TEXARKANA, Texas - Students in the wizardly arts once again congregated for Texarkana Museum System's Harry Potter Month on Saturday. This time, they gathered at the Ace of Clubs House to construct travel trunks. In the Harry Potter stories, the travel trunk is a relatively mundane object. It is merely a trunk the students use to carry their belongings with them to Hogwarts. The ones in the story are made in a specific way to be easily stowed on board the Hogwarts Express for transportation to the school. The ones local student wizards were making at the Ace of Clubs House were of a smaller scale.
"As you can see, we are starting with shoeboxes," said Velvet Hall Cool, Texarkana Museums System board president and one of the museum officials leading the blocks of instruction during Harry Potter Month. "The shoebox of athletic shoes is a good candidate for this, but whatever you want to work with."
The students used paints and other decorations to turn their shoeboxes into miniature travel trunks, ready to store objects or be a hiding place for mysterious things.
The Beard family has been part of Harry Potter month since Sorting Day, when the Sorting Hat assigned each of the students to a Wizarding House. In the case of the Beards, the draw went against.
"We didn't want to be in Slytherin," said Kirstie Beard, with her 9-year-old daughter Raeleigh, "but here we are." Since older daughter Dixie ended up in a rival House, Hufflepuff, a little interfamily intrigue was taking place as they strove to play the roles and keep from divulging important information to their rival Houses. But despite that, the Beard family was having fun, losing themselves in a little bit of fantasy in the waning hot days of summer.
"I'm the main Harry Potter fan and I've brought my daughters along," Kirstie Beard said. "I've been a fan at least 10 years. I've read all the books, seen all the films. Any time there is a Harry Potter movie weekend on TV, that's what's going to be on."
As to why Kirstie Beard is a fan, like many fans, it is all about the magic.
"I love the wizards, the magic of it all. It takes your imagination to a whole 'nother level," she said. "This month has been super for us; we don't get to do lots of things together and we plan to return next year to do it again."
Dixie, 13, has read some of the books but got into Harry Potter because of her mother.
"I saw my mother watching 'The Sorceror's Stone' and I started watching. I've been a fan since," she said.
Dixie has been enjoying Harry Potter month, all the way back to Sorting Day, where they made wands and banners.
"It was lots of fun doing that," she said. "The travel trunks are fun, too. The brown paint we are using makes me think of brownies. And now I want one."
The enchanted fun continues the remaining weekends in August. Next weekend will be the Potions Class. And a magical feast awaits Saturday the 31st of August.