By By Adrienne McKenzie
The Strand Theater in Atmore is a great place for parents to take their children for a fun family night out on the town.
The theater always plays great movies that are appropriate for people of all ages. Currently playing is "Spider-Man 3" and last Wednesday night the theater had a packed house of youngsters ready to see their favorite superhero take on the 'bad guys.'
The children in the theater sounded so thrilled as Peter Parker put on his Spider-Man suit and started spinning his web from building to building in New York City to save the innocent people from the evil villains.
In an effort of not spoiling the movie for those who have not seen it, no other details will be given about "Spider-Man 3" in this column.
Other movies that have recently been shown at the Strand are "Ghost Rider" and "Meet the Robinsons."
Both movies were enjoyed by children and adults alike at the Strand Theater. Without the theater downtown, parents would have to drive all the way to Pensacola, Fla., or Mobile to take their kids to see these great action-packed flicks.
Besides the easy convenience of having a theater within walking distance, the Strand still has that hometown feel to it. Walking in and having a hearty Southern "hello, how are you?" is a great feeling that you just will not receive at a larger metropolitan theater. Not to mention the fact that when you go to one of the huge cinemas you have to wait forever to get tickets. Then, after you purchase your tickets, your drink and popcorn tends to cost more than the ticket itself.
Sure, it is fun to go out of town every now and then, but if you are going to go see a movie, you should check out the Strand first and see what is playing. Save yourself some gas money by staying in town.
You can also save money with the price of tickets. At the Strand, adult tickets are $5.50 and children tickets are only $4. At your typical larger sized theater, a ticket is about $6.50 for children and $8.50 for adults.
For a family of four, going to the Rave would cost you $30 on tickets alone. Going to the Strand would only cost $19. You could take that extra $11 and splurge on some popcorn and soda for the kids.
Staying in town for entertainment is not only beneficial for your own pocketbook, but for the pocketbooks of our local business owners. Businesses obviously need customers to stay thriving. It does not help them if every time we want to do something fun we rush out of town.
So, it simply does not make sense for us to drive all the way to Pensacola, Fla., or Mobile for dinner and a movie when Atmore has restaurants and a theater right in the middle of town.
So go ahead and grab your kids and take them to see their favorite movies showing locally at the Strand. Movies times are Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. and Sunday through Thursday at 7 p.m.
Adrienne McKenzie is a staff reporter for The Atmore Advance. She can be reached at 368-2123 or via email at lifestyles@atmoreadvance.com