It was Christmas in July.
Or so it felt to 11-year-old Natalie Beck, who came to the Squirrel Hill Barnes & Noble last night dressed in Harry Potter-esque garb -- black-rimmed glasses, a knitted scarf and a black cape -- to celebrate the release of the sixth book in the wildly popular Harry Potter Series.
John Heller, Post-GazetteNatalie Beck, 11, of Highland Park, arrives for last night's Harry Potter release party at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Squirrel Hill.
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Harry Potter moral debate goes on"I'm obsessed," Natalie, of Highland Park, said about the long-awaited release of J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince."
"It's so different from other books. I like books that have their own style and it's magic and magic's cool," she said.
More than 1,000 Harry Potter fans were anticipated to flood the bookstore last night for face-painting and look-a-like contests. And, of course, to purchase the book.
But not until midnight.
Store Manager Dionne Flinn, who distributed bright orange bracelets to customers who reserved copies of the book, said the store would stay open until everyone was able to purchase their copy.
"We'll be open 'til we ring the last person," Flinn said, "hopefully 'til 2 a.m."
Hopefully, considering that the store plans to open at 8 a.m. today, an hour earlier than usual to keep the Potter sales ringing up.
And it wasn't just tweens who were in hot pursuit of the book of youthful wizards-in-training.
Their older counterparts couldn't wait to read it, either. Friends Rhianna Accetturo, 18, a student at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, and Melinda Padolf, 15, of Squirrel Hill, Nos. 63 and 64 in line for copies of the book, respectively, camped out last night in the comic book section of the store to wait.
Accetturo, like most older Potter fans, discovered the books from a younger sibling.
"My brother had one of them and he never read it," she said. "I was bored out of my mind one day. I was thinking it was some little kid's book, but when you read it ... I read the book in a day."
Padolf summed up the near frenzy: "I just like the feeling of having it when it comes out. It's just like that cool feeling. I don't like waiting."
And, apparently, the masses don't like waiting, either.
There were many more Harry Potter publication parties at varying sites around the region, including several at libraries that presold copies of the latest book as fund-raisers.
Those contacted were selling the book for $23, retaining about $5 per copy over the going online price to use for library programs.
Western Allegheny Community Library in Imperial scheduled a nine-hour celebration centered around showing the three Harry Potter movies that have been made from previous books.
The movies began shortly after 3 p.m. yesterday and were designed to fill most of the time until midnight, when the people who had ordered could get their books. Young adult librarian Susan Swan had Harry Potter-named snacks like marshmallow spiders to pass out and a list of games anxious kids could play -- if necessary -- between films.
Western Allegheny ordered 70 books from the publisher, sold 66 and is keeping the other four for its shelves, Swan said. Some 60 people made party reservations.
Parties at Shaler North Hills, Dormont Public and Bethel Park Public libraries were strictly nighttime affairs.
Shaler North Hills' Harry Potter Release Party, scheduled to run from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. with book distribution set for 12:01 exactly, was limited to people who bought the 80 copies it had to sell. Its profits from the book sales were going to support the summer reading program.
Kristina Rosus, 10, peeks at a copy of "Harry Potter and the Half-Prince Blood" yesterday at the Western Allegheny Community Library in Imperial, where she mand about 50 other children watched Harry Potter movies before the book's official release.
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"It's not going to be an open, walk up and come in [party]," said Nancy Fields, youth services coordinator. "It's sold out. We sold 80. That's all we could get from the publisher."
"We are going to have a costume contest, we're going to have trivia contests, all kinds of refreshments such as Muggle munchies -- that just means a nonwizard person. That's everything [food] we can't think of a [Potter] name for," she said. "We have cauldron cupcakes, cockroach crunchies. We also have crafts and games related to the books. We'll be having Harry Potter bingo."
And there were lots of prizes to be awarded, including Pirates tickets and gifts certificates from Dick's Sporting Goods, Target, and Barnes & Noble.
"People are so excited about the release of the book and the party," Fields said. "It really should be ... a great time."
Dormont's party, scheduled for 10 to midnight last night, had a lengthy list of activities based on the Potter books. They included a treasure hunt for paperback Potter books, a Firebolt broom race and the making of phoenix wands, wizard hats, invisible ink scrolls, magic cloaks, stained-glass phoenixes, clay magic frogs and magic cream [actually ice cream].
"We sold 67 books and have plenty more to sell," children's and young adult librarian Cindy D'Agostino said. "I have 60 more." She estimated 70 to 100 kids and parents would attend.
Bethel Park Public Library has done this kind of celebration "each time a book or movie has come out," according to Ingrid Kalchthaler, head of the youth services department.
Scheduled to run from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., the party included seven different stations for games and crafts and food stations.
"We [employees] were dressing in wizard costumes," Kalchthaler said. "Guests were encouraged, too."
First Published: July 16, 2005, 4:00 a.m.
