Cullman County fans celebrate Harry Potter’s 43rd birthday

Published 1:00 am Saturday, July 29, 2023

To the untrained eye it would appear that nearly 40 Cullman County residents had gotten their hands on a freshly brewed batch of polyjuice potion on Friday, July 28. But a second glance would prove how the crowd gathered at the Cullman County Public Library were simply celebrating their favorite wizard’s 43rd birthday.

Harry Potter won’t technically have his birthday until Monday, July 31, but assistant library director Josie Harrington said it has become a tradition of the last several years to celebrate on the last Friday of the month. Even when the COVID-19 pandemic caused the library be closed tighter than a Gringott’s vault, the revelry was moved outdoors and fans paraded around the block.

Since the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, was published in the U.K. nearly three decades ago, it has gone on to be published in 82 languages and has sold a combined total of more than 500 million copies making it the best selling book series in history. The eight-film series based on the books ranks as the 4th highest grossing franchise with a box office total of more than $7.7 billion.

“I find it fascinating how it appeals to such a wide range of ages. I’ve got adult friends who still love Harry Potter and reread them and you’ll see elementary and middle school children reading them as well. It just appeals to such a wide audience,” Harrington said.

On Friday, parents and children put their Hogwarts house differences aside and came together to celebrate. Lincoln La Rue, a proud Slytherin, could be seen carefully tending to his Mandrake — a sentient plant within the Harry Potter universe with a humanoid like root — alongside his younger brother Laric despite his Hufflepuff placement.

La Rue said he and his brother were first introduced to the series about three months ago and have since seen all of the films and taken a family vacation to the Harry Potter World located at Universal Studios them park in Orlando, Florida. Even though Slytherin and Gryffindor (Harry’s Hogwarts house) are known for their intense rivalry, La Rue proudly adorned his opposing houses colors and sported his own lightning bolt scar during the celebration.

Harrington said the series has consistently been one of the library’s most popular titles. Even if staff are “always having to replace them,” they are happy to do so because “the boy who lived” continues to provide a type of gateway into literature for new fans across the globe.

“I think because this is a series that is so well known, that most children are still interested in them. Since everyone knows about Harry Potter, it feels like a safe first thing to start reading and it really can spark their interest in reading more,” she said.