Saturday morning’s family Quidditch Field Day at Laurens City Park

Laurens, S.C. – Broomsticks will be the mode of transportation tomorrow when the Laurens County Library holds an outdoor Quidditch Field Day tournament at 9 a.m. tomorrow, Saturday, July 24, in the Laurens City Recreation Park at 500 Brownlee Avenue.

While there will be teams running on provided broomsticks, Hogworts craft booths will also be available.

“With the pandemic, we have tried to plan some free outdoor Summer Reading Programs such as the ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ film last month at the Amphitheater,” said Youth Services Director Caitlin Bellinger. “This time our director, Renita Barksdale, came up with the idea to have a Quidditch Field Day and we ran with it.”

There will also be craft stations related to Hogwarts classes, and they are suitable for all ages, although young children might need a a little help.

Registration is requested for the Quidditch teams, but not for the craft stations.

In the Harry Potter series, Quidditch is played by teams of seven players – a goalie, two people who try to get the ball in the goal, two defenders and a seeker who tries to get the golden “snitch” from the other team.

In Harry Potter the golden snitch is a flying ball.

“But in these games (the golden snitch) is another team member who runs around the field and tries not to get caught,” Bellinger said. “And unfortunately we don’t have enchanted broomsticks so we can’t actually fly.”

The library is looking for teams of seven to register by five p.m. today, Friday, ahead of the Saturday, July 24 tournament.

“Ideally, people can register as a team of seven because it’s always more fun to compete with your friends, but anyone can register and come alone or in smaller groups, and hopefully there will be enough to form a team so everyone can participate,” Bellinger said.

Once the golden snitch is caught that particular game is over, she said, and library staff assume that the games and crafts will be completed by late morn- ing before the weather heats up too much. Shaved ice will also be available, and the entire event is free of charge, having been funded by a state library grant.

For questions, call library staff at 864-681-READ (7323) or register online by scrolling down to “Events” on the web- site, www.lcpl.org.