Wizardfest takes place in Steeleville

<p dir="ltr"><span>For one day at least, the Steeleville Area Public Library was a portal to Hogwarts.</span>

<p dir="ltr"><span>With "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" set to be released on Sunday, the library hosted a variety of Potter-themed activities to mark the occasion on July 23.</span>

<p dir="ltr"><span>"We've ordered two copies of the book ahead of time, so hopefully, they'll be here by Monday, Aug. 1," said Library Director Sarah Neal. "And we just thought we'd have fun.</span>

<p dir="ltr"><span>"As a little kid, I always wanted to go to Hogwarts."</span>

<p dir="ltr"><span>The new book is a "script book" of the two-part West End stage play written by Jack Thorne, Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling and John Tiffany that opens the day before the book's release.</span>

<p dir="ltr"><span>The story takes place 19 years after the events of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" and follows an adult Harry Potter - now an employee of the Ministry of Magic and married with three children - and his youngest son, Albus.</span>

<p dir="ltr"><span>Steeleville's event included a Potter movie marathon, games of Quidditch, a sorting hat and confectioneries for sale - including Butterbeer (cream soda and butterscotch syrup).</span>

<p dir="ltr"><span>"It started out with movies and Quidditch," Neal said. "And as we were doing it, we decided we should have this game and this game.</span>

<p dir="ltr"><span>"We should have wizard chess and pin the sock on the Dobby and we should have a sorting hat that my sister mailed to me overnight. It just kind of spiraled out of control."</span>

<p dir="ltr"><span>Neal also talked about developing the event's own child-friendly version of Butterbeer, said to be a popular wizarding beverage with a very slight alcoholic content.</span>

<p dir="ltr"><span>"There were about six different recipes for Butterbeer," Neal said. "I picked the easiest one I thought people would like."</span>

<p dir="ltr"><span>Neal was asked about why Harry Potter resonates with children.</span>

<p dir="ltr"><span>"He's kind of the underdog of the whole story, isn't he?" she said. "He gets this one magical thing, he gets to be a wizard.</span>

<p dir="ltr"><span>"And not only is he a wizard, he's the savior of the entire story. He has to defeat the bad guy and that kind of sticks with kids."</span>

<p dir="ltr"><span>Neal noted that Percy Jackson - which is its own underdog story in a way - has risen to prominence among the library's readers, but there will always be a spot for Harry Potter.</span>

<p dir="ltr"><span>"It definitely has its place," Neal said. "It has become quite the classic. J.K. Rowling has definitely set her place in the classics and we will never take Harry Potter off the shelf."</span>