LEHI — Not a day goes by that someone doesn't want to see where "Footloose" was filmed or stand where Kevin Bacon stood.
"The power of that (movie) is amazing," said Sherm Robinson, owner of Lehi Roller Mills, where part of the 1984 movie was filmed. "It was a lot of fun."
It's been 27 years since the "Footloose" hit theaters, and a remake is scheduled for release Oct. 14. But the filming of the original is still memorable for those Utahns who watched it happen in their hometown.
Robinson was approached by the film's executive producer, Daniel Melnick, who often drove by the mill at sunset on his way to his home in Sundance and noticed the glow around the building.
"He said he'd always wanted to film a movie here, so he stopped in and spoke to me directly," Robinson said. "I said, 'Sure.’ ”
At the time, Robinson wasn't sure how OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration) would react to having a movie crew in industrial space. But the filmmakers cut through all the red tape and got clearance in record time.
"The thing is, they took me in and I was invited to be on the set and meet the actors," Robinson said. "It did disrupt the work, particularly when they filmed a scene with a fire three nights in a row, a scene that never made it into the movie."
Robinson met Kevin Bacon, Lori Singer and Sarah Jessica Parker. After a short while, he realized they were just regular people with lives outside the movies.
"I remember Sarah Jessica Parker asking if she could use the telephone and hearing her make plans for a date that night," he said. "It was somewhat of an eye-opener to me.
"It was a very good experience. Paramount Pictures was very professional, good to work with. And they compensated us enough to offset the expense."
Even today, "Footloose" is helping sell Lehi Roller Mills products as Robinson travels the country.
"Lots of times I get an interview or an opportunity simply because of the movie. I just wish I was known for milling flour!" he quipped.
Longtime local retailer Connie Nielsen remembers vividly the filming of "Footloose" in Lehi.
The whole community was excited to see the actors — if only from a distance. The dressing room trailers were parked in the storage area to the side of the Lehi Roller Mills. There was a race to the sugar factory down what is now known as 850 East. And there were dance scenes filmed inside the mill.
It was all fascinating for an otherwise sleepy community that rarely saw Hollywood action up close, said Nielsen, who owns the local Bridal Center on Main Street in Lehi.
"We were excited because my father (Leon Kirkham) worked at the mill so we knew all about them coming," Nielsen said. "We particularly wanted to watch the race."
Nearly three decades after the iconic movie was made, people still ask Nielsen if she's from "the place where Footloose is?"
"Even in Washington, D.C., a couple of weeks ago, somebody asked me that," she said.
Nielsen said everyone in town was fully aware of the movie company's presence and supportive of the film, even though no one got free tickets.
"I think we all had to pay to see the movie," she said.
Connie Mattinson is a longtime secretary at Payson High School, where the movie's star came to sit in on a few classes.
No one paid significant attention to Bacon as he wandered the halls and took a seat alongside the local students. But they all were thrilled to get paid for being extras in the movie.
"Did it cause a stir? No, it didn't," Mattinson said. "We all went to see the movie though!"
Mattinson said some of the lunch workers were in the movie as well, and her brother-in-law was in one scene.
"Most of the filming was done at night, so it didn't really disrupt our lives," she said.
Lehi City Councilman Johnny Revill was a teenager at the time the movie was made. He remembers riding by the mill on his bike with his friends, convinced that they would all end up in the movies. He says there was always a buzz about what was going on with the movie stars and the 12,000 residents of Lehi.
He also recalls the rumors that were flying about how the Lehi City Council was considering passing strict curfew and no-dancing laws like those in the small town in "Footloose."
"Fortunately, those were only rumors," Revill said. "But we were concerned."
Sharon Haddock is a professional writer with 30 years experience, 17 at the Deseret News. Her personal blog is at sharonhaddock.blogspot.com.
Email: haddoc@desnews.com