There is a set set up Florida that created a twelve-foot-higher monument in the guts of city to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would anybody need to do that?
Properly, to begin with, heroes are tough to analysis On this devote Florida - the Panhandle city of Wausau, residence of much less than 500 folks in the course of Washington County about ten miles south of Chipley.
Why don't you the possum, an not likely hero as you'd be expecting? Nobody else puts the possum in excess of a pedestal. Why not Wausau?
Secondly, past 1982, Wausau received fed up with staying disregarded while in the Florida lists of exciting, fairs and festivals. Each make investments Florida desires a festival. And never a person put in place Florida encompasses a Possum Competition. Why don't you Wausau?
If you have by no means frequented Washington County, you almost certainly will Believe I'm generating this up. When you've got frequented Washington County, you may recognize - and know it is a real story.
Wausau, it proved, experienced some rather powerful possum politicians in early '80s. Here are certain things they achieved:
They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the 1st Saturday in August as Possum Working day in Florida. That led to your setting up of the monument along Point out Highway seventy seven in Wausau.
They even bought The usa Congress to advertise the possum. Congress joined the fun through delivering the cash for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau might have an area to hold its yearly Enjoyment Working day and Possum Competition. That includes a queen contest and possum auction, among other items, the Pageant attracts tons of people Each and every and each year, and they like it.
Day trip For a lot of educating of Northerners in this article. The South's possum is the same lowly animal you phone opossum, (Why use seven letters when 6 will do?) It's a smallish marsupial that lives in trees and displays its unattractive system only during the night. This is exactly why, when you are Within the ideal spend Florida, it is possible to hear possum hunters' canines baying and barking. Treed by dogs, the possum 'freezes', so it's easy ample to trap (or shoot) 1.
An inscription round the monument in the middle of Wausau cites the possum's part in supplying 'both of those fur and meals' in the generations. It goes on to say: 'Their existence in this article has offered a source of nutritious and flavorful foods in ordinary situations and includes been a big aid to human survival for the duration of instances of distress and critical need.'
Laugh for those website who'd prefer. The people of Wausau will snicker along with you - whilst downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.