I saw a poster advertising a fun family event for all ages.  It was an Open House for a Harry Potter Day.  Anyone could attend, it was free of charge.  There would be games, crafting, photo props, exhibitions, crafts and wizards galore.  While I am aware that Harry Potter has an insane following, I was not aware how ginormous the event would be. It was booked to be ongoing for two hours.

When I arrived, there was not one single parking space to be had anywhere…people parked illegally everywhere.  Although there was a shuttle that people could use to park elsewhere, far more wanted to be right there.  I worried about the regular patrons/the elderly??? Although there was advertising well in advance for this event, when they arrived to get a new book, use the internet, or find a new movie,  and couldn’t find a spot to park…did they just keep going and leave???

I entered the front doors and was immediately greeted by students attending Hogwarts…waiting outside the train station to give me a playbill and welcome me. I then entered the train station and it was filled with props to encourage patrons to take photos. When I questioned the students who were stationed there about how they came to be working this fun event, they said they had volunteer hours to fulfill and this was an awesome opportunity to finish them.

There were all manner of patrons dressed as their favorite character, as well as the librarians themselves.  The next room was where you could make your wand, make a Magical Creature,  a personalized quill, make your own tote bag with your school colors flag on it, and make a mandrake to name a few. The URI Quidditch team was there to show off their moves and teach like-minded young (or older) patrons how to participate.

All in all it was a fun filled event and I learned that they were expecting over 500 patrons to attend! 350 had registered before the event. For me, it was very overwhelming as I am not a crowd fan…but from the looks of it, everyone else was having a wonderful time!

(Leyden, 2019)