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One of the more unusual attractions for visitors is a trip to the scenic town of Gibsonton, a seaside town that is only a short drive from Tampa - the visitor's travels, not to see the town itself, but to see the many colorful characters who walk its streets. This is a small town of less than 10, 000 people which happens to contains the country's largest number of 'carnies.' These are people who work or have worked in various circuses and traveling sideshows. If you think of that most peculiar of U.S. entertainments - the old traveling sideshows, then you will probably think of bearded ladies, clowns and dancing chickens (Colonel Parker, manager of Elvis was a ex carnie who was supposedly famous for his dancing chickens - they performed when a hidden hotplate was switched on). Gibsonton was the town they gravitated to when off the road on a break or after retirement. This is the town that once had an 8-foot police chief and a dwarf as a fire chief. One frequent guest on the Jerry Springer show was a Gibsonton resident - Lobster boy. This was a man with a genetic condition that made his fingers and toes fuse to resemble two digit claws. |