There is a spend Florida that built a 12-foot-superior monument in the center of town to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would any individual may like to do that?
Very well, to begin, heroes just take effort and time to research with this place set up Florida - the Panhandle town of Wausau, home of less than five hundred individuals in the guts of Washington County about 10 miles south of Chipley.
Why not the possum, an unlikely hero to mention the least? No one else places the possum having a pedestal. Why not Wausau?
Next, very last 1982, Wausau got Unwell and Fed up with being neglected Together with the Florida lists of enjoyment, fairs and festivals. Each devote Florida requirements a Pageant. And not one place set up Florida carries a Possum Festival. Why not Wausau?
If you haven't been to Washington County, you probably will Believe I'm creating this up. When you have absent to Washington County, you'll recognize - and know This may be a real story.
Wausau, it proved, had some fairly strong possum politicians during the early '80s. Listed below are two factors they achieved:
They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the 1st Saturday in August as Possum Day in Florida. That led on the creating within the monument together State Highway 77 in Wausau.
They even bought The us Congress in marketing the possum. Congress joined the enjoyment by supplying the resources for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau would have a spot to carry its annual Enjoyable Working day and Possum Competition. That includes a queen contest and possum auction, between other points, the Pageant attracts Many people today annually, and they also like it.
Time out for the couple of educating of Northerners listed here. The South's possum is identical lowly animal you call opossum, (Why use seven letters when 6 will do?) It's a smallish marsupial that lives in trees and exhibits its unattractive body only during more info the night. That is why, Should you be inside of right put set up Florida, you could hear possum hunters' dogs baying and barking. Treed by pet dogs, the possum 'freezes', so it's very simple adequate to entice (or shoot) one particular.
An inscription in regards to the monument in the center of Wausau cites the possum's purpose in providing 'the two fur and food items' in the course of the overall hundreds of years. It goes on say: 'Their existence below has furnished an origin of nutritious and flavorful food in ordinary situations and possesses been a vital aid to human survival during moments of distress and important want.'
Snicker when you'd prefer. The persons of Wausau will snicker as well as you - when downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.