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Biodiesel Tour Day 1: Final Preparation and the Angus Bar

Biodiesel Montana, edition number two, will cross northern Montana over the next week, following US2 eastbound and MT 200 westbound. The crew of five participants will visit sixteen communities over the next seven days. Crew members include Caleb Cantwell-Frank (K-Luv), Jason DeShaw, Matt Elsaesser, Greg Lambert, and Kyle Perkins. The primary mission of the tour is to promote the use of biodiesel as a viable alternative energy resource, especially in a great agricultural state like Montana. The tour provides communities and schools with an informative presentation on the small scale production of biodiesel. In addition to the biodiesel presentations country singer Jason DeShaw, of Plentywood, MT, wows the crowds with his “old time” country performances. Earlier this year the first edition of Biodiesel Montana took place in late February and visited communities from Missoula to Miles City.

This second edition of Biodiesel Montana began yesterday, Sunday. Before the ‘epic’ journey began the participants and the “Vegimobile” were blessed by Father Eric Gilbaugh of the St. Helena Cathedral. Following the blessing a humorous moment occurred when country singer Jason DeShaw asked another priest present at the ceremony if there was a blessing for country musicians, the priest simply responded “in fact son there is, it’s called an exorcism.”

After a busy day of final preparations the crew set out on a chilly November afternoon from Helena and made their first tour stop in the small central Montana community of Cascade. The first show of the tour was a success as the small but lively crowd at the Angus Bar was enthusiastic for both the country music and the biodiesel demonstration. Most promising was the attendance of a local farmer who plans to grow about fifteen acres of camolina crop next summer. His intention is to use the oil from the crop to make biodiesel to fuel his vehicles. Overall the Angus Bar show was a great kickoff to the tour, filling the crew with optimism for the long journey and many stops that lay ahead.

The night ended in Great Falls where the crew rested in surprisingly posh surroundings at the Holiday Inn. Kyle though, not surprisingly, still found the floor to be the best place to sleep.

The crew provided the following quotes on the kickoff show at the Angus Bar:

Great crowd enjoyed Jason’s show and the Biodiesel with lots of great questions. Including one that related to S.A.V.E.’s legislative agenda for small-scale biodiesel. Truck ran great. Roads were okay. Well received from the start. – Matt Elsaesser

Enthusiastic crowd. - K - Luv

A welcoming crowd of local residents showed enthusiasm as they danced and sang along with country classics. Interactive process was well received as the crew passed the bottle of biodiesel around the bar. - K - Luv

Jokes well received by the crowd. – Jason DeShaw

Ideal mix of entertaining the crowd and providing education to those interested in biodiesel. – Matt

We figured we could drink the biodiesel. – Local at the bar.