There's a set in place Florida that constructed a 12-foot-superior monument in the middle of town to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would anyone should do that?
Nicely, to get started with, heroes are tough to come by Within this put set up Florida - the Panhandle funds of scotland- Wausau, home of under five hundred persons in the midst of Washington County about ten miles south of Chipley.
Why don't you the possum, an unlikely hero understandably? Nobody else puts the possum over a pedestal. Why don't you Wausau?
Next, last 1982, Wausau acquired sick and Sick and tired of becoming omitted from the Florida lists of enjoyable, fairs and festivals. Every single set in position Florida demands a Pageant. And never a single spend Florida has a Possum Pageant. Why don't you Wausau?
If you haven't been to Washington County, you almost certainly will think I'm generating this up. If you have absent to Washington County, you'll understand - and know This may be a correct story.
Wausau, it turned out, had some fairly impressive possum politicians in early '80s. Here's two matters they attained:
They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the 1st Saturday in August check here as Possum Working day in Florida. That led to the constructing from the monument along Point out Freeway 77 in Wausau.
They even acquired The usa Congress to publicize the possum. Congress joined the exciting by the funds for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau might have an area to keep its once-a-year Entertaining Day and Possum Pageant. Featuring a queen contest and possum auction, between other things, the Competition appeals to A lot of people annually, and Additionally they like it.
Day trip for some educating of Northerners listed here. The South's possum is the same lowly animal you contact opossum, (Why use seven letters when 6 will probably do?) It's a smallish marsupial that lives in trees and shows its unattractive system only at nighttime. This is exactly why, when you are in the ideal devote Florida, you could listen to possum hunters' canines baying and barking. Treed by puppies, the possum 'freezes', so Will probably be quick to hook (or shoot) a single.
An inscription to the monument in the middle of Wausau cites the possum's purpose in supplying 'each fur and food items' all through the generations. It goes on to say: 'Their presence right here has offered a resource of nutritious and flavorful foods in usual occasions and it's been An important assistance to human survival in the course of moments of distress and demanding need.'
Chortle if you like. The folks of Wausau will giggle with you - although downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.