Rubeus Hagrid and his pet may well be among the Potter-in-the-Virtual-Park racers. Potter-themed costumes are required to participate.
Literacy Volunteers of the New River Valley is issuing the call for all wizards of the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin houses to fly in for Potter in the Virtual Park, the third annual Triwizard Tri-Mile Race to benefit the organization’s adult and family literacy programs.
This year’s event will be as invisible as the “Invisible Book of Invisibility” as it will be a virtual experience in the name of social distancing.
Muggles, wizards and all sorts of beasts have until Aug. 29 (Hogwarts’ move-in day) to run or walk three miles through the wizarding world wearing mandatory wizarding gear.
The virtual race will offer a choice of two journeys: 1) The Invisibility Cloak Quest. Racers may follow their own paths through the wizarding world, covering the three miles in their own way, at their pace, with their spacing wherever and whenever they choose. They are urged, however, to beware of invisible dementors and beasts. 2) The Marauder’s Map Challenge. Racers will venture into the Forbidden Forest of Bisset Park in Radford and use a map and clues to complete the three-mile course and find the seven Horcruxes to defeat He Who Must Not Be Named. Racers must solve Tom Riddle’s riddles to decode the secret message.
The Potter-in-the-Virtua- Park event will feature costume contests for adults, youth and pets, age group awards, floo network prizes,a quilt raffle, a house competition and lots of magical swag and fun for all.
Enroll and find more information at http://www.lvnrv.org/potterinthepark, call (540) 382-7262 or send an “owl” to info@lvnrv.org. Follow www.facebook.com/LVNRV/ for race updates.
Registration will remain open until noon on Aug. 29. Racers who complete a journey will submit their three-mile times and photos on an online form.
“We solemnly swear we are up to so much good,” said the program’s executive director Linda Jilk. “Your support for Potter in the Virtual Park will help us win the battle against illiteracy. Accio literacy!”
Literacy Volunteers of the NRV is a United Way partner agency that provides adults with free instruction in reading, writing, basic math, English for Speakers of Other Languages, basic computer skills and preparation for exams such as the GED. The organization also offers family literacy programs to help adults learn to read with their children and help them succeed in school.
According to the agency, some 13,000 adults in the New River Valley do not have a high school diploma/equivalency, 6,000 have less than a ninth grade education and 23,000 adults struggle with basic reading.