While the Harry Potter spell is typically meant for an item to be defensive, the Elizabethton-Carter County Public Library will be quick to open their doors on Thursday, Sept. 1.
With Carter County and Elizabethton schools in full swing, students have the opportunity to stop by the library to take a trip for their first day at Hogwarts.
“It’s going to be an exciting time,” ECCPL Children’s Librarian Ashlee Williams said.
Children and adults alike are invited to take part in the free event, which gets underway during the regularly scheduled hours of the library. Williams said that different “passive” activities are pegged during the day before the big event, to be held in the community meeting room, gets underway. The “trip to Hogwarts” lasts from 5-7 p.m.
Williams added that children will be assigned a different house. Different games will take place while attendees have the chance to create a wand, dabble in heroboly – the study of plants used in the Harry Potter series – and have an opportunity to receive prizes, including a books, bags and other goodies.
To match all the fun, Williams added the event is free and open to the public.
Work doesn’t stop after the session in Hogwarts. The ECCPL is celebrating multiple birthdays throughout September with different activities scheduled to take place.
Three birthdays are being celebrated, Williams added, with Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See turning 50 years old, Curious George turning 75 years old and popular author Roald Dahl celebrating the 100th birthday.
Even with the celebration of birthdays, the facility will celebration Imagination Library Week, Sept. 18-24.
Staying busy is nothing out of the ordinary for the ECCPL, which concluded a successful stint with their summer reading and feed programs.
In a nine-week period, ECCPL offered 42 children’s programs with over 500 registered to participate. For the feeding program, the facility served 1,462 meals.
“It was a very successful year,” Williams said.
And the work couldn’t have been accomplished without the help of the staff and volunteers, she added. The librarian noted that 21 volunteers gave 215 hours of their time to help with registration, meals, the programs and the ECCPL community garden.
Along with the multiple individuals providing helped, Williams commended the efforts of Juli Nave, who worked over 90 hours as a volunteer, and Mitchell Smith, who assists the ECCPL.
Five agencies also lent a helping hand: the Carter County Health Department, UT-Extension of Carter County, the Kiwanis Club, ECHO and the Carter County School System.
For more information on upcoming events, visit the Elizabethton-Carter County Public Library Facebook page, online or call 547-6360.