There is a position in Florida that designed a twelve-foot-substantial monument in the middle of town to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would everyone desire to accomplish that?
Properly, to start, heroes choose time and effort to exploration with this put in position Florida - the Panhandle town of Wausau, dwelling of under 500 folks in the midst of Washington County about 10 miles south of Chipley.
Why don't you the possum, an not likely hero as you'd probably expect? No one else places the possum over a pedestal. Why don't you Wausau?
Next, again 1982, Wausau obtained Ill and Bored with getting disregarded While using the Florida lists of entertaining, fairs and festivals. Just about every spend Florida requires a Pageant. And never 1 location in Florida incorporates a Possum Festival. Why don't you Wausau?
If you haven't absent to Washington County, you almost certainly will Consider I am causeing this to become up. If you have visited Washington County, you can expect to realize - and know this can be a true Tale.
Wausau, it proved, experienced some really powerful possum politicians in early '80s. Here are two issues they completed:
They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the 1st Saturday in August as Possum Working day in Florida. That led to your making With all the monument together State Highway seventy seven in Wausau.
They even received America Congress to promote the possum. Congress joined the exciting by read more the resources for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau may need a location to keep its yearly Entertaining Working day and Possum Competition. Showcasing a queen contest and possum auction, between other items, the festival attracts A lot of people each and every year, and they also like it.
Day trip for any couple of educating of Northerners listed here. The South's possum is identical lowly animal you get in touch with opossum, (Why use seven letters when six can perform?) It's a smallish marsupial that life in trees and shows its hideous system only during the night. This is exactly why, any time you find yourself while in the ideal dedicate Florida, you could hear possum hunters' dogs baying and barking. Treed by pet dogs, the possum 'freezes', so it really is easy to catch (or shoot) a single.
An inscription on the monument in the middle of Wausau cites the possum's job in supplying 'equally fur and meals' through the whole hundreds of years. It goes to say: 'Their existence below has furnished a resource of nutritious and flavorful meals in regular occasions and consists of been a big support to human survival all through moments of distress and critical need to have.'
Laugh when you'd favor. The people today of Wausau will chuckle along with you - whilst downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.