Sideshow squirrels

Scanning the grid on TV this morning, I quickly scampered to the History Channel to catch an hour discussing sideshow freaks and geeks, P.T. Barnum and the like.
Nothing nabs the Squirrel Queen’s attention like a good freak show. Plenty of black and white footage depicting the glory days of the denizens of the sideshow. The barkers would have gotten all my dimes if I was wandering the Mid Way back in the day.
Un PC, yeah, but I can’t help rubbernecking at the rubber-faced man and his ilk.
It sent me searching around on the Internet to check out a little more. After Barnum’s “American Museum”, everybody knows Coney Island is the home of the barker and his wares.
Check out the site.
If you have an interest in learning the trade and hitting the road or want to learn how to swallow a sword, walk on glass. Step right up. They’ve got classes you can sign up for to release your own inner freak.
If you’re more of a literal artiste, the same link will allow you to sign up for a class to learn to paint the banners that were huge billboards advertising the bearded ladies and alligator men on the Mid Way.
If you can’t shake the mood and need to feed your geek, there are tons of links on the Coney Island site to both current sideshow attractions and their locations and to the historic sites that appreciate the glory days of the tallest woman and the tiniest General, Tom Thumb, and his kin.
Well worth the surf.

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