There's a place in Florida that built a twelve-foot-high monument in the center of city to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would anybody really need to do that?
Perfectly, to get started on, heroes are challenging to come by on this commit Florida - the Panhandle town of Wausau, home of a lot less than five hundred people in the course of Washington County about ten miles south of Chipley.
Why not the possum, an unlikely hero understandably? No one else places the possum about the pedestal. Why not Wausau?
Secondly, back again 1982, Wausau got fed up with getting left out within the Florida lists of fun, fairs and festivals. Each individual spot in Florida needs a festival. And not a single dedicate Florida carries a Possum Competition. Why not Wausau?
If you haven't been to Washington County, you most likely will Feel I am developing this up. When you have attended Washington County, you will have an understanding of - and know This is actually the correct story.
Wausau, it turned out, had some very effective possum politicians in the early '80s. Here's two issues they achieved:
They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the very initial Saturday in August as Possum Working day in Florida. That led on the making within the monument along Condition Freeway seventy seven in Wausau.
They even obtained The us Congress to market the possum. Congress joined the pleasurable by delivering the money for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau would have a place to carry its yearly Exciting Working day and Possum Festival. Featuring a queen contest and possum auction, amongst other matters, the Competition draws in plenty of individuals annually, as well as they love it.
Day out for many educating of Northerners right here. The South's possum is similar lowly animal you call opossum, (Why use 7 letters when 6 will do?) It's a smallish marsupial that life in trees and displays its unattractive overall body only during the night time. That's why, any time you find yourself In the proper location in Florida, you'll be able to listen to possum hunters' puppies baying and barking. Treed by dogs, the possum 'freezes', for that reason it's not challenging capture (or shoot) one particular.
An inscription on the monument throughout Wausau cites the possum's job in delivering 'the two fur and foods' during the full hundreds of years. It goes on to say: 'Their presence in this article has furnished a useful resource of nutritious and flavorful foodstuff in regular times and possesses been A necessary aid to human survival a lot more distress and click here significant will need.'
Snicker if you like. The people today of Wausau will chortle together with you - whilst downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.