Whoever feels libraries boring and to be kept quiet, obviously hasn’t checked out the Chestermere Public Library when they decided to hold an event. Don’t get me wrong, if you’re looking for a quiet place to read or study, it’s the perfect place, but when the imaginative team at the library organize an exciting night – they never disappoint.
Thursday February 4th, the Chestermere Public Library was transformed into nothing short of magical as they held ‘Harry Potter Book Night’. Event goers were encouraged to dress up as their favourite Harry Potter character and come partake in games, crafts and much more.
But it wasn’t just the Chestermere Public Library that was celebrating Harry Potter on this night. For the second Harry Potter Book Night: A Night of Spells, there were an amazing 12,600 parties and celebrations held all over the world, and organizers were overwhelmed by the fabulous photos and ideas that were shared all over social media with them.
For those of you unfamiliar with the phenomena of Harry Potter, this captivating book series came from the amazing imagination of J.K. Rowling who first had the idea for Harry Potter while delayed on a train travelling from Manchester to London King’s Cross in 1990. Over the next five years, she began to plan out the seven books of the series. She wrote mostly in longhand and amassed a mountain of notes, many of which were on scraps of paper.
The Harry Potter books have since broken many records. In 2007 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows became the fastest-selling book ever, selling 2.65 million in the first 24 hours in the UK. The Harry Potter series is now published in 78 languages, and over 450 million copies have been sold across the world and, of course, were then adapted into feature films that rocked the movie industry and became fast favourites of children, youth and adults across the globe.
With close to 100 attending the local Harry Potter Book Night, around 30 of those came in costume – and of course, the amazing staff of the library were decked out in their own cloaks and wands.
Events like these and all the other amazing programs and services that the Chestermere Public Library offer are made possible by fabulous people and generous donations. If you’d like to help give back to the library, come check out their next used book sale happening on March 5th and 6th as all proceeds from the sale go back into the library. If you have any gently used books (hard cover or paperback), CDs or DVDs that are in good condition that you’d like to donate to the sale, you can drop them off at the Chestermere Public Library located at 105B Marina Road (lower level of the municipal building).
