Dixon native shooting 2nd season of reality TV series

DIXON – A Dixon native is bringing together his love of history, people and unique bars for another season of his reality TV series, “Back Roads Bars.”

The show explores taverns, pubs and bars across the nation that show creator Bob Farster, now of Galena, said are hidden gems mostly known to local residents.

“I’ve been in nearly every city, and I used to always see these cool bars that nobody knew about,” Farster said. “That’s how the idea came about. Then I got a crew together, since I’d met people in the business, and I started filming.”

Farster, whose co-host is Chuck Parker, filmed his first episode at the Psycho Silo Saloon in Langley and is always looking for unique bars that are part of the local tapestry.

This is not his first time in front of the camera. Farster had been involved in acting for several years, but he caught his first big break while playing a role in the 2004 movie “The Rockville Slayer.” He got the role after another actor, the late Robert Z’Dar, asked him to fill in for someone who did not show up to the set.

“He goes, ‘Hey, can you act?’ I tell him, ‘My whole life’s been an act,’” Farster said. “Next thing I know, I’m in a movie with Martin Sheen’s brother, Joe Estevez, and I’m chopping a guy’s hand off. Later in the film, I get shot in the head because I wouldn’t talk. So, that’s kind of how it started. After that, the people that were there liked me and started calling me.”

Scenes from that movie and several others, including the crime thriller “High on the Hog,” were filmed at Farster’s property in Elizabeth. Farster said he is a history buff who loves to travel and always wanted to be in Hollywood. Those passions and experiences culminated in the creation of “Back Roads Bars.”

“I look for something you might drive 100,000 miles to go to,” Farster said. “For instance, there’s a bar in Oregon, Illinois, called Sledgehammers. Across from them is a paddlewheel riverboat. A person can come in from the city and get a room at the motel, go to the bar, have fun, and then do a paddlewheel brunch on Sunday.”

Although his story might sound like a scene from a Hollywood movie, Farster has faced his share of struggles chasing his dream. Until recently, he financed the show himself, and many of his crew members are friends who offered to help.

“I try to keep filming costs minimal because I wasn’t getting paid to do it,” Farster said. “Now, we’re with Take Care Productions. They do big commercials, and now they’re putting money into it. So that changes everything.”

The show is currently available on the Roku Channel and Tubi streaming platforms. Farster is hopeful it will get picked up by other platforms soon.

“The second season is going to be even better than the first,” Farster said. “The bars are going to get even crazier looking, and I don’t see anything stopping us.”