There's a devote Florida that built a twelve-foot-high monument in the center of town to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would everyone might love to do that?
Perfectly, to get started with, heroes are challenging to obtain within this spend Florida - the Panhandle city of Wausau, property of less than five hundred persons in the center of Washington County about 10 miles south of Chipley.
Why don't you the possum, an not likely hero understandably? No one else places the possum on a pedestal. Why don't you Wausau?
Secondly, again in 1982, Wausau obtained fed up with being ignored in the Florida lists of pleasurable, fairs and festivals. Each and every commit Florida requires a Competition. Rather than one location in Florida includes a Possum Pageant. Why don't you Wausau?
If you have never ever been to Washington County, you most likely will Feel I am building this up. For those who have frequented Washington County, you are going to understand - and know It's a true Tale.
Wausau, it turned out, experienced some pretty strong possum politicians within the early '80s. Here i will discuss some things they achieved:
They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the Original Saturday in August as Possum Working day in Florida. That led to the building in the monument alongside Point out Highway 77 in Wausau.
They even bought The usa Congress to advertise the possum. Congress joined the exciting by offering the funds for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau could have a spot to guidance its yearly Exciting Day and Possum Festival. Featuring a queen contest and possum auction, among the other items, the festival appeals to Lots of individuals Each and every and every year, and in order that they like it.
Trip For lots of educating of Northerners here. The South's possum would be the equivalent lowly animal you phone opossum, (Why use 7 letters when six will probably do?) It is a smallish marsupial that life in trees and exhibits its ugly system only during the night time. This is exactly why, if you find yourself inside of ideal put in Florida, you could listen to possum hunters' canine baying and barking. Treed by canine, the possum 'freezes', so it's easy to capture (or shoot) 1.
An inscription within the monument in the middle of Wausau cites the possum's job in delivering 'each fur and food items' from the entire hundreds of years. It goes to say: 'Their presence right here has provided an origin of nutritious and flavorful foods in usual instances and possesses been a vital support to human survival in the course of occasions of distress and significant will need.'
Snicker if you like. The get more info persons of Wausau will snicker along - whilst downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.