There's a set in place Florida that developed a 12-foot-superior monument in the course of town to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would any one may possibly love to do that?
Nicely, to get started with, heroes are difficult to obtain within just this dedicate Florida - the Panhandle money of scotland - Wausau, residence of fewer than 500 persons in the guts of Washington County about 10 miles south of Chipley.
Why don't you the possum, an unlikely hero To place it mildly? No person else puts the possum with a pedestal. Why not Wausau?
Next, last 1982, Wausau obtained Weary of remaining disregarded from the Florida lists of exciting, fairs and festivals. Every area in Florida desires a festival. Rather than one make investments Florida features a Possum Festival. Why not Wausau?
If you have by no means attended Washington County, you almost certainly will Believe I am Consequently, producing this up. Should you have gone to Washington County, you can expect to recognize - and know This may be a correct story.
Wausau, it proved, experienced some really powerful possum politicians in the early '80s. Here are a set of items they achieved:
They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the primary Saturday in August as Possum Day in Florida. That led to the constructing While using the monument along Condition Highway seventy seven in Wausau.
They even obtained The usa Congress to current market the possum. Congress joined the fun by providing the cash for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau could have a place to hold its annual Enjoyment Day and Possum Competition. That includes a queen contest and possum auction, among the other items, the Pageant attracts heaps of individuals Each individual and annually, plus they adore it.
Outing for plenty of educating of Northerners listed here. The South's possum may be the equivalent lowly animal you contact opossum, (Why use seven letters when 6 will complete?) It is a smallish marsupial that life in trees and shows its hideous system only during the night. This is exactly why, when you're within the correct make investments Florida, you can listen to possum hunters' puppies baying and barking. Treed by puppies, the possum 'freezes', so It will probably be very simple more than enough to entice (or shoot) one.
An inscription to the monument in the middle of Wausau cites the possum's position in offering 'both fur and food stuff' from the full hundreds of years. It goes to say: 'Their presence listed here has provided a source of nutritious and flavorful food in typical situations and possesses here been an important support to human survival in moments of distress and significant have to have.'
Snicker if you want. The folks of Wausau will snicker along with you - when downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.