24 Hours of Potter Brings Hogwarts to Crowne Plaza

As Harry Potter faces He Who Must Not Be Named for , Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs will take over the Crowne Plaza St. Louis-Clayton for one last round of classes.

The temporary Hogwarts school headmaster, Katrina Lynn, said she doesn’t expect to see any senioritis as the end draws near. For Harry Potter fans, 24 Hours of Potter is one last chance to get together with friends and celebrate their favorite books.

“I love so many things about the Harry Potter books and movies,” said Jamie Blanke, a 24-year-old fan. She read her first Harry Potter novel at the age of 11 and promptly became hooked on more than the literature itself.

“I love their ability to bring people together," Blanke said. "We have attended so many events, parties, openings, et cetera, and the fans are hungry for it. Not only for the stories, but for the camaraderie. I love that it makes everybody feel that there is a place for them and that they can fit in somewhere.”

Lynn said she knows so many people like Blanke that she wanted to create one last excuse for people to share their love of Harry Potter in an upbeat, fun fashion.

“Honestly, I’ve wanted to throw a Harry Potter convention for years, but I never had the time," Lynn said. "This year, I realized I had to do it now. It’s the same weekend as LeakyCon (the largest Harry Potter fan convention in North America) in Orlando. This is for people who can’t make it all the way to Florida but still want to enjoy one last day at Hogwarts.”

During 24 Hours of Potter, Lynn and her staff will transform a portion of the Crowne Plaza in downtown Clayton into the wizarding school described in the Potter books. Students who haven’t already chosen a house—for the uninitiated, the options are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Slytherin and Ravenclaw—can begin by putting on the Sorting Hat.

Once enrolled, students can attend classes including “Potions Mixology with S. Snape,” and “Reading Tea Leaves with S. Trelawney.” In the afternoon, they can participate in one of three live-action Quidditch matches before attending Dumbledore’s Coming Out Party or The Slug Club Tea Party.

“My favorite thing about the event is the feast,” said Nicole Bieser, a sales manager for the Crowne Plaza. “Our chef was so excited. He came up with some neat ideas to resemble a real English setting.”

The sold-out meal for special students includes bangers and mash, bubble and squeak, pumpkin juice, butter beer, bread pudding, chocolate frogs and sherbet lemons.

Bieser said her 11-year-old son, a Harry Potter fan, is excited by the costumes.

“When they have Kawa Kon here, I tell them I can’t wait to see what costumes people designed for it. It’s really interesting. A lot of people don’t see how talented these people are. They’ve done their own design work and all the sewing. The result is really fantastic.”

While costumes aren’t required, Blanke said, dressing up is half the fun of attending an event such as 24 Hours of Potter.

“I dress up in costume for each and every event that I attend," Blanke said. "I’ve been Bellatrix Lestrange and, since I’m a natural redhead, Ginny Weasley. I make all of my own robes and have made many others for friends. I’m never embarrassed to be in costume. I have such a love of being able to disappear into a different world for a couple of hours.”

In an effort to encourage people to dress up, the convention includes a masquerade with prizes. In addition to classes and Quidditch, the weekend includes parties, a concert by the steampunk band The Aeronauts, a showing of A Very Potter Musical and an all-night dance Friday.

But one of the most popular events is expected to be the panel titled, “Now what do I read?”

Bieser said her son loves the Harry Potter books even more than the movies. Since devouring the last one, he’s moved on to the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. “If it has magic, dragons or anything sci-fi, he loves it.”

While people take for granted the fact that the Harry Potter books introduced a generation of children to reading, Blanke said, she sees them as having inspired a spark in adults as well.

“I love the fact that Harry Potter got people to read," she said. "My mom was never a reader until she read the Harry Potter books. Now she devours any book that she possibly can.”

Many hardcore Harry Potter fans plan to see the movie on opening night, before the 24 Hours of Potter begins. Blanke, who has a Harry Potter tattoo, managed to see the movie early.

“I am devastated that this is the final film. I got to see an advanced screening of it on Monday evening, and I have spent the last few days feeling sort of empty. Sad. Like a huge part of my childhood has ended," Blanke said. "I know that it's not true, of course, because, as (author) J.K. Rowling said just last week, ‘Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home’. But seeing it come to a close on screen is so emotional and difficult.”

Lynn said her minister at —inspired by people’s strong emotional reactions to Harry Potter and by the morals and values in the books—volunteered to lead a session titled “Harry Potter: A Biblical Perspective.”

When asked about the next big thing, Lynn said she’s seen signs of another British import taking root on American shores. Pirates came and went. Zombies tripped over their mismatched feet. Robots were tamed with a Mac virus.

But Doctor Who is back with a vengeance.

“It’s amazing," Lynn said. "I go to four or five anime ... (conventions) a year. The biggest one is in Chicago. It has over 15,000 people and tons of photo shoots for people in costume. This year, the usual things were there, but out of the blue, there was this Doctor Who photo shoot that was so big it overflowed onto the street.

"There were at least 15 Daleks, three or four police boxes, some of the Weeping Angels and at least a hundred people dressed as The Doctor and his companions. It was just enormous—and totally not what I expected at an anime convention.”

She said fans seem ready to "Exterminate!" their misery over losing Harry Potter by burying themselves in a big blue police box for a jaunt around time and space.