At 12:01 a.m. Saturday, wizards will invade the Tristate, racing on brooms, chomping on frog eggs and mystifying onlookers with their magic.
No, it's not Halloween.
Some bookstores are extending their hours and planning special events to welcome in the fourth of seven books by British author J.K. Rowling. Here is a list:
Barnes & Noble, Deerfield Township and Kenwood, invite customers to come dressed as their favorite character to Hogwarts Open House, beginning 10:30 p.m. Friday. Staff members will dress as professor characters from the series. Customers can take their O.W.L.S. and N.E.W.T.S. (trivia contests) and try to guess how many Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans are in the jar. Face painting, Harry Potter glasses and lightning bolt tattoos also will be available.
Book sales begin at 12:01 and will continue for about an hour. Books will be sold for 40 percent off the list price of $25.95. The Deerfield store will reopen at 9 a.m. Saturday for craft hour, where children will have the opportunity to make “golden snitches.” Deerfield Township, 683-5599; Kenwood, 794-9440
• Barnes & Noble, Hyde Park, will close as normal at 9 p.m. Friday and open at 9 a.m. Saturday. A Harry Potter celebration from 1 to 2:30 p.m. will include such giveaways as Harry Potter glasses and temporary tattoos. Activities include wand-decorating (bring your own wand), a costume contest, a “pin the fire bolt on Harry's face” game and a quiz, which serves as an entry to a drawing July 15. Books will be sold for 40 percent off. 871-4300
• Barnes & Noble, Tri-County, will hold a Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry orientation, beginning at 11 p.m. Friday. Activities at this costume party include word searches, crossword puzzles, face painting and magic tricks, as well as a contest where customers can guess how many Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans are in a jar.
Book sales begin at 12:01 a.m. and will be followed by a reading from chapter 1 at 12:15. The store will close at 1 a.m., but festivities will continue when the store reopens seven hours later. Saturday's events include another reading, this time by Sheila Gray of WXIX-TV (Channel 19), a “sorting hat” ceremony, a presentation of magic wands and house emblems and a feast of “golden snitch” donut holes and butter beer. 671-3822.
• Borders, Tri-County, will stay open late for a Harry Potter party Friday night. Activities leading up to the “parade of the book” at 12:01 a.m. include crafts, face painting, trivia contests and magic tricks.
The store will reopen early for an 8 a.m. breakfast at the Leaky Cauldron (a k a Borders Cafe), where spider cookies, crazy punch, frog eggs (chocolate covered raisins) and mini bagels with gummy worms will be served. Customers will be divided into four teams — Slytherin, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw — for broom races reminiscent of the Quidditch games. Children can also make magic wands and hats. 671-5852.
• Borders, Eastgate, will stay open late and create its own version of Diagon Alley, where Harry does all his shopping. Staff members will be dressed in costume, distributing door prizes and noise-makers to ring in the arrival of the fourth book.
The store will reopen at 9 a.m. for a Hogwarts breakfast. Registration has closed for Saturday's activities, but the party Friday is open to Harry Potter fans of all ages. Books will be sold at a 40-percent discount. 943-0068.
• Borders, Northgate, will begin its Harry Potter bash at 11 p.m. Friday with a costume contest, trivia games and a visit from a magician. Books will go on sale at 12:01 a.m. at 40 percent off the cover price. The store will reopen at 9 a.m. for a Hogwarts breakfast, complete with a Harry Potter impersonator and class pictures. 245-9898.
• Joseph-Beth, Norwood, invites Harry Potter fans of all ages to a Midnight Magic costume party, beginning at 11 p.m. Friday. Activities include games, trivia and photo opportunities with the store's own Harry Potter impersonator. Books will go on sale at midnight for 20 percent off the cover price. There will be a “sorting hat” ceremony to determine which register to use. The store will close at 1 a.m. 396-8960.
• Open Book, Finneytown, will hold a Harry Potter costume contest at its countdown party at 11 p.m. Friday. The winner will receive a free copy of Goblet of Fire. Books go on sale at midnight for a 10-percent discount. Copies can be reserved in advance. The store will also provide refreshments and hold a trivia contest. 931-4433.
• The Blue Marble, Fort Thomas, opens at 6 a.m. Saturday for a kids breakfast of donut holes, butter beer, tea and cinnamon-and-raisin oatmeal, served from a steaming black cauldron in the garden. Store employees will be in costume. An indefinite 20-percent discount will be offered for the book. 781-0602.
• The Blue Marble, Oakley, opens at midnight Saturday for an hour of Harry Potter games and activities, including trivia and a bean-guessing contest. The store will reopen at 6 a.m. for a Hogwarts breakfast buffet. Customers will receive 20 percent off the book through July 15. 731-2665
• Books & Co., Kettering, which normally closes at 11 p.m., will stay open past midnight Saturday. The store will reopen at 7 a.m. — two hours early — and will host a Harry Potter celebration, featuring a show by Frederix the Magic Wizard. Kids who perform their own magic tricks get “Wizard in Training” certificates, and those who show up in costume have a chance to win Harry Potter IV hats. The menu for the day includes “Snape magic-potion punch,” “Dumbledore drop cookies” and “many-flavored jelly beans.”
Then at 1 p.m. on July 29, those who have read the book are invited to come back and discuss it with other kids. (937) 298-6540
• Montgomery Book Co., Montgomery will re-open at 11:30 p.m. Friday for about an hour to celebrate the arrival of Goblet of Fire. Stickers, patches, Hogwarts pennants, temporary tattoos, trivia games and crossword puzzles will be provided along with snacks. The store will re-open at 10 a.m. 891-2227.
• B. Dalton, Tri-County and Northgate, will open at 8 a.m. — two hours early — to celebrate the arrival of the new book; the Beechmont store will open at 9 a.m. Costumed employees will distribute Harry Potter glasses and lightning bolt tattoos, and crossword puzzles and other games are planned. The book will be sold for 25 percent off the list price of $25.95. Booksavers club members will receive an additional 10 percent off. Tri-County, 671-3420; Northgate, 385-5608; Beechmont, 232-2970.
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