Film, local parade to herald Potter book
Harry Potter's loyal Northbrook fans will celebrate a decade of magic in author J.K. Rowling's stories July 20 and learn what becomes of the young wizard in a night of events leading up to the midnight release of the seventh and final book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
At dusk, fans are invited to watch an outdoor showing of the first movie, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," in the field behind the Northbrook Public Library, 1201 Cedar Lane and Village Hall, 1225 Cedar Lane. The screening is sponsored by the village, the library, the Northbrook Park District and the Northbrook Arts Commission. Costumes are encouraged for all ages, and police are reminding parents that all children under 17 must be accompanied by an adult or legal guardian after midnight. The movie rain date is July 22.
After the movie, there will be a short march to the Book Bin at 1151 Church St. to await the midnight release of the book. The store, which has hosted three similar events for past Harry Potter books, will have 650 copies on hand, about 200 of which had been reserved by early this week. People began putting their name on a list nearly a year and a half ago, manager Allison Mengarelli said.
"The interest is through the roof. We have had over 200 people for each of our past three parties and we expect a similar amount this year and possibly even more," Mengarelli said. "Along with just the excitement over the last book, there's also the event that the village of Northbrook is throwing, and I just think that's a great compliment to our party and I think people will be excited to make a whole evening out of it."
The main audience for Rowling's books has been younsters ages 10 to 14, Mengarelli said, but there are younger readers and some who have followed the series as they've grown into adulthood. She knows of one 23-year-old woman who plans to attend the book release party.
"They've all grown up with Harry Potter and you want to see it through to the end," she said.
What that end will be is the subject of intense speculation among fans. The main plot line throughout the series has been Harry's battle with Lord Voldemort, the evil wizard who killed his parents.
"The big question is whether Harry Potter is going to defeat his enemy, and some people think he won't make it. She (Rowling) has said that major characters will die, and who will that be? Nobody knows, but everyone hopes it won't be Harry," Mengarelli said, adding the series ultimately is "about whether good will defeat evil."