Dad Recreates Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley For Daughters

Dad goes full wizard with replication of beloved Potter landmark

A Seattle-area dad has two daughters who are obsessed with Harry Potter. So he did what any dad would do if he had major DIY skills, thousands of dollars, and a lot of free time: he built a replica of Diagon Alley from scratch in his driveway.

And I thought my Snape Halloween costume was good!

It took quitting his job, spending a small fortune, and working for weeks, but Jon Chambers’ driveway Diagon Alley was ready for trick or treaters on Halloween. And boy did they love it, with over 2500 people passing through the alley that night alone.

GeekWire interviewed the hero dad who doesn’t even need magic to make the rest of us muggles look terrible.

As Jon says in the video, he did it for selfish reasons. He was a Harry Potter fan before his daughters were born and he’d been looking for a reason to quit his job! Wow. That dude has some big brass snitches.

Painting is happening. #diagonalleyproject #halloween

A post shared by Jonathan Chambers (@dummaloop) on Oct 24, 2017 at 3:19pm PDT

He also has a lot of experience doing stuff like this, having worked as creative director at mobile app company Ubermind and, until he bailed to make his daughters’ dreams come true, was director of design and a developer at OpenCar, the Kirkland, Wash.-based traffic analytics company.

#diagonalleyproject looks great in the moonlight.

A post shared by Jonathan Chambers (@dummaloop) on Nov 2, 2017 at 12:53am PDT

The project was something of a group effort, with some 30 friends and family banding together to help Jon complete the Alley after he posted an update on Facebook about gathering supplies for it. He also does his own 3D printing at home because the closest thing we muggles have to magic is technology.

Light dusting of snow in London today. #diagonalleyproject

A post shared by Jonathan Chambers (@dummaloop) on Nov 3, 2017 at 12:42pm PDT

The project has attracted enough people – he posted a screenshot of two-day visitor tally on November 1, during which he raised $2500 dollars for charity – that Jon created a website with hours and information for anyone who wants to visit.

Diagon Alley isn’t going anywhere, as Chambers arranges for some Christmas-themed events – complete with a Dumbledore Santa – to help raise money for Pancreatic Cancer Research. Besides, I doubt his daughters will let him take it down anytime soon.

It’s this amazing firecrackers birthday party today in #diagonalleyproject.

A post shared by Jonathan Chambers (@dummaloop) on Nov 4, 2017 at 11:02am PDT

Not that Jon is interested in getting rid of it, or done making magic. He’s already considering another fun project. “I’ve thought it would be cool to do a Millennium Falcon. On the roof.”

Who needs the force when your dad is a creative Jedi?

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Which do you relate to most?

Check out more from this series on The Messycow’s Facebook page and website.

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Father Figures: Risky Business

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“As the garage door closed behind me, I heard a muffled whimper.

“What is that?” I wondered. Another whimper and I noticed eight fingers on the lid of one of the garbage cans in the corner. I spy a set of eyes, then a nose and finally my oldest son’s face.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean it.”

“What happened? Where is your brother?” No answers, just sobbing.

He moped toward the door and I followed him into the kitchen. I half-expected to see CSI investigators hovering over a chalk outline.

We walked around the corner by the refrigerator, and only then did I see his brother and allow myself to take my first breath. Then I saw a hole in the drywall the size of a young boy’s torso.

They had been running & sliding, in their stocking feet, across the marbled kitchen floor. Obviously a bit too exuberantly! I was relieved that they were both okay, but I still mustered enough anger to quash any future escapades.

Each blamed the other, of course. I used to say I couldn’t always tell when my kids were lying, but I could always tell when they were telling the truth.

If that makes any sense to you, I’m guessing you’ve raised at least two boys.”

Ron Fuller

Want to share a story about fatherhood? Email fatherfigures@thedad.com

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Son Surprises Ailing Dad With Tickets To College World Series

By Mike Julianelle

Father’s Day is a special time to celebrate your old man, and show him how much you appreciate the role he’s played in your life all these years. Especially since, as we get older, our dads do too, and they may not have many Father’s Days left.

Matt Lea recognized that this Father’s Day, and so went out of his way to make it a memorable one, for both him and his father, both former college baseball players who bonded over the game as Matt was growing up.

Matt’s father Billy suffers from Alzheimer’s Disease, and the symptoms have been accruing rapidly. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t time for more memories, and Matt used the latest Father’s Day as an opportunity to do just that. The 36-year-old drove 12 hours, from Florida to Mississippi, and surprised his parents at their doorstep on Sunday.

He was bearing gifts as well, bringing his dad the jersey of his favorite baseball team, Mississippi State. But that wasn’t all. Matt brought tickets too, to see the College World Series in Omaha in person.

In video of the exchange that Matt posted on Twitter, his dad was clearly taken by surprise.

Surprised my dad today to tell him I’m taking him to Omaha to watch @HailStateBB play. His Alzheimer’s is setting in fast but I know he’s going to have a blast this weekend. Hail State!!! pic.twitter.com/NTtAxcxxIj

— Matt Lea (@tigr2ndbase) June 14, 2018

“I figured it’s probably not good enough just for us to watch the game here,” Matt says in the video as he produces the tickets. “How about we go to Omaha? Do you want to go up to Omaha and watch the College World Series together?”

“Golly,” an emotional Billy responds. “You’re gonna break my heart, here.”

Matt’s gift for his dad received a rapturous response from Twitter, where it’s been liked 46,000 times and retweeted 11,000 times.

Thanks everyone. I live 12 hours away in Florida now so it took him completely by surprise when I showed up. We can’t wait to get up there. Hate we’ll only be there for opening weekend but it’s going to be a great final trip for us.

— Matt Lea (@tigr2ndbase) June 14, 2018

Matt seemed as surprised by the response as his dad was by the gift, as everyone who celebrated Father’s Day yesterday knows, there’s nothing better than sharing meaningful memories with your dad, which is exactly what Matt did. An article on Omaha.com details Billy’s baseball past, the initial diagnosis of his Alzheimer’s, the VIP experience Matt treated him too over the weekend.

Matt’s Twitter account showcased the rest.

Thanks to everyone that made today something we’ll treasure forever. We have a couple things to do tomorrow before have to head home. @HailStateBB keep grinding and believe. You’re a team of destiny. pic.twitter.com/GamW2sEJ9i

— Matt Lea (@tigr2ndbase) June 17, 2018

Thank you @HailStateBB for everything. You’ve given us an incredible time together. Thank you to all that have offered room/tickets for the rest of the games. Dad needs to get home back into his routine and familiar surroundings. Now go get a championship!!!!! pic.twitter.com/5Y0NNORIoo

— Matt Lea (@tigr2ndbase) June 17, 2018

Happy Father’s Day!

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Check out some of the amazing ways he’s transforming parts of New York City into works of art.

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Father Figures: Heroes

By Mike Julianelle

“On February 2, 2011, my daughter was born. The whole thing started pretty normally about 2:30 am or so, my wife woke me up and said, ‘Honey, it is time to go,’ so we went to the hospital in a snowstorm.

That was the easy part.

When they put the belly monitor on her they noticed that the babies heart rate would drop to low whenever my wife would have a contraction. She needed emergency C-section, but the doctor could not make it due to the storm, and when he finally arrived it was rush rush rush!

Well when my daughter Emily did arrive, she had internal bleeding throughout her body, which included two grade 4 brain bleeds. We could not touch her because she would bruise and start bleeding.

They had to life-flight her to the university, where she spent 5 1/2 weeks in the NICU, which left her (you may want to sit down) deaf/blind, with hydrocephalus, a shunt, cerebral palsy, and seizures (at age 6, she needed a baclofen pump because her CP got too bad to handle without it). She is doing great today. She is happy, loves life, and everyone who meets her says that she makes their day and she is beautiful.

To pay back our little community, I became a first responder, mostly a firefighter, but I did help with EMS. Never got my certification, but that is where I found out that in the U.S. we do not have any training for first responders to deal with children with special needs.

I have made it my personal mission to teach first responders about kids with special needs.

I have taken to Emily to every EMS/Fire station in the five counties around me. I have taken her to the police and sheriff’s departments to train them, and now I have a waiting list to get trained.

I don’t know if I am the hero here, but I needed to tell the story.”

– Mike Kuyper

Want to share a story about fatherhood? Email fatherfigures@thedad.com

Low Cost Cosplay Guy Makes The World A Better Place

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Anucha “Cha” Saengchart, the genius behind “Low Cost Cosplay,” has amassed millions of followers with his incredible reimaginings of famous fictional characters.

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