Experience the Magic of Your Library
Celebrate a variety of fantasy fandoms throughout the month, from Hocus Pocus to The Lord of the Rings to Haunted Mansion. Enjoy performances, complete missions, and explore magical worlds.
Highlights for 2023
Hilda the Dragon is expecting! Her not-yet-hatched baby dragon will be safely nestled in its giant 6-foot-tall egg on the front lawn throughout October 2023.
Your fortune awaits. The floating head of the library's director, Madam Francora, will predict your fortune upon request. (Inspired by Haunted Mansion.)
Unlock the door to a magical world. Escape room challenges available for ages 6+ and their families on October 7-8. (Registration required.)
A swamp has surfaced. An entire room of the library will be turned into a swamp overnight with lily pads and moss and sleeping ogres, oh my!
Inspect a (real-life???) mermaid skeleton. Discover magical artifacts from fantasy worlds in the National Museum at Marshall College. (Inspired by Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.)
October 1-31, 2023
Missions
Embark on fantasy-themed missions for chances at prize drawings. The more missions you complete, the more chances you have to win! For all ages.
Prizes include baskets full of goodies. Examples: unicorns (ages 0-5), LEGO (ages 6+), witches (ages 12+), family game night, Captivating Worlds tickets, and Otherworld tickets.
Choose your missions:
- Attend a Library Event
- Design a Potion (Teen Room)
- Identify Magical Characters (Media Hallway)
- Indiana Jones Treasure Hunt (Second Floor)
- Magical Creature Scavenger Hunt (Children’s Area)
- Magical I Spy (Display Case near Teen Room)
- Magical Trivia (Digital Display in Media)
- Pose with a Knight (Media)
- Read a Magical Book
- Spot the Gold Challenge (Entrance to Westerville History Museum)
- Watch a Magical Movie
- YOU Belong in a Museum (Innovation Lab)
Performances & Activities
Note: Registration required for some events.
Magical Wonderland: Walk-Through Experience
Your library will be transformed into a magical wonderland with fantasy-themed décor throughout the building.
- Hilda the Dragon's not-yet-hatched egg (State Street Entrance) - Though Hilda is on maternity leave this year, her baby dragon is safely nestled in its giant 6-foot-tall egg on the front lawn.
- Enchanted Forest (Children’s Area) – Weave through moss-covered toadstools and tree stumps to uncover fairies, mermaids, unicorns, and more.
- The Swamp (Picture Book Room) - Tiptoe around lily pads and moss, but make sure you don’t wake the ogre!
- Dragon Hatchery (Homework Help Center) – Discover dragons of all shapes, sizes, and…roars!
- Sanderson’s Apothecary (Teen Room) – Pore over potions while sharing the room with slimy toads, furry rats, and even a few animal skeletons.
- The Haunted Armory (Media Department) – Study the elaborate iconography used to decorate medieval swords, shields, banners, and suits of armor. If you are brave enough, ask Madam Francora for your fortune.
- National Museum at Marshall College (Second Floor) – Inspired by Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, examine magical artifacts from fantasy worlds. And don't miss the mermaid skeleton!
- Medieval Village (Mallway) – Explore 3D storefronts like Wee Beasties Pet Shop, Fairy Tale Realty, and Sanderson Bed & Breakfast. Enjoy window shopping for bits & bobs, cauldrons, wands, magical plants, or delicious treats.
October 27, 2023 (5-9pm)
Experience the magic of your library with spellbinding performers during Midnight Madness in Uptown Westerville. For all ages. Costumes encouraged. Admission is free.
For outdoor performances, you are welcome and encouraged to bring your own blankets, chairs, coats, umbrellas, or anything else to make your experience more comfortable.Â
While here, you can walk through the library, complete fantasy-themed missions for a chance at prize drawings, and visit the 30-foot smoke-breathing Hilda the Dragon and her 6-foot not-yet-hatched egg.Â
Rain or shine. Performances may be cancelled in the case of extreme weather. Though the library building will be open, the drive-thru and some regular library services will be unavailable during this time.
Â
About the Dragon
Big news in 2023!!! - Hilda the Dragon is expecting! Her not-yet-hatched baby dragon will be safely nestled in its giant 6-foot-tall egg on the front lawn throughout October 2023.
Hilda was a 30-foot smoke-breathing dragon affectionately named based on suggestions from library visitors in 2019. A temporary art installation made of steel, wood, vinyl, foam, and latex, she perched on the library's roof from 2019-2022. (Hilda herself is on maternity leave and will not be on display this year.)
Designed and created by The Point at Otterbein University, opens a new window. Sponsored by the Friends of the Westerville Public Library, opens a new window.
Thanks to Our Sponsors
Magical Movies for the Family
About the Wizards & Wands Festival - Libraries are places that inspire magic, filled with stories that can take you to extraordinary worlds. Since 2018, the Wizards & Wands Festival has embraced that sense of wonder by bringing books to life and creating an unforgettable experience for the Westerville area community. People of all ages and passions come together champion the power of stories. This signature event attracts thousands of visitors of all ages from across Central Ohio, those who already love the library and those who have never been inside the library before.
