Westerville, OH – October is a magical time of year at the Westerville Public Library. A giant dragon egg begins to hatch on the front lawn. Enchanted forests and swamps emerge among the bookshelves. And ghosts materialize out of thin air in the history museum.
As the sixth annual Wizards & Wands Festival looms closer, the library staff are again hard at work creating otherworldly attractions to draw visitors from near and far. This year’s festival is expanding to include a Haunted Mansion-inspired fortune teller, a mermaid skeleton, a 6-foot dragon egg, a giant Indiana Jones-inspired boulder, and so much more.
“We’ve truly embraced the sense of wonder and possibility that books inspire,” shares Tamara Murray (Marketing Manager).
Matt Glaviano (Librarian) adds, “We're excited to hatch some new decor for this year's Wizards and Wands Festival. The second floor is getting a ‘boulder’ makeover to become a museum of fantasy and sci-fi antiquities. And the children’s area is going to be swampier than ever.”
This year, the library staff have created many of the decorations and experiences for the festival using technology available in their makerspace (called the Innovation Lab). The Innovation Lab includes 3D printers, a recording studio, photo and video cameras, and photo editing software. Inspiration has been drawn from hundreds of popular fantasy worlds, including Dungeons & Dragons, Shrek, The Lord of the Rings, and Hocus Pocus.
“We’ve used the InDesign software and Canva.com to create storefront signs for a medieval village and trees for the enchanted forest. We’ve used the 3D printers to create fantasy ‘coins’ for a bank vault find-and-seek game. And our giant dragon footprints were created using the Cricut machine,” says Murray.
Visitors are invited to get creative, as well. Programs throughout the month provide guided instruction for creating your own fantasy poster, making a magical mug, assembling a dragon terrarium, and more.
“The Wizards & Wands Festival is a testament to the power of imagination and the transformative impact of stories. It’s a celebration that brings together the magic of books, the warmth of community, and the spirit of adventure,” says Annamarie Carlson (Youth Services Manager).
Discover the behind-the-scenes magic with these feature stories:
