A Place in Florida - Let's Cheer the Lowly Possum

There's a area in Florida that crafted a twelve-foot-substantial monument in the heart of city to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would everyone want to perform that?
Perfectly, to start with, heroes are hard to find with this particular commit Florida - the Panhandle funds of scotland - Wausau, home of below five hundred persons in the center of Washington County about ten miles south of Chipley.
Why not the possum, an not likely hero as you'd expect? No person else places the possum about the pedestal. Why don't you Wausau?
Next, in 1982, Wausau bought Ill and Fed up with currently being overlooked in the Florida lists of pleasurable, fairs and festivals. Each commit Florida demands a festival. And not 1 position in Florida carries a Possum Pageant. Why don't you Wausau?
If you have not attended Washington County, you almost certainly will Feel I am building this up. If you have been to Washington County, you'll understand - and know this is the genuine Tale.
Wausau, it ended up, had some really effective possum politicians in the early '80s. Here i will discuss certain things they attained:


They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the 1st Saturday in August as Possum Working day here in Florida. That led to the creating while in the monument alongside Point out Highway seventy seven in Wausau.

They even bought The usa Congress in advertising the possum. Congress joined the exciting as a result of providing the cash for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau could have a place to keep its yearly Entertaining Working day and Possum Festival. That includes a queen contest and possum auction, among other matters, the Competition attracts heaps of folks yearly, they usually come across it irresistible.
Trip for the several educating of Northerners in this article. The South's possum is similar lowly animal you get in touch with opossum, (Why use seven letters when 6 is going to do?) It is a smallish marsupial that lives in trees and shows its ugly body only in the evening. This is exactly why, if you find yourself inside the correct invest Florida, it is possible to listen to possum hunters' dogs baying and barking. Treed by canines, the possum 'freezes', so it truly is not so hard to catch (or shoot) a single.
An inscription for that monument through Wausau cites the possum's part in supplying 'both equally fur and food items' through the total generations. It goes on to say: 'Their presence here has provided a useful resource of nutritious and flavorful food stuff in normal occasions and has been An important aid to human survival when in distress and critical require.'
Snicker if you like. The folks of Wausau will snicker with you - although downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.