Payson students continue effort to bring Kevin Bacon to high school prom
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- A cardboard cutout of actor Kevin Bacon wearing a party hat is displayed outside of the Payson High School student council’s booth at Payson Scottish Festival on Saturday, July 8, 2023.
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- Actor Kevin Bacon on March 6, 1984. Bacon starred in the 1984 movie “Footloose,” filmed at multiple locations across Utah County.
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- Payson High School is photographed on Thursday, July 13, 2023.
It’s been almost 40 years since Kevin Bacon brought the sights of Utah County to the big screen. Starring in 1984’s “Footloose,” Bacon danced through the Geneva Steel mill, Lehi Roller Mills and Payson High School.
Now going into its last year before the school moves to its new location, students and faculty at Payson High School are hoping to recognize the shared history with a single movement — bringing Bacon back to Payson.
It’s been attempted before, Bacon in 2009 shared a video talking about the film, but this year’s crop of students are confident the actor will make a return.
“We had some people come up to us that were like, ‘Oh that. You’ll never get him. Like, he’s too busy,'” said Olivia Vincent, student body officer over publicity. “I was kind of like, ‘No, we can make it work.’ And with like the school being torn down, that’s also why it’s special because he can come back and we can share this history with him.”
The plan started three years ago when Jenny Staheli, student council advisor, and students started with the idea — “Wouldn’t it be great if we could get Kevin Bacon?” Last year’s crop of student leaders then spent their year planning, trying to get others in the community to support the idea and branding it on social media and, occasionally, in person as #BacontoPayson. In addition to the in-person and online outreach, the council has made a personal plea.
The Utah Film Commission helped connect the student council with Bacon’s manager, who helped pass along a letter asking the actor to make an appearance. A representative for the commission told the Daily Herald they “are waiting to hear back.”
In person, students and Staheli set up a booth at the city’s Adventure Day in June and the Payson Scottish Festival last weekend, encouraging community members to share the hashtag on their social media accounts.
They will, again, set up at the city’s Salmon Supper in August and at Onion Days in September. The students will also take part in the parades for Spanish Fork Fiesta Days, Santaquin’s Orchard Days and Payon’s Onion Days.
As the school year progresses, the council has planned a full year of “Footloose” events including their 1980s-themed homecoming dance, a September movie night where the school will show “Footloose” on the new football field and the theater department’s fall musical performance of, to no one’s surprise, “Footloose.”
All of this is leading up to the school’s prom in April where they hope Bacon will make an appearance.
“The students are very excited about it, just because they can talk to anyone around here and everyone known ‘Footloose’ and also Kevin Bacon,” said Nick Dansie, senior class president. “I think that’s what makes it more fun too is it’s not like a past star, he’s still well known for movies nowadays too.”
Both Vincent and Dansie told the Daily Herald they’ve seen Bacon’s “Footloose” — Staheli saw the 2011 remake, joking, “I came out of the theater and I said, ‘I saw that in 1984′” — but know that isn’t necessarily true for the whole student body.
“I think the main reason that people want to see it is just because it was filmed in school. It’s fun to see the locations — see all the streets and all the school parts,” Dansie said. “That’s the biggest push for the students, I feel. And then it’s our parents that are really, like, attached to it because it was filmed while they were in high school.”
While the student council’s work is recognized by their peers, members of the community and PHS alums have resonated with their efforts and hope they succeed. People come up to the students at every event, more than happy to recount their time as an extra in the movie or that they even took a class, briefly, with Bacon.
The online effort revolves around the hashtag #BacontoPayson, both asking supporters to share it and making content to get Bacon’s attention. The outreach is primarily done on Instagram and TikTok, Vincent said, because they’re Bacon’s most-used social media platforms.
The school’s TikTok account, @paysonhighschool, regularly posts videos with the hashtag — with a video recreating shots from “Footloose” getting over 34,000 views.
In an April 21 stitch of Bacon’s video, the actor commented “You guys (laughing while crying emoji) I’m cracking up.”
That comment, Vincent said, was instantly shared in a student council group chat. “We can just use what we have to make this happen,” she said.
While the council is optimistic and hopeful, they know there’s no guarantee Bacon attends the prom. And no matter what, the school will continue raising money for Bacon’s nonprofit, Staheli added.
“I think the cherry on top would be that he comes. But besides that, it’s still just celebrating ‘Footloose.'”
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect Nick Dansie’s title. He is the Payson High School senior class president.
