Many of you are probably wondering who Glorida Rhoden is. The funny thing is, I was wondering the same thing until today. Gloria has performed as a singer, first specializing in Reggae and later in Gospel. You won't see her on the Pepsi Grandstand or the Bud Stage. In fact, she isn't performing at all. So where is Gloria at during the State Fair?

I was making my way through the carnival last night and stood to stare at the Ferris Wheel, I noticed an attraction behind the Ferris Wheel. I made my way over and some guy asked me if I wanted to see the world's smallest woman for a dollar. I immediately thought it was fake, or that something was off about the entire thing. The attraction is set up so you can see fairgoers facial expression after seeing Gloria. After seeing some of the facial expression from people who went in to the attraction, I decided to check it out.

I walked into the the entrance, turned the corner, and low and behold, Gloria Rhoden greeted me with a smile. I was shocked: Gloria is only 29" tall and is billed as the world's shortest woman. I think I was holding up the line, because right away, Gloria started to talk to me. As we were talking, I wasn't really drawn to the attraction, but I was drawn to her story.

Gloria was born in Jamaica 65 years ago. She was raised by her mother and aunt, and as she grew up she realized she wasn't growing like her siblings and cousins. She has been on the fair circuit for quite some time and she enjoys interacting with people.

For Gloria, the fair circuit life is rough, it's long hours and little pay. Gloria doesn't mind it though because it's far from the life she had growing up and she enjoys meeting new people. It proves the old saying "don't judge a book by it's cover," I'm happy I was one of the many people who got to meet Gloria.

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