A location in Florida - Let us Cheer the Lowly Possum

There is a make investments Florida that constructed a 12-foot-high monument in the course of town to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would any person ought to do that?
Effectively, to begin, heroes are tough to return by on this spot in Florida - the Panhandle town of Wausau, house of less than 500 individuals in the center of Washington County about ten miles south of Chipley.
Why not the possum, an unlikely hero To place it mildly? No one else puts the possum with a pedestal. Why don't you Wausau?
Next, back 1982, Wausau got fed up with remaining ignored of your Florida lists of pleasurable, fairs and festivals. Every single commit Florida wishes a festival. Rather than 1 spend Florida includes a Possum Festival. Why not Wausau?
If you've hardly ever been to Washington County, you almost certainly will Believe I'm building this up. If you have been to Washington County, you will recognize - and know this is the legitimate Tale.
Wausau, it proved, experienced some pretty potent possum politicians inside the early '80s. Here's two points they accomplished:


They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim here the 1st Saturday in August as Possum Working day in Florida. That led on the creating from the monument together State Highway seventy seven in Wausau.

They even bought America Congress to current market the possum. Congress joined the exciting by the money for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau might have a spot to carry its annual Entertaining Working day and Possum Pageant. Featuring a queen contest and possum auction, among the other issues, the Pageant draws in plenty of people Each individual and each year, and In addition they adore it.
Day out For most educating of Northerners here. The South's possum is similar lowly animal you call opossum, (Why use 7 letters when six will do?) It's a smallish marsupial that lives in trees and shows its unsightly body only in the evening. That's why, Should you be during the ideal spend Florida, you may hear possum hunters' puppies baying and barking. Treed by puppies, the possum 'freezes', therefore it's not tough capture (or shoot) one particular.
An inscription throughout the monument in the heart of Wausau cites the possum's part in supplying 'the two fur and foodstuff' throughout the full hundreds of years. It goes on to say: 'Their presence below has furnished a source of nutritious and flavorful food stuff in typical occasions and consists of been A necessary support to human survival in situations of distress and demanding have to have.'
Giggle If you would like. The folks of Wausau will chortle alongside - though downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.