WAYNESBORO – Magic was in the air Friday night, Aug. 1, as the Wizarding Festival swept through the streets of Waynesboro. Trigger’s Table & Taproom at 118 Walnut St. was one spot where locals could escape into a realm of fantasy and fun as they featured their second annual “Yule Ball in the Hall” event.
The popular eating establishment was founded by owners, Bobby and Sharah Trigger, a little over a year ago and has become a big attraction for local music and entertainment, as well as their unique assortment of Pennsylvania brews. However, on this first night in August, it wasn’t just about sampling local spirits, but enveloping guests into a magical world inspired by the books and films of “Harry Potter.”
The entertainment hall, located behind the main dining section of Trigger’s, was decorated with memorabilia from the popular film franchise and the wonderful staff members were dressed in costume to add the final touches to a very special night. Bobby and Sharah both expressed how proud they were that their event was a part of such an important weekend to the Waynesboro community.
“We are both very excited to be able to bring the kind of entertainment and unique dining experience we do to the area,” Bobby Trigger said.
On the menu that night was a variety of magically themed specialty drinks which included, Butter Beer, Fire Whiskey, Unicorn Blood, Amortentia, Sorcerer’s Stone, Felix Felicis and the one that I sampled that night, Polyjuice Potion, which combined a unique blend of Blueberry juice, vodka, schnapps and white chocolate for a final touch.
If you were in search of a good meal the culinary specialties for the evening were French onion soup and shepherd’s pie egg rolls for appetizers, fish and chips for the main course, and to wrap up the night with some sweets, sticky toffee cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The fish and chips consisted of two succulent filets of cod, lightly battered and fried and came with Trigger’s homemade tarter sauce, which I confess also went well with the fresh cut fries. Rounding out the main course was a dish of fresh coleslaw. The entire meal gave one the feeling of sitting in the local pub in London; the only thing missing was the newspaper wrapping.
The drink and meal were delicious, but when the dessert came to the table, the real magic began. The culinary choices were the perfect partners to the entertainment to give visitors an “olde world” feel.
But it was the Yule Ball itself that brought in the crowd. The Yule Ball made popular by the Harry Potter films was a gala event for wizarding schools to celebrate the winter solstice. While it may still be the dog days of summer, that didn’t stop locals from dressing up in the costumes of their favorite fantasy characters. Locals like Carlee Harbaugh and Tasha Shuhart took home the title of “the most creative” in the night’s costume contest, which was a big hit with the crowd.
There was a raffle to win great prizes such as T-Shirts, specialty brews and Harry Potter movie memorabilia. The ball was rockin’ with the jams from Waynesboro’s own, D.J. Drey Entertainment which brought the wild wizards from the beer pong table to the dance floor.
