Arkansas city tosses ‘Footloose’ law that banned dancing on Sundays

Now you CAN kick off your Sunday shoes! Arkansas city tosses out old-fashioned ‘Footloose’ law that banned dancing in public on the day

  • City leaders in Fort Smith, Arkansas recently took the law off of the books
  • Public dancing had technically been banned in the town on Sundays since 1953
  • Locals called it the ‘Footloose’ ordinance after movie starring Kevin Bacon  

Officials in a western Arkansas city say residents can finally kick off their Sunday shoes.

Fort Smith city directors recently repealed a 1953 ordinance that essentially outlawed public dancing on Sundays. 

Locals who knew about it called it the ‘Footloose’ ordinance, nicknamed for the 1984 movie starring Kevin Bacon about a town that banned dancing and rock music.

A recently repealed ordinance that banned dancing on Sundays was known as the ‘Footloose’ law, after the 1984 movie starring Kevin Bacon (above) in which a town banned dancing

City Director Andre Good introduced the repeal after a resident told him about the antiquated law, which barred the operation of public dance halls or any place with dancing on Sundays.

The law’s emergency clause said public dancing on the day ‘greatly endangers the public health, safety and welfare.’

Downtown Fort Smith including city hall (center right) is seen above. Officials say that there's not record of anyone being arrested or ticketed for dancing in over two decades

Downtown Fort Smith including city hall (center right) is seen above. Officials say that there’s not record of anyone being arrested or ticketed for dancing in over two decades

A city spokeswoman says no one’s been arrested or ticketed for cutting loose on Sundays in two decades.

Even so, Good says, the city shouldn’t be able to impose ‘some outdated, outmoded morality code.’

Fort Smith is the second largest city in Arkansas, with a population of about 86,200. 

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