shelby county fair, ohio (2011

Posted on the site Anthony Herald Photography:

At the Freak Show

by ANTHONY HERELD on JULY 26, 2011


It’s late summer here in Ohio, and that means county fair season.


I was excited to see that the Shelby County Fair brought in a circus sideshow act, because they are rapidly disappearing.  I had a short conversation with one of the performers:

People just aren’t interested in paying to see heavily tattooed men or grossly obese women anymore.  You can see that at Wal Mart.

And you know what, he’s right.  It was really cool to hear the carnival barkers enticing people to “see what was inside” their tent with promises of shock and awe.  The performer pictured above swallowed several razor blades and some string, then pulled them out of his mouth all neatly tied together.

Other performances included swallowing fire, walking on crushed glass, and laying on a bed of nails.  The tent of wonders also featured many curious exhibits on display in cases.

More importantly, I’m glad that my daughter got to watch the show.  It’s probably the last one she’ll ever get to see.