There is a commit Florida that designed a 12-foot-high monument in the center of town to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would anyone really need to do that?
Properly, to begin with, heroes get effort and time to come back by within just this spend Florida - the Panhandle town of Wausau, house of fewer than 500 persons in the middle of Washington County about ten miles south of Chipley.
Why not the possum, an unlikely hero understandably? Nobody else puts the possum with a pedestal. Why not Wausau?
Secondly, again in 1982, Wausau got fed up with being overlooked Using the Florida lists of enjoyable, fairs and festivals. Each commit Florida requires a Competition. And never a single commit Florida features a Possum Festival. Why not Wausau?
If you have not visited Washington County, you most likely will think I'm causeing this to get up. If you have frequented Washington County, you may realize - and know This may be a true Tale.
Wausau, it turned out, had some quite highly effective possum politicians noisy . '80s. Listed below are some things they completed:
They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the First Saturday in August as Possum Day in Florida. That led into the constructing within the monument alongside Point out Freeway seventy seven in Wausau.
They even got The us Congress to advertise the possum. Congress joined the fun by the funds for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau may have a location to hold its annual Fun Working day and Possum Festival. Showcasing a queen contest and possum auction, amid other items, the festival draws in tons of men and women Just about every and each year, and so that they find it irresistible.
Day out for just a couple of educating of Northerners below. The South's possum is identical lowly animal you get in touch with opossum, (Why use seven letters when 6 can do?) It is a smallish marsupial that lives in trees and shows its unappealing system only in the evening. That is why, if you're within the proper set in place Florida, you could listen to possum hunters' canines baying and barking. Treed by dogs, the possum 'freezes', hence it really is not so tough to hook (or shoot) 1.
An inscription around the monument in the center of Wausau cites the possum's job in providing 'both fur and food items' from the total generations. It goes on say: 'Their existence right here has furnished an origin of nutritious and flavorful foods in usual times and it has been a vital help to human survival when in here distress and important need to have.'
Giggle if you want. The people of Wausau will chortle along with you - whilst downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.