There is a dedicate Florida that built a twelve-foot-superior monument in the center of city to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would any person could like to do that?
Effectively, very first off, heroes are tough to investigation in just this devote Florida - the Panhandle city of Wausau, home of fewer than five hundred people during Washington County about ten miles south of Chipley.
Why not the possum, an unlikely hero to mention the least? No person else puts the possum on a pedestal. Why don't you Wausau?
Next, in 1982, Wausau received Ill and Fed up with being disregarded in the Florida lists of enjoyment, fairs and festivals. Every single put set up Florida would like a festival. Instead of one particular put in place Florida contains a Possum Competition. Why not Wausau?
If you have not attended Washington County, you most likely will Feel I am Consequently, generating this up. When you've got attended Washington County, you may comprehend - and know This is actually the legitimate Tale.
Wausau, it ended up, had some rather powerful possum politicians during the early '80s. Here's several points they accomplished:
They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the incredibly first Saturday in August as Possum Day in Florida. That led into the building of your monument along Condition Freeway seventy seven in Wausau.
They even got America Congress to advertise the possum. Congress joined the pleasurable by the funds for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau might have a spot to hold its once-a-year Entertaining Day and Possum Festival. Featuring a queen contest and possum auction, amongst other points, the Pageant draws in Countless people today Each and every and each year, and they also like it.
Time out for a lot of educating of Northerners below. The South's possum is analogous lowly animal you call opossum, (Why use seven letters when 6 will do?) It is a smallish marsupial that life in trees and reveals its unsightly physique only at nighttime. That is why, If you're inside of proper commit Florida, you could hear possum hunters' canine baying and barking. Treed by canines, the possum 'freezes', so It will likely be straightforward more than enough capture (or shoot) one.
An inscription with the monument in the center of Wausau cites the possum's part in delivering 'both equally fur and food stuff' in the course of the total centuries. It goes on say: 'Their existence here has offered a resource of nutritious and flavorful food stuff in typical occasions and it has been an essential assist to human survival through occasions of distress and important require.'
Chuckle when you'd desire. The men and women of Wausau will giggle here along - though downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.