Do freak shows belong at the Fair?

We're getting lots of feedback from folks on this year's North Idaho Fair & Rodeo. Most of it is great - despite the wilting heat.

Two things we have heard grumblings about:

* This year, the rides and the games are more interspersed than in previous years. Allows barkers to lure prospective gamers more easily.

* Also this year, there are two "freak shows," one featuring a woman's head on a platter with a fake snake (we've been told it's an illusion), and the other is the "world's smallest woman" - 29 inches tall. Next to her, we've been told, is a jar for donations.

Do either of these bother you or is it all just part of the show?

- Mike Patrick