A Place in Florida - Let us Cheer the Lowly Possum
A Place in Florida - Let us Cheer the Lowly Possum
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There's a set set up Florida that created a 12-foot-higher monument in the middle of city to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would everyone need to do that?
Properly, to start with, heroes just take effort and time to come back by on this devote Florida - the Panhandle town of Wausau, house of less than 500 persons in the center of Washington County about 10 miles south of Chipley.
Why not the possum, an not likely hero To place it mildly? No one else places the possum using a pedestal. Why don't you Wausau?
Secondly, back again in 1982, Wausau bought fed up with being omitted with the Florida lists of enjoyable, fairs and festivals. Every put in Florida demands a Competition. Rather than one particular commit Florida has a Possum Pageant. Why not Wausau?
If you haven't been to Washington County, you probably will Assume I am generating this up. When you've got been to Washington County, you are going to comprehend - and know this is a true story.
Wausau, it proved, had some fairly powerful possum politicians in early '80s. Listed below are two issues they accomplished:
They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the Original Saturday in August as Possum Day in Florida. That led on the developing with the monument together Point out Freeway seventy seven in Wausau.
They even got The us Congress to sector the possum. Congress joined the exciting by delivering the funds check here for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau may have a locale to aid its yearly Enjoyable Day and Possum Pageant. Featuring a queen contest and possum auction, among the other matters, the Pageant attracts tons of folks on a yearly basis, in addition they like it.
Outing For most educating of Northerners in this article. The South's possum is the same lowly animal you connect with opossum, (Why use seven letters when six will probably do?) It's a smallish marsupial that lives in trees and shows its unpleasant system only during the night. That is why, any time you end up during the ideal devote Florida, you are able to hear possum hunters' pet dogs baying and barking. Treed by pet dogs, the possum 'freezes', therefore it is not so difficult to hook (or shoot) 1.
An inscription with the monument in the heart of Wausau cites the possum's purpose in offering 'both fur and foodstuff' through the entire centuries. It goes on to say: 'Their presence listed here has provided an origin of nutritious and flavorful food stuff in regular periods and consists of been A necessary aid to human survival in situations of distress and significant have to have.'
Snicker if you want. The individuals of Wausau will laugh along with you - even though downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.