The Airdrie Public Library’s (APL) annual Harry Potter Day celebration will be moving ahead this year, although it will look a little different than previous renditions.
Eric Pottie, APL’s programming and customer engagement manager said the event will be held virtually and take place April 10.
“It is obviously different this year,” he said. “We are going to have take-home kits for everyone who signs up.”
According to Pottie, the day's activities include plenty of magical fun, including dragon egg decorating, colouring and Potter-themed word searches.
For some of the crafts that may require extra help, APL staff will post directional videos online to help participants along.
“There are still a bunch of great activities you can do with your friends and family,” Pottie said.
After being forced to cancel Harry Potter Day in 2020, Pottie said it was important for the library to find a way to hold the event for a fifth time this year.
“We really want to make sure these flagship events keep going,” he said. “For a lot of people, this is a great way to come to the library. A big thing is it is something that people can share with their whole families.”
Pottie added with the hype over British author J.K. Rowling’s seven-book series beginning more than 20 years ago, the young people who have loved the Harry Potter universe for a good part of their lives now have their own families to share the series with.
“This is always a great way to collaborate and share a love for Harry Potter and literacy,” he said. “Hopefully these demonstrations show the kids that literacy is important for their whole lives.”
While there have been no new Harry Potter books in print for more than a decade, Pottie says the series still captivates a large following, which is why APL continues to celebrate the Harry Potter series every year.
“It’s one of those things that, even though we have been doing it now for five years, at the rate this is going, there is no reason we wouldn’t keep doing it for another five years,” he said. “The popularity has not dwindled over the years.”
While APL marked out 50 spots for participants, Pottie said there is still a wait list people can sign up for. He also said the APL team is working to see if they can make enough take-home kits for people on the wait list.
“We are hoping we can get as many people off the wait list as we can,” he said.
For people interested in signing up for the wait list, visit airdriepubliclibrary.ca
Jordan Stricker, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @Jay_Strickz
