Senior citizens around the Washington area can catch a movie and get concessions in the big room at the Grace Martin Harwell Senior Center.

The first movie is Friday.

At 2 p.m. the second Friday of each month, a free movie rated G, PG or PG-13 will be offered. Deb’s concession stand will offer fresh popcorn, candy and cold drinks for 50 cents each. The movies could be comedies, adventures or educational.

It’s a new program being provided to senior citizens by the center in addition to trips, the walking program, billiards and a variety of other activities.

“We’ve have movies for special events from time to time. We usually have movie at Christmas, Valentine’s and such. We decided to show them at a regular time. This is going to be a regular, old second-Friday movie,” said Deb Bauer, programs director for the center.

To find out the movie’s title, patrons will have to call the center at 975-9368.

“We’re not allowed to advertise the name of the movie, I think, because of some sort of copyright reason. … We can’t put in our newsletter. … If they call in here, I will happily tell them the name of the movie,” she said.

Attendance at the Christmas or Valentine’s movies is somewhat sparse, but there’s hope for improvement under the second Friday of each month showings.

“We usually have at about 10 to 15 people show up at the other movies,” said Bauer

Why is the center offering the new movie program and the other activities? Well, in part, to retain its “excellence” designation.

The center, a winner of the North Carolina Senior Center of Excellence, is located at the Peterson Building 310 W. Main St. With the latest recertification lasting through 2022, the Grace Martin Harwell Senior Center will have held the “excellence” designation for 12 years.

The N.C. Division of Aging and Adult Services awards certifications at the merit or excellence levels. Site-review teams visit a senior centers an award a designation if their inspections show the center meets the criteria for one of the two designations. Initial certification is for one year, with recertification occurring every five years, if earned.

With the Center of Excellence designation, the center is eligible for additional funding, which allows it to offer new and expanded programs and services.

“State certification is a voluntary process that senior centers can use to be recognized in their communities and across the state. The purpose of the process is to strengthen the capacity of senior centers by providing a set of measurable indicators of best practice,” according to the Division of Aging and Adult Services’ website.