The Connecticut Science Center in Hartford is all about science, things that can be proved. The “Harry Potter” books and movies are all about fantasy and magic, things that can’t be proved.
Still, there are some overlaps. The science center will explore them in a two-day event Feb. 24 and 25 titled “Hogwarts Celebration of Science and Sorcery.”
“People who love science also love science fiction. It’s not a huge leap,” says center spokeswoman Tracy Shirer.
Shirer organized the event with the center’s Membership Administrator Marisa Finn and Communications Coordinator Samantha Taylor, who are both “Harry Potter” super-fans. This year is the 20th anniversary of the American publishing of J.K. Rowling’s first “Harry Potter” book, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”
Local actors will participate in events, dressed as characters from the books and movies. Families attending are encouraged to come in costume. No weapons or face masks are allowed.
Activities include “Meet Dumbledore,” “Luna Lovegood Scavenger Hunt,” “Invisibility Cloak,” “Wand Class,” “Potions Class,” “Sand Potion Art,” “Divination with Professor Trelawney,” “House Assignments with the Sorting Hat,” “Meet Hermione,” “Magic Photo Booth,” “Story Time with Hermione” and “Potter Crafts.” All come with the price of admission.
Two events require a separate ticket: a stage show, “Fantastic Beasts of the Muggle World”; and a screening of the movie “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”
Most of the activities were drawn from “Sorcerer’s Stone,” says Finn. “That’s everyone’s first introduction to Harry Potter. It has a magical, nostalgic quality.”
The event will include some elements from subsequent “Harry Potter” books, she says, such as Sybill Trelawney and Luna Lovegood, who make their first appearances later in the series, and the stage show, which is based on Rowling’s book “Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them.”
In addition to the “Harry Potter” event, admission entitles visitors the run of the museum. Some of the “Harry Potter” activities are presented in conjunction with the exhibits. “The Invisibility Cloak is in part of the new exhibit ‘Bionic Me’,” Shirer says. “It has to do with green-screen technology.”
The potions show is related to chemical reactions, the organizers said, and the stage show focuses on strange creatures that really exist. “There are a lot of fantastic animals in our world, who have adaptations that make them unique or special,” Taylor says. “They seem almost magical but they are real things.”
Another activity, for science center members only, is an astronomy class. On both days, the first 500 attendees who are members will receive a stuffed owl.
HOGWARTS CELEBRATION OF SCIENCE AND SORCERY is at Connecticut Science Center, 250 Columbus Blvd. in Hartford, on Feb. 24 and 25 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $23.95, $21.95 seniors, $16.95 youth. Admission to the “Fantastic Beasts” show, which will be at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. each day, is an additional $5. Admission to the “Sorcerer’s Stone” movie, which is shown at 3 p.m., is an additional $5. ctsciencecenter.org.
