A magical Friday night for Harry Potter fans

JOYCE BLAY Harry Potter fans from all over Ocean County congregated at the Brick Plaza Barnes & Noble for a late-night book-release party Friday.

Book-release party draws crowd of aspiring wizards to Barnes & Noble

By Joyce Blay

Staff Writer

BRICK — Harry Potter wasn’t present at the promotional party held at Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Brick Plaza on Friday, but those who came to pick up pre-ordered copies of the young wizard’s latest adventure, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, by British author J.K. Rowling, thought it was a magical night nonetheless.

JOYCE BLAY Iraida Valentin (l) and Allison Brutka, standing beside store manager Michael Graham, got in on the Harry Potter craze, dressing up like characters from the series.

"Everyone was having a good time," said bookseller Colin Seder, 24, a resident of Brick, in describing the late-night festivities that began at 10 p.m.

Many bookstores nationwide began selling the book at midnight.

Seder said that store activities included a sorting ceremony modeled after the one that Harry and his classmates had to go through at wizards’ school; photos that could be taken of customers alongside a cardboard cutout of Harry; and a station in the back of the store where fans of the series could make their own magic wands, color photocopied images of wizards and dragons, and solve puzzles and word searches.

Seder said sales of the new Harry Potter book had stimulated sales of other books. A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket is one of several books that Seder said have benefited from increased interest in the fantasy world of Harry Potter, engendering new readers as well as increased book sales.

It was an exhausting but fun-filled night for customers and store personnel alike.

"The store closed at 2 a.m.," said Jessica Cook, the store manager, on Saturday. "We had quite a few children passed out on the floor."

Young and old, anyone who was a Harry Potter fan had come to celebrate the boy wizard. Many wore black-rimmed glasses like the ones worn by the hero of the series. Others –– store personnel included –– wore more elaborate costumes of their favorite characters.

"If you didn’t pre-order (the book), your chances of getting a copy are zip," said Kathy Creighton, the official Harry Potter greeter, as customers crowded around her.

"What! Did she say that we can’t get a book?" one anxious woman asked someone nearby.

Hearing her question, a firm but apologetic Creighton said, "We have a limited number of copies –– sorry."

For the lucky fans who came to pick up a pre-ordered copy of the book, there was elation.

Danielle Vogt, 10, a fourth-grade student at Hooper Avenue Elementary School, Toms River, waited patiently with her family and friends to receive her copy.

"When you read the books, you’re on your toes," she said of the series.

According to her father, Jeff Vogt, 41, the book could be pre-ordered at a cost of $17.98. It was worth it, according to family friend Sheree Severini, 36, of Toms River.

"You’d think she was meeting Harry Potter himself," said Severini with a smile.

No less thrilled to be at the party was Danielle’s cousin, Ashley Vogt, 12, a sixth-grade student at Lounsberry Hollow in Vernon, who came to the Brick book event with her family as well.

"I love Harry Potter," she said. "I like the different varieties of magical creatures."

Lines were the rule rather than the exception for most of those attending the event.

Waiting on a sorting line with her son, Andrew, 10, a fifth-grade student at Pine Beach Elementary School, Patti Brown, 36, said, "He plows through these books. For him, it’s a good investment. He reads them over and over and over."

Back at the store’s front end, manager Michael Graham and employees Iraida Valentin, wearing a black witch’s hat, and Allison Brutka, 26, dressed as Fleur Delacour, the champion in wizardry for a rival school, all busily communicated with other store personnel on the selling floor, using walkie-talkies to coordinate activities. Valentin and Brutka paused to discuss the availability of the elusive book.

"We do have some extra copies, but it’s first-come, first-served," Brutka said. "A majority pre-ordered them."

Turning to Valentin, she asked, "When did they start pre-ordering them?"

"January," said Valentin.

At that moment, Mary Beth Buist of Toms River, wearing the signature Harry Potter black-rimmed glasses, handed in a ticket to receive a prize bag containing a black baseball cap monogrammed with Harry Potter, The Order of the Phoenix, similar-lettered pins and other mementos of the evening.

Upon seeing the pins with The Order of the Phoenix on them, Buist’s daughter, Becky, 21, also wearing Harry Potter glasses, exclaimed, "How cool is that!"

As Buist displayed three metal bookmarks engraved with the new book’s title, she said, "We’ll put this in the scrapbook (we’re making) for David, my son, who likes Harry Potter, too."

The only person not there, said Buist, was her husband, who got the rest of the family into reading the series.

"He started our Harry Potter craze by reading the first book [to] our son," she said.

"Harry’s the man!" said Becky.

Mary Beth, who teaches 10th- and 12th-grade child development at Lacey Township High School, was not the only fan from her school.

"I have quite a few students who read Harry Potter, and are here roaming around," she said.

Until the wee hours of the morning, fans of the series could count on having a good time, courtesy of Barnes & Noble.

"We’ll be open until all the customers are satisfied," said Brutka.