I’m planning on picking up my copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince at Barnes and Noble’s Midnight Magic event tonight. I figured it might be fun to check the thing out to see how crazy people get about Harry Potter.

Of course, I just stopped in to the store to pick up my numbered bracelet and was stunned at the preparations underway. The staff there informed me that they expect around a thousand people at least tonight and that during the last Potter book release, all the surrounding parking lots were full with people parking at the mall a half mile away and walking over to the store. That’s just nuts!

I’m still going to go, but I’m already concerned at what I’m going to see when I get there. I might take my camera and get some photographs for all of you.

Update: Mission accomplished. I did have to park down the road but I think they had fewer people than they expected. Something like 400 wristbands were handed out and since most people brought 2 or more people, they had something like 800 or so folks around. It was hot and loud but not very chaotic. Lot of high school children there. I’ve never been quite so aware of my age as I was surrounded by the parents and their kids… I’m likely more than twice as old as most of the kids there and perhaps 3 times as old as the kids this book is targetted at.