Thank you for helping us try. Here’s what happens next.

A lot of people looked at Old State Saloon being for sale and had the same thought:

“Someone should buy it and turn it into a gay bar.”

So we tried.

The goal was to buy the property in Eagle, Idaho, and turn it into a permanent LGBTQ+ bar, nightlife destination, and community space.

Thank you to everyone who donated, shared the fundraiser, offered help, or sent it to someone with an irresponsibly large amount of money. You helped give that idea an actual chance.

We did not complete the purchase. We are now closing out the acquisition effort and carrying out the charitable fallback already published in this campaign.

The plan is to donate the remaining campaign funds to Pride Foundation, if it accepts the gift, for LGBTQ+ work in Idaho.

That is what I am working on now.

What we wanted to build

I’m Montgomery Kuykendall, the organizer and a member of the Treasure Valley community. The idea was to take a place nationally known for its politics and give it a very different future.

At night, yes... A fantastic gay bar.

Music. Dancing. Drag. DJs. Live performances. Theme nights. Drinks. Pride events. Fundraisers. Celebrations. A place where LGBTQ+ people could walk through the door knowing they weren’t merely being tolerated. The place was actually for them.

During the day, we wanted the building to be useful, too.

That meant room for:

- Educational workshops, classes, and community programming

- LGBTQ+ resource events and peer support gatherings

- Youth-appropriate daytime programming

- Nonprofit meetings, fundraisers, and civic education

- Art shows, markets, clubs, and local events

- Affordable community rentals and private celebrations

We wanted local organizations to actually use the building, not merely have their logos hung on a wall once a year.

Some community uses would be free. Others would be available at reduced rates. Private rentals and commercial events could help pay for the parts that existed primarily because they were useful.

The bar was the night shift. The building was supposed to have a life during the day, too.

We also proposed dedicating 2% to 5% of weekly venue proceeds to civil rights and human rights work, with the calculation published before opening.

The purchase would happen once. What the building contributed afterward could continue for years.

That was the idea. It was worth trying.

What happens to the money

The original commitment still applies.

If we could not complete the purchase, the remaining campaign funds would be donated to organizations working to expand LGBTQ+ rights, civil rights, and human rights in Idaho, after any documented costs incurred in a good-faith acquisition attempt.

That provision covered directly related expenses such as legal work, due diligence, and professional fees. Any such costs will be included in the public accounting.

The remaining money will not become personal income or be used to enrich me.

If we couldn’t turn this particular building into something better, the money raised trying to do it should still accomplish something consistent with why people donated in the first place.

This work was already underway

On October 4, I sent four separate inquiries to prospective charitable recipients. I asked whether they could accept the funds, how to keep the gift directed toward Idaho, what documentation they needed, and how we could publicly account for the result.

I received substantive replies on October 5 and October 8.

On October 8, Pride Foundation proposed a further conversation later in October. I replied that same day that following up then worked for me.

Those inquiries and replies came before the October 9 r/Boise discussion.

I had planned to finish those arrangements and then tell everyone what had been done, with the documentation to go with it.

Instead, ongoing harassment, false claims that I took the donations, and GoFundMe’s request for additional information have made it necessary to publish this update while the work is still in progress.

Where the money stands

I have not withdrawn or received money from this fundraiser.

On October 12, 2026, GoFundMe reviewed the account and confirmed in writing:

Total paid out: $0.00.

No transfer had been initiated.

Outstanding balance: $8,919.08.

Transfers remain paused, and no payout beneficiary has been added to the fundraiser.

The written confirmation, the support transcript, and the dated outreach record are all published here:

[Read the financial record and supporting documents](https://www.newstatesaloon.com/fundraiser-transparency/)

How we finish this

I contacted Pride Foundation as this campaign’s organizer to discuss a gift from this fundraiser.

The next steps are to confirm acceptance and the Idaho restriction in writing, confirm the receiving entity and transfer instructions with Pride Foundation and GoFundMe, and complete the donation.

Once that is done, I will publish:

- The final amount donated

- The recipient and date of the donation

- The acknowledgment of receipt

- The accounting of campaign funds and any documented acquisition costs

The commitment remains to support this work in Idaho and show donors where the money went.

Contributions to this fundraiser are donations, not investments. They do not provide ownership, repayment rights, or a share of future profits.

Thank you

Twenty dollars mattered. Fifty dollars mattered. A hundred dollars mattered. Sharing it mattered.

People put something behind an idea they wanted to see happen. I appreciate that.

We set out to buy a building and make it useful to this community. We are now working to make sure the money raised still serves the people this campaign was meant to benefit.

I’ll share the receipt and final accounting when the donation is complete.