I was born in the city of San Dimas, California, and have lived in this area my whole life. The small street where I lived as a child helped teach me the value of community. I grew up on Claraday Street in Glendora in a small neighborhood with many children and new families. It was a great place to live as a child. It was made up of rather small houses that were the same shape but different colors. The East end of the street was overshadowed by a huge dome of a water tank that we called "The Space Ship". It really was a wonderful neighborhood. After school the kids would meet outside to ride bikes, roller-skate, or ride scooters in the street. We would sometimes have races and even make wooden ramps and jump our bikes from one to the other (yes, I did that too). On the 4th of July we would organize a parade and ride our decorated bikes around the block. During the summer my family and I would harvest vegetables grown in our backyard and my friend from across the street and I would sell them on the sidewalk. Once a man paid $5 for a beet. On Halloween the whole neighborhood would come out. The smallest kids were always afraid of our house because of the tremendous effort I made with our artificial spider webs. At Christmas time we would have caroling parties. We would go around the block and sing for those who would open their doors then return to our house for hot chocolate. During the rest of the year the "grown ups" would also do things together. My dad played baseball at a near by park and my mom played bunko once a month. Sometimes they would come to play that mysterious game at our house and we were promptly sent to bed. It was always big news to us kids if one of us was allowed to play. A couple of times Claraday Street had block parties and as a child these were some of the greatest parties ever. Practically everyone we knew was there. We would play games, drink punch, and visit. This neighborhood contained a sense of community that doesn’t exist on every street. The positive atmosphere and the friendship found there is something I will always remember and strive to live out.