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Harry Potter fans gather at Poland library
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Series chracters Ron Weasley, Harry Potter, and Hermione Granger were present at the July 9 event to ask tough questions during a Potter trivia game. Students Matt Schaefer (left), Zack Flynn, and FIona Kelly are all part of a Harry Potter fan group at YSU.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Canfield siblings Brandon (left) and Alexis Hudock attended the July 8 Harry Potter event dressed in their Hogwarts robes and with their wands ready.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .In the Harry Potter series, the "Dark Mark" is the sign of evil witches and wizards who follow the villain Lord Voldemort. At the Poland library on July 9, however, the mark was a fun permanent marker "tattoo." Poland residents Layne Black (left) and Nora Hernon happily showed off their marks.
By SARAH FOOR
For fans of the boy wizard Harry Potter, July marked the end of an era — the release of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” on July 15 ended the saga on screen.
On July 8, a week before the final movie premiered, the Poland library hosted a Potter party to capture the magic of the series one last time.
“Consistently, the books of the Harry Potter series are some of the most well-worn in the entire library. Kids, teenagers and adults alike love the books and today’s party is all about giving Harry Potter a worthy goodbye,” shared teen librarian Cindy Beach.
Each staff member from the branch was dressed as their favorite Potter character, including an appearance by librarian John Waller as the villain Voldemort. The library activity room was bedecked in dark cloths and offered themed crafts and games. Guests could create their own snitch, the focus of an exciting game called Quidditch featured in the movies and films, and receive a permanent marker “tattoo” of the Dark Mark, which the villains in the series wear with evil pride.
Guests even played a life-size Harry Potter board game, where teams were asked to answer trivia questions and then find evil objects called horcruxes hidden within the library.
The pals of Potter present at the event visited from around the Mahoning Valley and showed the breadth of appeal that the series has earned.
Caitlyn Cyrus has been following the series for the last eight years.
“It’s a very bittersweet moment. It almost feels like a part of my childhood is ending along with the books,” Cyrus admitted.
YSU students Matt Schaefer, Zack Flynn and Fiona Kelly attended the event dressed as series stars Ron Weasley, Harry Potter and Hermoine Granger, respectively. They met through a Harry Potter fan group at YSU, where they all found a welcoming group of friends.
“It really is an important moment for most fans,” Kelly admitted. “As I was reading the books, I always matched Harry Potter’s age. As he grew up in the books, I did, too. It’s a chapter of my life that is ending, but that I’ll always be grateful to have.”