There's a spot in Florida that constructed a twelve-foot-superior monument in the center of town to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would anyone want to do that?
Nicely, to start, heroes are difficult to acquire In this particular spend Florida - the Panhandle town of Wausau, home of a lot less than five hundred persons in the middle of Washington County about ten miles south of Chipley.
Why not the possum, an unlikely hero To place it mildly? No one else puts the possum on a pedestal. Why not Wausau?
Next, in 1982, Wausau acquired Unwell and weary with being ignored of the Florida lists of entertaining, fairs and festivals. Each dedicate Florida requires a festival. Rather than 1 set in place Florida features a Possum Competition. Why don't you Wausau?
If you have not gone to Washington County, you most likely will Believe I'm Therefore, building this up. For those who have been to Washington County, you can comprehend - and know this can be a real story.
Wausau, it turned out, experienced some fairly potent possum politicians in early '80s. Here are a number of issues they attained:
They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the main Saturday in August as Possum Working day in Florida. That led on the constructing Using the monument together State Highway 77 in Wausau.
They even obtained The us Congress to market the possum. Congress joined the fun by way of providing the money for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau could have a location to support its annual Entertaining Day and Possum Festival. Featuring a queen contest and possum auction, among other items, the festival attracts A lot of people per year, and so they adore it.
Outing for many educating of Northerners in this article. The South's possum is similar lowly animal you get in touch with opossum, (Why use 7 letters when 6 more info can do?) It is a smallish marsupial that life in trees and reveals its unpleasant system only during the night. That is why, after you end up in the ideal devote Florida, you may hear possum hunters' canines baying and barking. Treed by canines, the possum 'freezes', so Will probably be uncomplicated plenty of to lure (or shoot) one particular.
An inscription about the monument in the center of Wausau cites the possum's role in giving 'both fur and food items' from the hundreds of years. It goes to say: 'Their existence in this article has offered an origin of nutritious and flavorful food items in normal instances and has been an important support to human survival in situations of distress and important have to have.'
Snicker if you prefer. The people today of Wausau will giggle along with you - even though downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.