MORGANTOWN —Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. The four houses of Hogwarts came together Saturday night at the Morgantown Public Library for their Harry Potter Yule Ball. Potter fans of all ages came together dressed as their favorite characters toting wands and the signature Harry Potter glasses to participate in an evening honoring the Wizarding World.
Jay Gummer, who does public relations for the Morgantown Public Library said he came late to the Harry Potter craze, but quickly fell in love with the story when he read it.
“I didn’t read the books until 2015, it was a long story but a good friend of mine and I, for our birthdays instead of giving each other a gift we’d say, ‘read a book, you have to finish it and you have to tell me what you think,’” Gummer said.
That book was Harry Potter. Gummer read the first one and continued to read the series, and from there, he said, its history. His favorite characters, he said, would have to be between Professor Minerva McGonagall and Dumbledore. Hufflepuff is also his house.
“That’s the house that The Sorting Hat chose for me,” he said.
Gummer said even many years before he worked at the library, there was a public Harry Potter event. He conversed with coworkers and wondered how to bring Hogwarts back – something easy and fun. The Yule Ball is what came out of it.
The library also held three other events leading up to the Yule Ball. In September they held a wand making class, October was dressing up like wizard and witches and November was a Harry Potter themed cooking class. This is Gummer’s third year doing Harry Potter events at the library. He started working there a year after he read the books.
At the Yule Ball had a plethora of Potter themed activities. Kids could make their own Monster Book, created their own potions and play a round of Quidditch. Attendees could attend a ball with dancing and food and Harry Potter trivia. Barnes and Noble in the University Town Centre donated prizes for guests to win.
The library would also like to thank the Service League of Morgantown for paying for two hours of parking for ball attendees. The Service League supports local nonprofits alongside events for children and seniors.
To Gummer, what makes Harry Potter so intriguing to all generations is the fantasy, and getting lost in a world that’s not ours. It’s seeing that world come to life. After over 20 years, kids are still coming back to Hogwarts.
“They’re going to be children classics. It’s going to last a long time. I don’t think it’s ever going to phase out,” said Gummer.
