Harry Potter-themed event raises funds for local cancer care

More than 250 guests - dressed as characters from the world of Harry Potter books and movies - attended An Evening at Hogwarts, a fundraiser for the Sault Area Hospital Foundation’s Cancer Care Fund at The Machine Shop Saturday.

The fictional character Harry Potter - created by novelist J. K. Rowling - is an 11-year-old boy who attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Saturday marked the fifth annual An Evening at Hogwarts fundraiser.

“For the first two years we raised funds for the Canadian Cancer Society but we’ve decided to make it more locally focused on the Sault Area Hospital Foundation’s Cancer Care Fund because we’ve all been affected by cancer in some shape or form. People like the Harry Potter characters, the storylines, the adventures and this raises funds for cancer care in a fun way,” said Megan Becker, An Evening at Hogwarts organizing committee co-chair in an interview with SooToday.

Since its beginning, An Evening at Hogwarts has raised over $140,000 to support the Sault Area Hospital Foundation’s Cancer Care Fund.

60 volunteers worked on Saturday’s fundraiser that began with a Wee Wizard Tour from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for children.

Dinner - a four-course meal prepared by The Machine Shop - began at 6 p.m., the evening’s festivities scheduled to run until 9 p.m.

“The Machine Shop is a great venue for what we do. It brings our Hogwarts to life with its architecture. We have things like St. Mungo’s the magic hospital with an operation game where people are trying to magically save their patients, lots of photo opportunities with Harry Potter themed items. We have an office for Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster of the Hogwarts wizarding school. We have lots of interactive activities,” Becker said.

More information on An Evening at Hogwarts - SSM can be found through the group's social media page.