Dress up, Harry Potter style, for costume party at the library

Chester — For Harry Potter fans ages 11 to 18, the Chester Public Library is offering a costume contest as a final bookend for summer celebrations of J. K. Rowling’s magical series. From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 10, teens and tweens are encouraged to show up at the library dressed as a character from one of the seven Harry Potter books. Prizes will be awarded for the most ingenious costumes. Teens and tweens also celebrated the magical Harry Potter series during a four-hour festival at the library on Friday, July 20. This celebration began 13 hours before the midnight release of J.K. Rowling’s seventh book: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” The kids enjoyed a modified version of “quidditch” outdoors before competing in a gauntlet of team activities that tested their knowledge of the popular Harry Potter stories. Lunch and refreshments (including those disgusting Bertie Bott’s Beans and a baked ziti dubbed “Harry’s Hash”) were served to 17 kids amid an ambience of magic and camaraderie. The senior citizens center downstairs was decked out with owls, books, a sorting hat and cauldrons — all designed to simulate the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Prizes for the winning house (Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin?) will be awarded in the library on Aug. 10. Prizes for the best costumes, and for other components of Chester’s summer programs for ages 11-18, will be awarded on Aug. 10 and 11, as well as in late August. “To some extent, public libraries must take responsibility for building youth literacy when school is out, and it’s a multifaceted task,” said Chester young adult librarian Gabriel J. Wasserman. “Since kids have various interests and learning styles, we try to offer different programs to expand, stimulate or just tap into their repertoire of creativity. The costume challenge is just one way to help kids appreciate their own abilities to respond creatively to literature. Most librarians seem to agree that when you validate creativity as well as curiosity, you make libraries seem fun and helpful rather than dour and overwhelming.” Ice cream social coming up The Friends of the Chester Library will hold holding an ice cream social (for Chester residents only) on Wednesday, Aug. 15, at 6:30 p.m. The library is located at 1784 Kings Highway. for more information about events, call 469-4252.