Oklahoma town pulls a ‘Footloose,’ cancels dance because of proximity to a church

Where’s Kevin Bacon when you need him?

The small Oklahoma town of Henryetta is echoing the storyline of ’80s movie Footloose by cancelling a Valentine’s Day dance because of an arcane city ordinance enforcing a strict moral code.

KTUL-TV reports that the organizer, Robbie Kinney, cancelled the dance because it would have taken place within 300 feet of a church, in violation of an ordinance that forbids dancing within 500 feet of a place of worship.

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Mayor Jennifer Clason, born and raised in Henryetta, says she always knew about the old city ordinance but that it has never been enforced.

“It’s never been enforced my entire life,” said Clason to KTUL in Tulsa. “But I’d never looked at it because it never came up. It’s an antiquated ordinance, no one has ever looked at it to change it.”

Kinney, whose husband is the Henryetta city attorney, cancelled the dance, even though she asserts she didn’t want to.

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“The ordinance says no dancing allowed. It’s illegal,” said Kinney.

When she posed a question about the ordinance on Facebook, she claims she was the target of attacks on her character and her past. (Because she’s blocked the alleged attackers, it’s hard to confirm this.)

Kinney went on to post a list on Facebook titled “Stupid Laws From Oklahoma.”

But Henryetta Police Chief Steve Norman says his department will not enforce the ordinance, and never has in the past.

“It’s one of those ordinances that was passed long before I ever came, and we have no interest in enforcing it,” said Norman.

Clason says city councillors will consider abolishing the ordinance during their Feb. 22 meeting.

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In 1984’s Footloose, a Chicago teenager (Kevin Bacon) moves to a tiny town where rock music and dancing are both banned. He rebels against the establishment and ends up dancing his way to change.

The town of 6,500 is 145 kilometres east of Oklahoma City.

— With files from The Associated Press