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All aboard the Hogwarts Express, next stop... Ohio?

For the last 3 or 4 weekends, Hive account@flowerbaby and I have been watching all of the Harry Potter movies together. I had only ever sat through the first one, I also read the Sorcerer's Stone book when I was a child. Other than that the only experience I have with Harry Potter was the Sorcerer's Stone video game that was released on the original PlayStation back in November of 2001. Hive account@flowerbaby had already watched all of the films long ago, but it had been years since she had seen them. So together we watched all 8 movies and we did so with perfect timing.

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We all know how our smartphones listen to what we talk about and then show us ads for things related to those topics. This is one of the instances where that turned out to be a good thing. Both of us began getting ads on Facebook for https://irontonwizardfest.com/ once we began watching the movies together. We had no idea that this had already been held for two years prior, year 3 was set to happen very soon. This was a huge festival happening nearby to where we live and it was all about Harry Potter and wizardry, what a coincidence. We purchased tickets for $15 apiece instantly. Lucky for us, we finished the very last movie the night before we were to go to the Ironton Wizardfest.

Of course, Hive account@flowerbaby and I both decided to dress up for this festival. We didn't go crazy on spending either. Most of what we wore was purchased from Goodwill for extremely cheap. Some items were already in our closets. The only thing that really cost much at all, but was still affordable, was Hive account@flowerbaby's witch hat.

We left around 11:30 am and arrived just after 12:30 pm on Saturday, the morning of November 13. Just over an hour to get there, not bad at all. The festival was held in the small downtown area of a quaint little Ohio town called Ironton. We struggled to find parking at first but eventually noticed a great spot in front of a beautiful home that was just a block away from the entrance to the festival. It was about 40°F outside that day, so kind of chilly but not freezing thankfully.

The place was full of people, but the line to get in was about a dozen. In a short amount of time, we had found ourselves through the gates. The first thing we did was get a photo of Hive account@flowerbaby in front of the flags for her two favorite houses Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Notice the fire extinguisher nearby, just in case my girl lost control of her invisible wand.

All fans of Harry Potter would be in wizard heaven at this festival. There were an endless amount of recreations of cool items from the movies/books. Plants with personality, wands crafted with passion, flying brooms with character, and so much more. We refrained from spending our money on all of the items for sale, as neat as they were. It was enough for us just to look and see everyone else spending all of their money.

One of the main items of interest was directly in the middle of the festival. The famed Flying Ford Anglia was positioned perfectly for photos, but the line for that was pretty long. I snapped a few shots without us in the car so you can at least see what it looked like.

This was a festival for all ages, but many of the attractions were geared towards children. The petting zoo for instance was perfect for kids. I was surprised to find a couple of animals that I had never seen before, I don't remember the name. One of the chunkiest rabbits I have ever seen was in his pen waiting to be left alone. Hive account@flowerbaby pet the little cow and pig, the cow was especially cute. The camel and llama didn't seem to want any scratch action. I didn't take photos of all the animals, but here are some.

One of the best locations at this festival was The Two Beaters Wizard’s Pub. This was THE place for drinks around the grounds. There was the main floor, the basement, access to a stage in the back, and an upstairs (more on that later). The line to get to the bar was longer than the line to get inside of the festival. A true test of a wizard's patience. At one point we were waiting next to a Christmas tree, of course, I paused for a photograph. You may notice that we definitely were not the only ones dressed up. I did not get photos of the best costumes we saw, had to be there to witness it I suppose.

Once we finally got up to the bar and were able to order, we quickly glanced at the menu. We both knew we wanted a Butterbeer right away. Every time that Harry and his friends drink those sweet treats in the movies, we were always jealous. At last, we were finally able to partake.

I have kind of stopped being a fan of alcohol over the last few years. It's a good thing overall, but I haven't committed to never drinking again altogether. That seems a bit too strict if you ask me, drinking is not a problem for me thankfully so I can enjoy it in small amounts from time to time. This Butterbeer was the best alcoholic beverage I had sipped in years, Hive account@flowerbaby 100% agreed with me as well. It was the perfect mixture of carbonation, liquor, and sweetness. I could have easily had several but stopped after one since I had to drive back home afterward.

We ventured upstairs to drink our Butterbeers in peace and it was a genius idea! We found a less populated area with plenty of tables and a few cozy couches. This was by far the best place to take photos that we found all day. You already know that we swiftly took advantage of this opportunity. I may or may not have a tad bit of cream in my beard from the Butterbeer.

Since it was just Hive account@flowerbaby and I by ourselves, I had to get crafty on photos of us together. This last one is an image that I Photoshop'd of us into one frame. Most probably wouldn't even notice, but I felt the need to reveal our magic... one of the many perks of reading my blog.

The live music upstairs was another one of the best parts of the day. The man playing the guitar was pretty talented, plus you could tell he loved Harry Potter lore. One of his songs for instance was a Sirrius Black version of the famous song "Paint It Black" by The Rolling Stones. The acoustic situation upstairs was ideal as well. The music was plenty loud, but we could easily hear each other's voices still. Entertaining, but not overbearing. At one point a young girl even started river dancing to the music, it was pretty awesome. The only thing I would have changed was the fact that the fireplace was fake, a real one would have made things even better.

Before we left, we stumbled upon an almost hidden area. It was inside a mini-mall among the streets. There were a few more shops in this area, a fountain, and a ton of Harry Potter Lego scenes.

If you've seen the films, then the Thestral is probably one of the most intriguing creatures in your mind like it is mine. We saw a recreation of one next to one of the vendors.

There was also a cell that made for a perfect photo op. It seems as though Azkaban has two new prisoners. They decided to let us both out since we wouldn't stop screaming like crazy people.

These giant house signs that we took photos with were also made of Legos. I was never a Lego kid growing up, but I do admire how difficult they must be to complete. I have played some Lego Video games, but that is about it.

I saw this dude multiple times throughout the day. Thank goodness I finally spotted him sitting down someplace and was able to sneak a photo. Out of everyone there, he was the guy that looked like Harry Potter the most. I still am mad that I didn't get a photo of the dude that was dressed up like Snape and looked exactly like him.

We spent a total of about 2 hours at Ironton Wizardfest Year 3 in Ironton, Ohio. I can honestly say that it was a great time. One giant nerd gettogether, what is not to love about that? I'm psyched that we were able to watch all of the movies before we went to this. I am so happy that I was able to go with Hive account@flowerbaby to this and make more unforgettable memories.