Magical, spooky evenings at the Rockville Centre library

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The Rockville Centre Public Library is heating up this summer with its children’s programs. One day kids can attend wizarding lessons while another night they are read tales by the campfire.

Hogwarts hoedown

Harry Potter fans were invited to the library for a party on July 27, where they could take classes just like wizards and witches at Hogwarts. Each guest chose a house — Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin — and tried their best to earn points for their team to win the House Cup by the end of the night.

“Everybody just loved it,” Youth Services Librarian Jennifer Rebmann said. “People are really enthusiastic about Harry Potter. Kids especially!”

Twenty-five children between grades three and six and 13 teenage volunteers experienced lessons in divination, potions and care of magical creatures. In divination, the students read tea leaves; during potions, they mixed lemonade, Sprite and gold sprinkles to create Felix Felicis, also known as Liquid Luck; for Care of Magical Creatures, the youngsters met three live owls up close and personal.

Volunteers for Wildlife, an animal hospital in Lattingtown, brought the owls. Two were Eastern Screeches — named Orlando and Duncan — and one was a Great Horned Owl named Marcus. The children were taught about how owls hunt and also how they are conserved.

The kids were ultimately given grades randomly chosen out of the Sorting Hat and Gryffindor won the House Cup.

Going camping

Several days prior, little ones listened to spooky stories around a makeshift campfire at the library before enjoying s’mores.

The Campfire Stories program is offered to students in grades one and above and features evening readings in a circle followed by snacks and crafts.

“It’s been a successful program,” Rebmann said. “Everybody thinks it’s a really exciting summer-themed activity at the library.”

The next campfire session will be on Monday, Aug. 6 at 7 p.m.