personal Level

Outside the Wire was created to raise money for veterans. However, for me, it was more personal. Before my father passed away, I made him a promise. My dad had the option to go to the Veterans Bear Camp and experience firsthand what Wayne, Don and the Legion Riders are creating for veterans. I made my dad a promise that I would find a way to give back so other veterans could have that same opportunity.

Saturday night was part of keeping that promise.

That's why seeing a crowded Sunrise Saloon meant so much to me. Every single ticket purchase, raffle ticket sale, every single donation, and every single person that showed up helped me keep a promise to my dad while helping veterans create some of their own memories.

I don't know how else to thank Western Montana for that.

Saturday night reminded me why I enjoy living in Western Montana. We asked our community to show up, have a good time, and help some veterans along the way.

You guys did all three.