No Muggles Allowed

Every other Saturday throughout the summer we have a Special Day where all of camp takes on a special theme and counselors and campers join teams for special activities. Previous days this year included Halloween and Gold Rush Day.

Well on Saturday the absolute cult-like insanity of Harry Potter descended on camp. The campers got excited out of their minds, as did most of the staff. There is serious devotion to this book/movie franchise. From the seven-year-olds, to my fifteen-year-old CILTs, to the 20-something counselors, there was unreal commitment to the theme. The decorations that the CILTs put together helped transform camp into Hogwarts (that's Harry Potter's school, I've learned.) There were skits, spells, a carnival, and a game of quidditch (you gotta read the book.)

I'm not really up on any of the Harry Potter books, nor the lingo or characters involved. However, this wasn't a huge problem, as all of the campers were more than willing to explain the dozens of characters over and over. Still, it did make me feel really old, in the sense that this story, which is very much pop culture, means almost nothing to me. I'm wondering if I'll ever work up the strength to read all six books (the seventh is on the way...)

One thing that was really neat to see was how the older campers were sooooo into all the Harry Potter stuff. They lost all their inhibitions and forgot about being cool, impressing their friends, putting up a front, or feigning empathy. They loved the acting and the dressing up, they loved comparing how much they knew about the stories, and they practically tripped over themselves trying to get me up to speed and involved with all the make-believe. It was really cool to see these kids, freshmen and sophomores in high school, having that much fun.

(My campers did get me into character. I dressed up in a pillowcase and played Doby, the house elf, for anyone who reads Harry Potter.)