There's a place in position Florida that designed a twelve-foot-substantial monument through town to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would everyone really need to do that?
Nicely, to get started with, heroes get time and effort to study using this invest Florida - the Panhandle town of Wausau, property of less than 500 people in the middle of Washington County about ten miles south of Chipley.
Why not the possum, an unlikely hero as you'll anticipate? No one else places the possum to the pedestal. Why don't you Wausau?
Next, again in 1982, Wausau obtained Unwell and exhausted with staying left out Using the Florida lists of pleasurable, fairs and festivals. Every devote Florida wishes a Pageant. And never 1 make investments Florida features a Possum Festival. Why not Wausau?
If you've got under no circumstances attended Washington County, you almost certainly will Consider I am developing this up. If you have been to Washington County, you'll fully grasp - and know It's a true Tale.
Wausau, it turned out, experienced some pretty potent possum politicians in the early '80s. Listed here are two or three things they accomplished:
They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the 1st Saturday in August as Possum Working day in Florida. That led to your making with the monument together State Freeway 77 in Wausau.
They even acquired The us Congress in selling the possum. Congress joined the fun by offering the resources for get more info Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau could have a location to hold its yearly Fun Working day and Possum Competition. Featuring a queen contest and possum auction, among the other points, the Competition attracts plenty of individuals Every and yearly, and they like it.
Day trip for the couple of educating of Northerners right here. The South's possum is definitely the identical lowly animal you simply call opossum, (Why use 7 letters when six will do?) It's a smallish marsupial that lives in trees and displays its unappealing physique only in the evening. This is why, any time you end up inside of ideal place set up Florida, you may hear possum hunters' pet dogs baying and barking. Treed by canine, the possum 'freezes', so it's basic sufficient to trap (or shoot) a person.
An inscription throughout the monument in the middle of Wausau cites the possum's purpose in offering 'both of those fur and foodstuff' throughout the total centuries. It goes on to say: 'Their presence below has delivered a useful resource of nutritious and flavorful foodstuff in typical times and it's got been A vital support to human survival in instances of distress and demanding have to have.'
Laugh if you like. The persons of Wausau will snicker together - while downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.