Tag Archives: Events

We got away from the muggle world for a weekend of magic at McMenamins Kennedy School! Hosting activities in the Great Hall, vendors in Diagon Alley, Knockturn Alley, and Hogsmeade, PDXpelliarmus celebrated our favorite wizard’s birthday with three days of wonder and fun!

The Great Hall apparated into Kennedy School’s gym, where folks could sit at their House tables to enjoy a cold butterbeer, take their Hogwarts school portrait, and begin a hunt for escaped magical creatures! PDXpelliarmus presented trivia on Friday and Saturday and costume contests Saturday and Sunday. Diagon Alley, Knockturn Alley, and Hogsmeade were open Friday evening through Sunday, giving folks the chance to shop for magical treasures made by local artists and craftspeople.

Check out the photo album here!

Wizarding Weekend was free and open to the public, only requiring a ticket if you want to enjoy one of the movies in the Kennedy School theater, but PDXpelliarmus raised funds and collect school supplies! This year’s donations went to Rose Haven, a day shelter and community center serving women, children, and gender non-conforming people experiencing trauma, loss of home, or other challenges.

We all understand how lucky Harry was to find himself with a vault full of galleons when it came time to go back to school, and to have a safe place away from the neglect and abuse he suffered with the Dursleys. While we can’t make his story true for everyone in a similar position, we can make the return to school better for some, and help a program that supports them!

We collected almost 30 backpacks full of school supplies, and raised $3000!

PDXpelliarmus is an all-volunteer nonprofit dedicated to literacy, equality, and human rights. We stand with the Harry Potter fandom, and we believe there still good to be done in Harry’s name. We are committed to helping uplift and empower the transgender community as well as create safe spaces for all LGBTQIA+ people in the HP fandom.

We had another magical weekend at Kennedy School, getting away from the muggle world with movies, games, costumes, and so much butterbeer! PDXpelliarmus hosted book and movie trivia, costume contests for kids and adults and a Horcrux Hunt! Young guests helped us find wayward pixies! Artists, craftspeople, and makers filled our three vendor spaces with their own kinds of magic.

We did it all to raise funds and collect school supplies for Boys & Girls Aid, an Oregon nonprofit that serves children in foster care. Harry Potter fans proved again why they are the best people, bringing in loads of backpacks, socks, notebooks, pens, markers, and so many other items that will be going directly to children as they prepare to go back to school. Via cash donations and a raffle for a one-night stay at McMenamins Kennedy School, we raised $3,000 to donate to Boys & Girls Aid as well!

It was wonderful to connect with our magical community, and to see the joy that we can still find in the HP fandom while committing to creating open and inclusive spaces. We look forward to seeing everyone again next year!

The weapon we have is love…and cookies! In February, PDXpelliarmus baked up some sweet and magical treats worthy of the Hogwarts Express trolley. Chocolate Frogs! Butterbeer cookies! Cauldron cakes! These goodies and many more were on sale at Books With Pictures on Saturday, February 15th and at The Nerd Out on Sunday, February 16th, with all proceeds going to benefit TransActive Gender Project.

In the evening of the 15th, we continued the magic with more tasty morsels to go with a very special reading of “Puffs” at Books With Pictures! Because we all know that time spent with a certain group of loyal and hardworking badgers just isn’t the same without a sweet treat!

All proceeds from the bake sale were donated to TransActive Gender Project, which provides services and support to transgender and gender-expansive youth and their families. Across two days, we were able to raise more than $600 for their organization!