Sibling Assignment #164: Back in the Hood

I gave the sibling assignment this week. "Since I will be moving back to the old neighborhood soon here is the assignment: "Share a memory of  hanging out with people from the 'hood during childhood . "

As of July 1st. I will return to living in the neighborhood I grew up in since I was in second grade. There are three big blocks of houses that were always called  "the Bunker houses". They were build in the late 50s and there are are six floor plans for the neighborhood. It is interesting to now drive around and see how the original houses have changed in color and style in sixty years. The house I am moving into is next door to my childhood home which my mother still resides.. 514 W. Cameron has had four owners in that sixty years, I am to become the fifth. 

There are so many memories surrounding the neighborhood growing up. One thing that comes to mind today is Halloween. It was an event shared with glee with all the kids in the neighborhood. Whether it was the Morgans, Absecs, Faracas, Kenyons, Longs, Saaris, Cralls, Higbees, Whites, Reeds, Rinaldis, Chapmans, Cummings, or the Dorendorfs, all would agree that trick or treating in our neighborhood was like the Mother Lode. Each year we could recite who would give us big Hershey's bars, homemade popcorn balls, giant Butterfingers, Snickers, Big Hunks, or Milky Way bars. It was safe. No razor blades in the candy in our neighborhood. The sidewalks were packed with children dressed up and parents following along with the little ones  just in case. It was fun, it was tradition, it was a bit magical in those days. 

By the time we would get home, our bags were very full.  No tricks at the houses in our neighborhood. We also wondered if grumpy J. Hanson would drop us an apple or something nutritious, but even his wife pulled through. 

What I loved about this memory was the community feeling surrounding our neighborhood. At that time we never thought anything of it. That was how Halloween was. Now... I am eager to see in October if I can continue the tradition. Mom still has her huge bowl of candy bars and doesn't give out as much, but the tradition is alive and well. Perhaps I should learn how to make Halloween popcorn balls.

This was the only image above that could have been Halloween. Sister Carol is front and center. The other two siblings are on the sides. I can't explain our costumes. That was the other nice part about Halloween back in the day. We didn't buy costumes. We were creative about what we wore. That was part of the fun.