A group known as "The Tea Party Express" held a rally in Helena on Sunday morning to protest government spending and high taxes.
Around 500 people turned out at the Lewis and Clark County Fairgrounds to participate in what organizers say is a non-partisan event.
The Tea Party Express began its series of rallies last Sunday in San Diego and the cross country trek comes a year before the 2010 elections, and organizers call the tour a "countdown to judgement day".
The rallies will highlight members of Congress who vote for higher spending, high taxes and government intervention. We spoke with a Billings man today who attended the rally.
"(It was) very exciting and patriotic. Looks good. Lots of people concerned about our future. We're confident the tea party movement and the conservative movement is working" said Eric Olsen, who's the co-founder of Montana Shrugged. "We're still worried because of lot of the liberals in Washington don't seem to want to listen to us and don't acknowledge there are Americans who are concerned."
The Tea Party Express also stopped in Bozeman and the group will complete its tour in Orlando, Florida on November 12th.
(from October 30, 2009) This weekend a group of Tea Partiers touring the country will stop in Bozeman.
The Tea Party Express II, Countdown to Judgment Day tour rolls into town on Sunday, Nov. 1. At each stop, the tour highlights some of who it thinks are the worst political offenders in Congress who have voted for higher spending, higher taxes and government intervention.
The Bozeman Tea Party says it will be a celebration of freedom rally. The rally will be held from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1 at Heritage Christian School on Durston Road.
The tour will also stop in Helena before continuing on to Rapid City, South Dakota on Monday.
This isn't first Tea Party gathering Bozeman.
The local Tea Party group held marches in Bozeman on tax day in April and on the Fourth of July to protest Obama administration spending plans. About 700 people turned out for the April March and about 1,000 were at the July 4 march.
The group's Fourth of July stop in Bozeman drew some controversy when city officials agreed to close a portion of Main Street during the protestors' march. Some people spoke out against the road closure, claiming it would hurt downtown business.
The group also planned to organize a protest for President Obama's visit to the Bozeman area in August.
Click here to learn more about the Tea Party Express.
