Update: This item was tabled until the next meeting.
“I hope it happens!” “This is awesome!” “Why should big cities be where all the cool stuff is?”
Those are all posts from a Facebook page created to drum up support for naming a Fayetteville alleyway after a fictional street made popular in the Harry Potter books and films.
In an effort to help emergency responders locate houses that are accessed from the popular alley that extends between Dickson Street (by Farrell’s Lounge and Wasabi) and Center Street, city staff is proposing an official title for the unnamed right-of-way.
Staff is suggesting the name “Midtown Alley,” but some folks have a different idea.
From the initial Facebook post:
An alley in downtown Fayetteville is going to be renamed. The proposal is to call it “Midtown Alley”, but Fayetteville is deserving of something more fun… a LOT more fun! Let’s name it after the most famous fictional alley: Diagon Alley from Harry Potter!
Click for larger map
According to a Harry Potter Wiki entry, Diagon Alley is “a cobbled wizarding alley and shopping area located in London, England behind a pub called the Leaky Cauldron. Inside the alley is an assortment of restaurants, shops, and other sights. It is very large in area and essentially the centre of wizarding London.”
While the alleyway in question isn’t exactly the center of entertainment in the Dickson Street area, it is a popular cut-through and includes a few restaurants and bars. Plus, as mentioned on the Facebook page, “it’s close to three places books are loved: Nightbird Books, the Dickson St. Book Shop, and the Public Library.”
The naming of the alley is set to be voted on during Tuesday (Dec. 6) night’s City Council meeting. However, the item is currently on the consent agenda, meaning it’ll first need to be pulled from consent by an alderman before a discussion can begin.
With Ward 2 Alderman Matthew Petty being one of a handful of people to share the Facebook page on his personal wall, it looks as though that won’t be a problem.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Petty told us. “I thought your readers might be interested in it.”
The City Council meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6 inside City Hall located at 113 W. Mountain St. in downtown Fayetteville.
