Twins can be a Freak Show!

By Carol Dillon

I am a fraternal twin. My twin’s name is Karen and she is my best friend in the whole world. She’s actually more than a friend and my sister, but she is really an extension of myself. We sound alike, we act alike, and we think alike. Last year was the first year my twin and I attended the Twins Festival in Twinsburgh, Ohio. We thought we were being pretty clever for buying matching shirts for the Twins Parade. Yes, a parade of twins marching through the town. However, when we arrived at the registration area, we were literally surrounded by twins – twins who look exactly alike from head to toe. Even fraternal twins with the same haircut, the same glasses, the same socks, the same shoes, and even the same watch. Even as a twin, it was weird, weird, weird. Double your pleasure, double your fun, and double the freakiness. Despite the carnival side-show aspect of the Twins Festival, I have to admit it felt pretty cool to walk in a parade arm and arm with my twin and wave to people. We felt special just because we are twins. We are heading to the Twins Festival again this year and this year we are more prepared; now we have matching shirts and matching shorts. We still can’t go all the way with matching from head to toe.