There is a set set up Florida that constructed a twelve-foot-higher monument in the heart of city to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would any one desire to do that?
Properly, to begin with, heroes are tough to discover in just this commit Florida - the Panhandle cash of scotland- Wausau, household of under 500 individuals in the center of Washington County about ten miles south of Chipley.
Why not the possum, an unlikely hero To place it mildly? Nobody else puts the possum above a pedestal. Why not Wausau?
Next, in 1982, Wausau obtained fed up with remaining overlooked of your Florida lists of exciting, fairs and festivals. Just about every place in Florida wants a festival. And not one particular dedicate Florida provides a Possum Festival. Why don't you Wausau?
If you have never long gone to Washington County, you probably will Imagine I am developing this up. Should you have been to Washington County, you may realize - and know This is actually the real Tale.
Wausau, it wound up, had some pretty powerful possum politicians during the early '80s. Here's some things they attained:
They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the pretty 1st Saturday in August as Possum Day in Florida. That led for the making of your monument alongside Condition Highway seventy seven in Wausau.
They even bought America Congress to marketplace the possum. Congress joined the enjoyment by delivering the resources for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau might have a spot to carry its yearly Fun Working day and Possum Festival. Showcasing a queen contest and possum auction, amongst other items, the festival draws in loads of individuals Every and each and every year, moreover they discover it irresistible.
Time out for many educating of Northerners in this article. The South's possum is identical lowly animal you contact opossum, (Why use 7 letters when six can do?) It is a smallish marsupial that life in trees and displays its ugly body check here only at nighttime. That is why, when you are while in the right dedicate Florida, it is possible to hear possum hunters' pet dogs baying and barking. Treed by canine, the possum 'freezes', so it is straightforward to hook (or shoot) 1.
An inscription over the monument in the course of Wausau cites the possum's position in furnishing 'the two fur and food items' through the generations. It goes on to say: 'Their presence here has provided a resource of nutritious and flavorful foods in regular times and it's been a crucial assist to human survival in moments of distress and demanding have to have.'
Giggle if you prefer. The people today of Wausau will chuckle with you - while downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.