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PAYSON — Saturday morning was busy for many Payson High School students. Hundreds of teens helped build kits for actor Kevin Bacon's charity SixDegrees.
Just like Bacon's character in the film 'Footloose' danced the night away at prom, so did Payson High School students, celebrating their accomplishment of bringing the actor back to Utah 40 years after the film hit movie theaters.
"It's really cool to be able to have him actually come and visit the school before (the school) gets torn down," said Amanda Jensen, a junior at Payson High.
Jensen couldn't miss this once-in-a-lifetime event. Instead of asking someone from school, she decided to asked her childhood friend Christian Ganiere.
Bacon wasn't the only Hollywood star in Payson on Saturday — Ganiere happens to be an actor from California, best known for his role as No. 010 — the predecessor to Millie Bobby Brown's No. 011 — in the global hit Netflix series "Stranger Things."
Ganiere, who's homeschooled, said he couldn't miss out on this opportunity either.
"(Amanda) asked me and I was like, 'I've never been to prom, that's the coolest thing ever, yes I'll immediately go,'" Ganiere said.
Ganiere said he was excited to visit the school where the film was shot.
"I didn't know it was shot here, it was shot at the high school," he said.
Related:
After 40 years, 'Footloose' star Kevin Bacon returns to Payson
Ahead of the Payson High School prom Saturday night, actor Kevin Bacon and a swarm of volunteers worked to fill 5,000 care packages for four local charities.Back at Payson High, the gymnasium was decked out in colorful streamers and bright lights, almost identical to the prom in the film.
Students were dressed to the nines ready to dance the night away and celebrated an accomplishment they've worked on for months.
"I feel like most of (the recognition) goes to the student council because I know they worked their butts off trying to get (Kevin Bacon's) attention. All their work paid off," Jensen said.
