FOOTLOOSE

Kick Off Your Sunday Shoes
T.J. Tranchell
Special to The Payson Chronicle

Living in different places around the country offers a variety of views. No matter how far afield I’ve gone, I’ve always known that if I want to see Payson, all I have to do is pick from a handful of movies and let the memories flow. The best of these movies is Footloose.

The movie will have its 40th anniversary in 2024 and I know many people are making plans to celebrate that milestone. I’m one of them. I grew up to be a writer and a journalist. These days, I mostly write horror fiction and much of it is set in a town very much like Payson. As much as I’ve moved around, Payson is always home.

Not long ago, I signed a deal with a publisher called BearManor Media to write a book about Footloose and what Payson and the surrounding area is like now. They produce Hollywood biographies, behind the scenes books, and other entertainment-based books. It’s the perfect place for this book. The plan is to release it in February 2024 along with the movie’s anniversary.

Writing is a solitary business. We sit at our desks and plug away, putting the words on paper as best that we can, hoping to make them as good as they were in our heads. This book, however, is not something I can do alone.

Many of you responded to a Facebook post with amazing stories of the filming that was done in 1983. From the cheer squad to the owner of the VW Beetle Kevin Bacon drove in the movie, the stories are piling up and I am grateful for them.

But I want more. I need more. You see, this isn’t just a story about a movie. It’s not just my story. It’s the story of how much our town has changed and grown in 40 years. I see it every time I come back to visit. 

And I am coming back. I will be in Payson August 22-26, staying with my younger brother who bought a house on Main Street. I want your stories of what it was like to be in school in 1983-84 when Hollywood came to town and what it's like to live there now. I want to know your experiences when you say “I’m from the town in Footloose” to people who aren’t from here. 

In so many ways my story begins with the movies. My grandparents are Harold and Vilda Erekson, long-time residents of West Mountain before their passings. My early youthful nights were spent in the Huish while my aunts and uncles served up popcorn and soda or ran the projector upstairs. The mural of Payson that graced the lobby has a special place in my mind and my heart. I was often on stage myself in the auditorium of Payson High. 

I have visits scheduled with the high school, the Utah Film Commission, and Lehi Roller Mills. I’ll be walking along Goosenest Drive pinpointing the spot of the tractor battle. I’ll have my eyes and ears open to see and hear your stories. I’ll have my camera at the ready. I’m including my email, tj.tranchell@gmail.com, if you want to reach out before or after my return home. 

And when 2024 rolls around, I hope you’ll join me for a celebration. As Bacon’s character Ren says in the movie, “Let’s dance!”