A location in Florida - Let's Cheer the Lowly Possum
A location in Florida - Let's Cheer the Lowly Possum
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There is a place in Florida that crafted a 12-foot-substantial monument in the guts of town to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would any individual would like to do that?
Effectively, to start with, heroes just take effort and time to analysis During this set set up Florida - the Panhandle town of Wausau, property of below five hundred people in the middle of Washington County about ten miles south of Chipley.
Why don't you the possum, an not likely hero as you'd probably count on? No one else puts the possum on the pedestal. Why not Wausau?
Next, again 1982, Wausau got sick and tired of being ignored within the Florida lists of enjoyable, fairs and festivals. Every invest Florida requirements a festival. And not a single area in Florida carries a Possum Competition. Why not Wausau?
If you have in no way long gone to Washington County, you most likely will Feel I am producing this up. Should you have attended Washington County, you will understand - and know This can be the correct Tale.
Wausau, it proved, had some fairly impressive possum politicians in early '80s. Here are two things they attained:
They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the 1st Saturday in August as Possum Working day in Florida. That led to your constructing While using the monument along Point out Highway 77 in Wausau.
They even bought The us Congress to advertise the possum. Congress joined the enjoyment via delivering the money for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau might have a location to maintain its annual Entertaining Day and Possum Competition. That includes a queen contest and possum auction, amongst other points, the Pageant draws in Lots of people on a yearly basis, in addition they discover it irresistible.
Outing for a few educating of Northerners here. The South's possum is similar lowly animal you get in touch with opossum, (Why use seven letters when six will execute?) It is a smallish marsupial that lives in trees and shows its unappealing overall body only at nighttime. That's why, Should you be during the right commit Florida, you click here may listen to possum hunters' canines baying and barking. Treed by puppies, the possum 'freezes', so it is not hard to hook (or shoot) one particular.
An inscription around the monument for the duration of Wausau cites the possum's role in offering 'both equally fur and food' in the whole centuries. It goes on say: 'Their existence here has offered an origin of nutritious and flavorful foodstuff in regular situations and possesses been a crucial support to human survival all through times of distress and important have to have.'
Chuckle should you'd like. The folks of Wausau will chortle together with you - although downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.