This year marks the 40th anniversary of the classic fan-favorite film Free. The film starred Kevin Bacon as Ren McCormack, a boy from Chicago who moves to a small town where dancing and certain types of music are against the law.
It shows the powers that be that dance is joyful and essential and changes the hearts of people who have tried to oppress the youth of the rural community. It’s a fun movie that still holds up and makes me smile every time I watch it.
The film was filmed in a small town in Utah and remains a claim to fame for the high school where many scenes were filmed. This year, to celebrate the film’s anniversary, students gave Bacon a shout-out, asking him to come back to school for a visit and promising to help his charity in return.
The actor responded to the students and agreed to participate, and headed to Payson, Utah last weekend. Addressing the crowd, he said:
“Come on Lions! Here we are in this beautiful, beautiful place on this beautiful, beautiful day. It’s been a long time – 40 years – and it blows my mind, you know. Things look a little different around here. I would say the thing that seems most different is me.
He continued:
“You were simply tireless. Inexorable… You convinced me. I think it’s great to see this kind of commitment to anything. I also think it’s amazing the power that this film had in bringing people together and connecting them with the basic ideas behind the film – you know, resisting authority sometimes, and being forgiving of people who are not exactly like you, and for standing up for your freedoms and your right to express yourself, and for having compassion for other people.
During his time with the greater Payson community to celebrate FreeBacon joined his SixDegrees.org initiative to collect and distribute 5,000 “Essential Resource Kits” to youth in need of resources throughout Utah, Colorado and Nevada.
According to a press release, more than 1,000 volunteers arrived at the Payson High football field on April 20, and together facilitated the distribution of more than $865,000 worth of products, a total of 121,900 items.
Four Utah-based nonprofit organizations were chosen as beneficiaries: Encircle, Centro De La Familia, Spy Hop and Food and Care Coalition. Each of them received 1,250 essential care kits and three months of free counseling, the statement said.
Bacon said of the event, before greeting the high schoolers attending the prom, stating:
“It was really worth the trip. Be good to each other and don’t forget to free yourselves. Turning what could simply be a movie star coming back to get a pat on the back, into something truly positive. And that’s what we’re going to do today when we build these kits. Thank you so much for your commitment to giving back to your community and the people you share this planet with, and I’m thrilled that we will be working here together today.
It was so great that Kevin Bacon returned to Footloose High at the request of these enthusiastic fans, and a great charity was able to benefit too.
by Jessica Fisher
Source: Geek Tyrant
Lloyd Grunewald is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. He is a talented writer who focuses on bringing the latest entertainment-related news to his readers. With a deep understanding of the entertainment industry and a passion for writing, Lloyd delivers engaging articles that keep his readers informed and entertained.
