Ford Anglia: Harry Potter Car Stolen

THE turquoise 1962 Ford Anglia, which bares the registration 7990 TD and is not in drivable condition, vanished from South West Film Studios in St. Agnes on Wednesday night.

A local police office says, "The thieves may not have known its connection with the films and just thought it was a classic car, or it may have been a Harry Potter freak."

Devon and Cornwall Police spokesman P.C. Baxter Provan adds, "For those who have not seen the Harry Potter films, this is the car that flies in the movie and is very well known.

"It is believed that the vehicle could not have been driven, therefore it is suspected that it would have to have been towed or lifted from the scene."

In J.K. Rowling's book and the subsequent films, the car is driven by Potter's best pal Ron Weasley after his father Arthur Weasley transformed a normal vehicle into the magical motor.

Contests Held

Meanwhile, Harry Potter took center stage Friday night at the Hastings store in Benton. Events related to the release of the latest Harry Potter novel began around 9 p.m., concluding with a costume contest at 11:30 p.m.

By the time the contest had taken place, the store was filled with people lined up to purchase the book, which went on sale at midnight.

Events included a Harry Potter trivia bowl, a video tournament, face-painting and fortune-telling. Several entrants in the costume contest closely resembled protagonist Harry, while others portrayed additional characters from the popular books by J.K. Rowling, the British author whose literary success has taken her from welfare to millionaire status.

Joseph Petonyak of Bryant won the costume competition, with Cindy Freeman, also of Bryant, coming in second. Joseph was dressed as hero Harry, while Freeman portrayed Professor Trelawney, a character in one of the earlier Potter books.

The contest drew entrants from a wide age spectrum. The winner's prize was a free copy of the latest Rowling novel, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," while the second-place entrant won a giant cookie featuring a Harry Potter character in the decorations.

More than 10 million copies, reportedly a record number, have been printed for the first sales of Rowling's latest Potter novel. Parties similar to the one at Hastings reportedly took place in several book stores in Pulaski County and throughout the world. A large Harry Potter display had been set up at Hastings for several days in anticipation of the arrival of the new book.●