The Trip Begins!

Actually, the "trip" began about five years ago when planning started for "Tales of the Road-Highway 61". This will be my first foray into the world of documentary production. I'm hoping you'll want to come along, as I'm going to need some help and support!! :)

"Tales of the Road" will use a really nifty book, created in 1938 by the writers of the Minnesota Federal Writer's Project, which was under the jurisdiction of the government funded Works Progress Administration. The WPA was one of the New Deal programs begun to help address high unemployment rates because of the Great Depression.  In Minnesota, about 120 "writers" (many really couldn't write, but needed a job) fanned out across the state to document history along Minnesota's major roads. "The WPA Guide to Minnesota" and the other state guides in the "American Guide Series" are really worth reading. They are long lost treasures!

With the help of a friend, plans were made to tell the story of the making of the "WPA Guide to Minnesota" and to select one of the major routes in the guidebook. Highway 61 was an obvious choice. So, the documentary will follow Highway 61 from Grand Portage along the Minnesota/Canadian border south to LaCrescent, Minnesota before the road heads into Wisconsin.

As you might expect, it will cost something to create this film, and there are people working on that. We hope to begin shooting by the end of June once the script is ready to go. More to come.

Thanks for reading my very first post on this blog. (I've never blogged, never produced a documentary...a lot of "firsts" here! Take care. CW