Muggles, magicians and witches alike are invited to historic Old Town Culpeper this weekend for a wizarding Harry Potter Birthday Celebration at various stops along East Davis Street to end July.
Ashley Price, proprietress at Miss Minerva’s Tea Room, held an inaugural Harry Potter tea in February that sparked the multi-merchant festivity July 30-31. The block party coincides with the birthday of the fictional boy wizard July 31, 1980.
Price is House Hufflepuff when it comes to JK Rowling’s fantastical Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft & Wizardry. Miss Minerva’s will host another Harry Potter tea Saturday for his birthday, not surprisingly already sold out.
“I’m very busy today—have three birthday parties, getting teas made up and cupcakes ready,” Price said in a quick phone interview Wednesday.
In the early days of COVID, the tea room lost some of its bustle when restrictions limited occupancy to eight people, including staff.
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Miss Minerva’s is back at full occupancy to booming results.
“I just hired my first waitress two months ago,” Price said. “We are finally back to full capacity and starting to hire.”
The tea room owner since 2020 got her start at the establishment as a waitress. Price is the third owner.
“I try to keep it unique and people coming downtown,” she said of the original establishment.
Multiple tea settings will satisfy some 80 lucky registrants in a Harry Potter decorated tea house this weekend. The bathroom is transformed to look like the Ministry of Magic while other fantastical beasts and characters from the book and movie will be on site in some form or fancy.
There will be a great hall vibe with each of the house’s banners displayed and gnomes in attendance as guests.
For those who didn’t get tickets for tea, Miss Minerva’s will have a photo booth set up outside to capture the moments.
Over at Jackleg, 110 E. Davis St., the restaurant is offering a Leaky Cauldron menu all week plus Hogwarts breakfast for Saturday-Sunday brunch.
The yearning Yule Ball at Jackleg will reveal itself 8-11 pm on Saturday night. Expect to pay a cover at the door. Formal wizarding attire preferred, said restaurant co-owner Gina Catalano.
The Harry Potter fan created a Daily Prophet newspaper front-page to advertise the wilding weekend downtown.
Gina says she’s a Hufflepuff, while husband Nathan is a Griffyndor.
Over at the nevermore Raven’s Nest, 215 E. Davis, owner Brittany Mabry, naturally, is House Ravenclaw. But the Nest team runs the range of houses, she added.
The charmed coffeehouse will be serving up house specific frappes, butter beer frappes and adult poly juice potion.
Downtown travelers can also participate in The Marauder’s Hunt, a Quidditch-themed scavenger hunt being sponsored by Reigning Cats & Dogs. Get a hunt card at Miss Minerva’s, Rusty Willow Boutique, Vinosity, Jackleg, Reigning and Le Monkey House, all on East Davis Street.
Staffers at Reigning are made up largely of Hufflepuffs, says the store manager, Lindsey. Each of the pet store staff members have taken the official Pottermore quiz, naturally, she said.
“Our contribution to the event is Quidditch! We thought it was perfect since toys and play are kind of our thing!” she said.
The scavenger hunt will be held throughout the store with a range of prizes.
“We are beyond ‘Sirius’ly excited about this event!” said the store manager. “Not only is it a way to generate interest in the downtown during some of the slowest times of the summer season, but it’s a fantastic example of how the stores downtown communicate and work together.
“We are all very excited to make Culpeper Downtown magical, and we are hoping for a huge turn out!”
Ashley Lafin with Rusty Willow Boutique said the Harry Potter Celebration is great idea.
“It’s a good way to get involved with other small business owners and the community. We’re also supporting other businesses because we are attending the Harry Potter Tea & the Harry Potter Wine and Design! We also love that it was planned by another business on the street,” she said.
Wine and Design, on Waters Place, is celebrating Harry Potter’s birthday with an open studio and choice of four boy wizard paintings. It’s a wizarding world, indeed.