Actor Kevin Bacon returns to the American high school where his film Footloose was filmed more than 40 years ago.
The 65-year-old visited Payson High School in Utah State to greet students following a years-long social media campaign under the hashtag #BaconToPayson.
According to reports last month, the school had gone Footloose crazy – hosting a Footloose movie night, putting on a Footloose musical, renaming the annual Mr. Payson competition in honor of the actor, and organizing even an essay competition to persuade Bacon to come.
The mission grew into a community-wide campaign in partnership with the actor’s charity, with students helping to put together 5,000 care packages for SixDegrees.
And on Saturday, the actor came out to help about 700 students and 300 community members fill out care packages.
“You convinced me,” he told the students.
“It’s great to see that kind of commitment to anything.
“I also think it’s amazing to see the power this film had to bring people together.”
In March, when he accepted the invitation to come, he said: “I was so impressed with everything that happened there with this crazy idea of getting me back, so thank you, thank you, and I will come. . I have to come.”
In Footloose, Bacon plays a Chicago teenager who moves to a small town and fights the ban on dancing.
The town of Payson, about 60 miles south of Salt Lake City, was the setting for the film.
Some of its 21,000 residents remember being extras and can tell us about areas of the city used in the film.
At the end of the day, the students of Payson High School organized their prom.
This will likely be the school’s last prom before its dilapidated buildings are demolished next year.
The theme of the ball? Free from all ties, of course.