Toledo Mud Hens to celebrate 20th anniversary of Harry Potter

It’s Harry Potter Night, not Colonel Potter Night, at the Toledo Mud Hens game on July 14.

On July 14, Toledo Mud Hens players will be wearing special lightning-bolt, “Harry Potter”-themed jerseys in their game against the Columbus Clippers. The Mud Hens are the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They normally play their games at Fifth Third Field, but for this Harry Potter game, Fifth Third Field will become Diagon Alley.

Before the game, there will be a Quidditch camp featuring the Mud Hens and the University of Toledo Quidditch Team, which is actually a thing. They have a Facebook page and are part of a real league, called the United States Quidditch (USQ).

The top team in the USQA is Quidditch Club Boston, with a 25-1 record. Texas Cavalry and Rochester United are second and third in the standings. Way down at the bottom of the list is Team-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. They must be the Philadelphia Phillies of Quidditch. The University of Toledo Quidditch team that will be at the Mud Hens game ranks 114^th out of 146 teams. They need to step up their Quidditch game.

There will also be a pregame Wizard Party before the Mud Hens game on the 14^th. The festivities include a costume contest, Harry Potter trivia, a magic show and a magical buffet. Muggles are not invited. During the game, players will be wearing Harry Potter-inspired uniforms, with numbers resembling lightning bolts. The jerseys will be auctioned and proceeds will go to local charities, including Helping Hens, a team-based group focused on education and recreational development for the young people of Toledo.

The excitement continues after the game with a post-game fireworks show and a Girl Scouts sleepover. The Girl Scouts will have a pregame parade on the field and an exclusive run around the bases after the game. Then they’ll get out their sleeping bags and set up tents for the sleepover. It all sounds like a fun-filled day at the ballpark.

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I have to admit, though, I was excited for all the wrong reasons when I found out the Toledo Mud Hens were having a Harry Potter night. This will show my age, but I saw “Toledo Mud Hens” and “Harry Potter” and thought of Colonel Potter from the old TV show M*A*S*H. It made perfect sense to me.

One of the characters on the show, Corporal Max Klinger (played by actor Jamie Farr), often wore Mud Hens jerseys and caps and talked about the team on the show. It was part of his backstory. He made the Toledo Mud Hens famous to a nationwide television audience. Five years ago, the Mud Hens handed out a Corporal Klinger bobblehead.

In my confused mind, I thought I remembered Colonel Potter’s first name being Harry, so the Toledo Mud Hens/Harry Potter connection made sense. Colonel Potter’s name was actually Sherman T. Potter, not Harry, but the character was played by actor Harry Morgan, so my brain cells connected the two and came up with Colonel Harry Potter.

Then there’s the fact that I can’t believe the first Harry Potter book came out 20 years ago. How is that possible? The official 20^th anniversary date is June 26, which was the day Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was first published. The book has sold over 450 million copies worldwide and has been printed in 79 languages.

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Eight movies followed as actors Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson have aged from pre-teens to adults in their late 20s. Little Hermione Granger is now 27 years old and a women’s rights advocate. Where did the years go? As Ferris Bueller, the Harry Potter of Glenbrook North High School, once said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”