A filmmaker plans a documentary about Ron Chavez, the former longtime owner of the Club Cafe in Santa Rosa, N.M., who now is known for his writings and poetry as “The Route 66 Storyteller” in Taos.
A Kickstarter campaign has been launched to raise $80,000 to fund the film’s production. Here’s a short video about Chavez and the project:
The Kickstarter campaign describes the ideas behind the film:
The purpose of this feature-length documentary is to preserve the stories of a man who has lived to tell and immortalize his true-life experiences on this old byway, since 1942.
We seek funding for this special project to commemorate for all time the color and pageantry that enchanted America’s road warriors for six decades, since 1926.
We have on board, to produce and direct this film, seasoned filmmaker Arin O’Shayne. O’Shayne is an indie producer, writer, and director whose recent feature “Some Will Fall” is now in distribution. The subject matters that attract O’Shayne are social issues and personal stories of engagement and deliverance in all its forms. The Route 66 Storyteller is just such a journey, and encompasses the road most traveled and the road less traveled, an excellent opportunity for discovery and rebirth.
Chavez ran Club Cafe for about 20 years, until it perished in 1991 the wake of a McDonald’s restaurant opening nearby. Club Cafe was known for its New Mexico-influenced meals and its “Fat Man” billboards.
A section of Michael Wallis’ “Route 66: The Mother Road” about the Club Cafe and its billboard can be read online here.