Walton Theater to stay closed longer due to COVID, plans drive-up movie

The Walton Theater has been closed since COVID started in March, and leaders discussed reopening soon, but that ended when cases resurged in the last few weeks, said CeCe Grayson, owner and manager of the Walton Theater.

Grayson said they pursued reopening for several months, because they missed being at the Walton and missed their loyal customers.

"With the latest news that COVID-19  is on the rise in Dallas County and we here that the hospital is over run with COVID-19 patience and we are losing some dear citizens of Selma, we are moving slow," Grayson said. "As much as we want to open the doors we cannot jeopardize our loyal customers, which are our first priority."

Grayson said they are looking into hosting a drive-up movie event "just to give a little hope and some smiles to our community."

"Small businesses have really suffered over this year, with special attention to movie theaters around the country," she said. "We pray that the spread of this virus comes to an end soon, but in the meantime, we must keep everyone safe by not having large gatherings."

The Walton will survive, she said, and "we will be back bringing smiles to our customers."

"We want Selma/Dallas County to be safe and we want our employees and volunteers to be safe as well. My husband (Rev. John Grayson) and I wish we could scream from the top of a mountain with a bullhorn and tell everyone to wear mask, stay home as much as possible, don't have gatherings and stay prayerful."