‘Footloose’ actor Kevin Bacon to return to Payson High for one last hurrah
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- “Footloose” star Kevin Bacon speaks to Payson High School students remotely during an assembly Friday, March 22, 2024.
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- A Payson High School student holds up a “Bacon to Payson” sign during a school assembly Friday, March 22, 2024, to encourage “Footloose” star Kevin Bacon to visit for prom.
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- Payson High School cheerleaders and students gather alongside “Today” show reporter Kaylee Hartung during a live segment of the show Friday, March 22, 2024.
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- Payson High School Principal Jesse Sorenson speaks to students Friday, March 22, 2024, during a school assembly to encourage “Footloose” star Kevin Bacon to visit for prom.
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- Payson High School students pack a school assembly Friday, March 22, 2024, to encourage “Footloose” star Kevin Bacon to visit for prom.
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- Payson High School students hold up Kevin Bacon cutouts during school assembly Friday, March 22, 2024, to encourage Bacon to come to prom.
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- The Payson High School drill team and student body council perform a “Footloose” line dance alongside “Today” show reporter Kaylee Hartung during a teaser of the show Friday, March 22, 2024.
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- Payson High School students and community residents watch a school assembly Friday, March 22, 2024.
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- A Payson High School student dresses up as bacon during a school assembly Friday, March 22, 2024.
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- Payson High School students are pictured during school assembly Friday, March 22, 2024 to encourage “Footloose” star Kevin Bacon to visit for prom.
Get ready to kick off your Sunday shoes because “Footloose” star Kevin Bacon is officially returning to Payson High School. The star will stop by next month on the 40th anniversary of the iconic film in the school where part of “Footloose” was filmed.
Payson High students have undergone a lengthy campaign, #BacontoPayson, to persuade the actor to come to prom this year — the last prom before the high school is torn down.
Students got the news early Friday morning during a special school assembly when the “Today” show came to film a segment and make a live announcement in the school auditorium.
Hundreds of Payson High students and faculty, along with community members, packed the auditorium bleachers at 5 a.m. to be ready to go live on national television, with the room being full of energy despite the early hour. Some students showed up as early as 4 a.m. to get seats in front of the camera.
Students held cardboard cutouts of Bacon, signs saying “Bacon to Payson” and a couple of students even dressed up as bacon, the meat.
While live on the “Today” show, Bacon video-called in from Atlanta and thanked the students for their hard work and for involving his charity, Six Degrees, saying it was “really inspirational.”
“I’m going to come. I got to come,” he said on the video call, leading students to erupt in excitement and even shedding a few tears.
It’s happening! Kevin Bacon is coming to Payson High School!! He made the announcement live during a special school assembly this morning while the @TODAYshow aired a segment on the students’ effort to get him to prom. #bacontopayson pic.twitter.com/AzWI9y8NXS
— Carlene Coombs (@carlene_coombs) March 22, 2024
Bacon will join the high school before the 1960s-era high school is torn down with a new high school currently under construction.
Kaleb Dymock, Payson High junior class president, said the campaign “Bacon to Payson” began two years ago, starting as “just an idea.”
“We’ve been working for this as long as I’ve been on student council, which has been two years,” he said, adding that “Now that it’s come to reality, it’s very unbelievable.”
Many scenes of “Footloose” were filmed in the halls of Payson High School back in the 1980s. Several other scenes were filmed throughout Utah County, including in American Fork, Springville and Lehi.
Jesse Sorenson, Payson High principal, said he feels like a “proud parent” seeing the students’ work come to fruition.
“A lot of people didn’t think that they would even get his attention,” Sorenson said. “And they (the students) just stuck to the plan and they just kept working hard and kept doing what they wanted to do.”
Sorenson also thanked the Utah Film Commission, Gov. Spencer Cox and the Payson community for supporting and assisting with the campaign.
On April 20, the day of prom, Bacon will appear at Payson High during a fundraiser in partnership with the actor’s charity. According to the school’s student council advisor, Jenny Staheli, the public is invited to attend the event, which will entail packing essential needs kits.
Next month won’t be the only time Bacon will be visiting Utah County this year. He and his brother, who form The Bacon Brothers musical duo, will be performing in Lehi at the Concert in the Park on June 24. Some “Footloose” scenes also were filmed at Lehi High School.
There’s a lot of work to be done preparing for Bacon’s arrival, Dymock said, but he “can’t wait to hang out with Kevin.”
“It’s gone further than I could have ever dreamed of,” he said. “And it’s going to be incredibly hard to top next year.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify that actor Kevin Bacon will visit Payson High School but will not attend prom festivities.
