By Heather Lusk
In honor of the global Harry Potter Book Night, the Hussey-Mayfield Memorial Public Library will bring an element of the series to life.
Diagon Alley, a wizarding shopping area featured in each of the seven books, will occupy most of the rooms on the first floor of the library from 1 to 3 p.m. Feb. 21. Participants will be able to visit locations such as Olivanders, where they will acquire a wand.
“It’s top secret how we’re giving them out, but the wand will choose them,” said Julie Meyers, a children’s librarian.
Flourish and Blotts Bookseller, an owlery, Gringotts Wizarding Bank and the Weasley brothers’ joke shop are among the other businesses that will be part of Diagon Alley.
The program is open to anyone in second grade up to adult-age but limited to the first 50 registrants. The library will keep a waiting list for those unable to register in the event of cancellations.
The first time the library celebrated Harry Potter book night several years ago, it similarly recreated large-scale elements of the wizarding world. Myers said that due to the amount of work involved that year, library officials decided to celebrate the series on a smaller scale through interactive movies.
“Now, we decided we’re ready for a big event again,” she said.
Wands and wand holders for the program were created by the 25 youth who are part of the library’s Tween Council. The event is sponsored by the Friends of the Library.
The event also celebrates the 20th anniversary of the book’s release. The first book in the series, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” was published in England June 26, 1997. It was released a year later in America under the name “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”
To register, visit ZionsvilleLibrary.org.
