It took a village to put on Harry Potter Extravaganza

The fifth annual Harry Potter Extravaganza, which came to a close a couple weeks ago, was a huge success.

With nearly 1,400 attendees and the involvement of 26 businesses and organizations over two days, it stands as the largest Harry Potter Extravaganza since the event was started in 2018. This success was only possible because of the efforts of an entire community of people who volunteered their own time and skills.

The steadfast support and funding from our wonderful Friends of the Shepard-Pruden Memorial Library gave this event life. On behalf of the library, I would like to thank them for all of their hard work and contributions to bring so much magic to Edenton.

Special thanks to Friends President Peter Small and Friends Treasurer Pam Wagner for leading the charge and volunteering to manage a number of stations during the event.

I would also like to thank Lucy Daniels, Jenny Wells, Carolyn Ayers and Zach Unkenholz for sharing their time by serving on the event planning committee. I would also like to thank Ayers for not only lending her Harry Potter Legos to the display, but also for organizing the promotional video, distributing posters to the schools, and serving as the Candy Trolley Lady during the Extravaganza.

Throughout the event, we had an army of volunteers who ran each station, helped to decorate the library, and ensured everyone had a wonderful time. Thank you to Kate Ahearn, Jill Ririe, Larry Ekberg, Betty Tynch, Marilyn Rutland, Susan Willhauck, Mary Burke, Cathleen Vonada, Autumn Williford, Larry McLaughlin, Claudia Resta, Tanya Varian, Allison Gottlieb, Marianne Miller, Marilyn Heiser, Mary Small, Cynthia and David Herlong, Patsy Lowell, Vickie Barrow, Debbie Ashburn, Bill and Gail Miller, Kelly Binnicker, Vicky Martin Dowdy, Dottie Morrow, and everyone else who volunteered their time to make this a magical celebration!

I would also like to thank our vendors who helped turn the library into Hogwarts and shared some magic with their performances and services. First, I would like to thank Sheila Schultheiss for her fantastic face painting and the Sylvan Bird Park for its Magical Creatures performance. I would also like to thank the Currituck Animal Shelter for coming out and introducing some magical creatures to our young witches and wizards.

We are also grateful for La Oaxaqueña stopping by and making available some delicious food, and we loved having Linda Oiler from Bohemian Brews set up her trailer to serve some non-alcoholic butterbeer and pumpkin juice.

I also want to thank our Minister of Magic, Dana Hill, for giving us magical performances at both Edenton Bay Trading Company and the library. Special thanks as well to Mark Noneman and the Chowan-Edenton Optimist Club for providing us with the Hogwarts Express, and Belinda Respass at the Taylor Theater for showing the film, “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.”

Lastly, I want to thank Malcolm King as well as Eddie and Melissa Fields at Edenton Bay Trading Company for another fantastic Harry Potter Trivia Night!

I also want to thank the businesses that came out and helped turn Broad Street into a real-life Hogsmeade. Thank you to the Chowan Arts Council, the Penelope Barker House, The Style Palette, Glow Bar Esthetics, Downtown Roots, Edenton Bay Trading Company, Glow-n-Go Spa, the Corner Baking Company, King Street Marketplace, Blount’s Pharmacy, Back on Broad Hair Salon, Broad Street Bazaar, Vaughn’s Jewelry, Bistro 309, The Christian Bookseller, North No. 4, Creswell Furniture, the Taylor Theater, Downtown Diva, A Still Life, Polka Dot Palm, Edenton Coffee House, Sound Feet Shoes, Byrum’s Hardware Co., Simply Sated Boutique, the Edenton-Chowan Chamber of Commerce and Surf, Wind and Fire for working with us to make this possible!

Lastly, I would like to thank the library team for all their hard work to put this event together. Thank you, Emma Tynch, for helping film the Harry Potter YouTube video, helping decorate the facility, maintaining the desk during the Extravaganza, and all the other tasks that ensured a successful event.

Ashtyn Chandler, thank you for taking charge of kids-related activities during the event, decorating, managing the desk, and your all-around help that kept the ship afloat.

I also would like to extend major thanks to Sara Durbin. Not only did she cast a spell with her fantastic Canva skills, but she also worked closely with the local businesses, created the escape room, ensured the event was well-advertised online and around town, and was the first one to step up when organizing and planning the event. Your expertise, hard work, and innovative spirit are deeply appreciated.

Finally, this event would not be possible without Lee Lolkema. Your passion for the library and this community is without measure; your work in organizing our volunteers, coordinating with vendors and the Friends of the Library, planning for the event, and so much more made this event a huge success. Thank you so much for all you give, and I know that much of this event would not have come together without your help.

It truly takes a village to come together to make an event of this scale happen, and at the Shepard-Pruden Memorial Library, we are so thankful to call Edenton and Chowan County home. Thank you all for bringing so much joy to our community. Have a great week, and we hope to see you at the library!