Teri Darnell Photography

Carnival and Circus Connections

These images were taken in a sideshow wintering town, where various people in the carnival and circus businesses would spend the off season, placing it near the winter home for the Ringling Brothers Circus at Tampa, Sarasota, and Venice, Florida. It was home to Percilla the Monkey Girl, the Anatomical Wonder, and the Lobster Boy. Siamese twin sisters ran a fruit stand here. At one time, it was the only post office with a counter for dwarfs. Aside from the agreeable winter climate, This town offered unique circus zoning laws that allowed residents to keep elephants and circus trailers on their front lawns.