Harry who? Chestnut Hill Witches and Wizards fest carries on without its famous namesake
Chestnut Hill's popular fall festival celebrating the world of Harry Potter lost its name, but not its following.
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From left, representing the Hogwarts Houses of Slytherin, Ravencroft, and Hufflepuff are Grace Candido-Beecher, Irvin Khaytman, and Nick Beecher. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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From left, Lyla Storm, Ruby Hayes, Maddie Jones, and Bianca Jones peel off stickers to make faces on pumpkins. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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Dan Ritchie of Philadelphia Ghostbusters shows 3-year-old Jack Dorkus the tools of his trade. Philadelphia Ghostbusters is licensed by Sony Entertainment. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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Zips Candy salesperson Bobbie Koenig (left) offers bags of candy to Chis Hansen, Georgia Hansen, and Bronwyn Luna-Lubkin. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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Charlene Delos Santos left, Harley Birkmire, and Joe Birkmire show off their wizard attire on Germantown Avenue. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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In Harry Potter regalia, John Bangor, Ellie Bangor, 6, and Lee Bangor from Doylestown, take in the sites on Germantown Avenue. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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Give & Take Jugglers Allison Watman, left, and Eric Geoffrey perform for children and their parents on the lawn of the Woodmere Art Museum. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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Nicholas McNamara leaps across bales of straw, part of a straw maze created on the lawn of the Woodmere Art Museum for the Witches and Wizards Festival. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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Give & Take Jugglers Eric Geoffrey and Allison Watman perform for children on the lawn of the Woodmere Art Museum. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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Jay Dabral, left, and his children, Sanji and Antara take in the festivities on Germantown Avenue. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
Chestnut Hill’s popular fall festival celebrating the world of Harry Potter lost its name, but not its following when the owner of the franchise, Warner Brothers, threatened legal action if the town continued to infringe on its copyright.
As a result of Warner Brothers’ cease and desist letter, the Chestnut Hill Business District renamed this year’s two-day event Witches and Wizards Festival.
In spite of the change of theme, thousands of Harry Potter devotees strolled the sidewalks of Germantown Avenue in Chestnut Hill Saturday dressed in wizard robes representing the four Houses of Hogwarts.
The weekend kicked off Friday night with a pub crawl along 10 blocks of Germantown Avenue in Chestnut Hill. Saturday’s events included hayrides, kid’s crafts, a straw maze, and a performance by The Little Circus.
Unaffected by legal threats was the 7th Annual Harry Potter Conference at Chestnut Hill College which explored academic themes in J. K. Rowling’s books. The college also hosted the 9th Annual Brotherly Love Cup a round robin Quidditch Tournament with participating teams from colleges and universities in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern States.
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