This summer children across Selma discovered the best place to beat the heat and enjoy those lazy Wednesday afternoons was at the Larry D. Striplin Performing Arts Centre, where they could sit back and watch family-friendly movies in the cool theater.

To celebrate the final children’s movie program of the summer the Performing Arts Centre held a party for its young patrons, offering them free drinks, snacks and plenty of popcorn.

The children’s movie program, which began in June, was co-sponsored by the City of Selma and the Downtown Selma Association.

Though the children had not been allowed to eat snacks in the theater this summer, they were able to enjoy a belly full yesterday before and during the showing of the Shirley Temple classic “Curly Top.”

Staff at the Performing Arts Center had a table full of treats ready as the children came in to watch the show. The excitement on their faces was evident once they were told it was all for them.

“We had a good crowd of kids all summer long,” said Kitty Windham, director of the Performing Arts Centre. “Each Wednesday our numbers were in the teens or 20s.”

The children’s movie showing became so popular that it drew the same children back week after week with their $1 donation in hand.

A quick poll of the 44 children who attended the final movie party revealed the favorite two movies of the summer were Disney’s “The Mighty Ducks” and “Beethoven.”

“The children seemed to enjoy all the movies. It has been a lot of fun this summer,” Windham said.

This was the first year the Performing Arts Centre held the summer movie program for children. The movies were shown weekly beginning at 2 p.m. for those ages four and up with parental accompaniment.

“Next year, I think we may start the children’s program in May instead of June,” Windham said.

The Performing Arts Center also hosts movies for seniors every Tuesday, and recently added a special program for clients of the Cahaba Mental Health Center.