Kevin Bacon Returns to Payson High School After 40 Years: Footloose, Essential Resource Kits, and Utah Film Commission

Payson, Utah United States of America
Bacon spoke to students about the film's themes of standing up for freedoms and expressing oneself.
Bacon's visit also boosted the Utah Film Commission during its 100th anniversary.
Kevin Bacon visited Payson High School on April 20, 2024, where he filmed 'Footloose' in 1984.
Students are creating 'essential resource kits' as a thank you for Bacon's visit, which will be distributed to four Utah-based nonprofits.
Kevin Bacon Returns to Payson High School After 40 Years: Footloose, Essential Resource Kits, and Utah Film Commission

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Kevin Bacon is at Payson High School today, where 40 years ago, he filmed the 1984 movie “Footloose.”

“Go Lions! Here we are on this beautiful, beautiful day,” Bacon said as he opened up his speech to the Payson High student body. “It’s been a long time ″ 40 years ″ that just blows my mind, you know. Things look a little different around here. I’d say the thing that looks the most different is me.”

The film was shot on location at Payson High and Lehi Roller Mills. Payson High’s student body has been working to lure the actor back to the school for several months now. Now, 40 years later, Kevin Bacon has answered the calls of Payson High students and others — including Utah Gov. Spencer Cox — and returned to Payson High on Prom Night.

“When I first heard about this Bacon to Payson thing, I was like ₌ow, this is crazy.₍ Bacon said. “I was like, Unrelenting... You talked me into it,” Bacon said. “I think it’s great to see that kind of commitment to anything. I also think that it’s amazing the power that this movie has had to just kind of bring people together, and connect on the basic ideas there are behind the movie – you know, standing up to authority sometimes, and to be forgiving for people who are not exactly the same as you, and for standing up for your own freedoms and your right to express yourself, and for having compassion for other people.”

As part of the effort to bring Bacon back to Utah, students are pledging to create 5,000 “essential resource kits” for youth and schools in need. The kits will be assembled by volunteers on prom night as a thank you for Bacon’s return. The kits will be distributed to four Utah-based nonprofit organizations: Encircle, Centro De La Familia, Spy Hop and Food and Care Coalition.

Bacon’s visit also came as a boost for the film commission’s 100th anniversary. According to a press release, a 2023 survey indicated that 37% of visitors cite film and/or television as one of the motivators in selecting Utah as a destination. Over the last 10 years, the film commission said those visitors have spent an estimated $6 billion in the state.

Visit film/url>[//film.utah.gov/100years] to learn more about the SixDegrees.org Building Kits. You can view his full speech below.



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  • Unique Points
    • Kevin Bacon is at Payson High School to celebrate the 40th anniversary of filming ‘Footloose’ there.
    • Utah Governor Spencer Cox was among those who encouraged Bacon to return.
    • Bacon spoke about the movie’s themes of standing up for personal freedoms and expressing oneself.
    • Students are creating 5,000 ‘essential resource kits’ as a thank you for Bacon’s visit, with a goal of 40,000 kits in total.
    • Visitors to Utah are estimated to have spent $6 billion over the last 10 years due in part to film and television production.
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    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
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  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
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  • Unique Points
    • Kevin Bacon visited Payson on April 20, 2024 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of 'Footloose' filming there
    • Over 1,000 volunteers helped Bacon with his charity work in Payson
    • They assembled 5,00 Essential Resource Kits for young people in need throughout Utah through Bacon’s nonprofit SixDegrees.org
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
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  • Unique Points
    • Kevin Bacon returned to Payson High School on April 20, 2023 to celebrate the final prom before the school is demolished and moved.
    • Bacon filmed his breakout role in Footloose at Payson High School in Utah.
    • Students tried to get Bacon to attend by performing flash mobs and launching a social media campaign, #BaconToPayson.
    • The Today show helped facilitate Bacon’s visit by sharing the students’ campaign with him.
    • Footloose is a movie about standing up to authority, being forgiving, expressing oneself, and having compassion for others.
    • Bacon brought his initiative SixDegrees.org to assemble and distribute Essential Resource Kits to young people in need throughout Utah, Colorado and Nevada.
    • >1,000 volunteers helped distribute over $865,000 worth of products at the event.
    • >121,900 items were distributed to four Utah-based nonprofit organizations: Encircle, Centro De La Familia, Spy Hop and Food and Care Coalition.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (95%)
    The article contains an appeal to authority when it mentions the Today show's involvement in bringing Kevin Bacon to Payson High School. However, this is not a significant issue as it does not significantly impact the overall content of the article. No other fallacies were found.
    • The Today show then came to the school and shared a video with students, in which Bacon revealed he was impressed by their campaign and announced, ‘I’m going to come, I gotta come.’
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    None Found At Time Of Publication

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  • Unique Points
    • Kevin Bacon returned to Payson High School after a year-long campaign by students and faculty.
    • The old Payson High School is set to be demolished and the event was one of the last activities held there.
    • Students and community members built care packages for local organizations with Bacon’s charity.
  • Accuracy
    • Students are creating 5,000 ‘essential resource kits’ as a thank you for Bacon’s visit.
    • Bacon spoke about the movie’s themes of standing up for personal freedoms and expressing oneself.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
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    None Found At Time Of Publication

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  • Unique Points
    • Bacon’s foundation, Sixdegrees, is putting together 40,000 essential resource kits for communities and organizations in need
    • Students in Payson contributed 5,000 kits for the community on Saturday
    • More than 1,000 volunteers showed up to help prepare the kits
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication