A Place in Florida - Let's Cheer the Lowly Possum
A Place in Florida - Let's Cheer the Lowly Possum
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There's a place set up Florida that created a 12-foot-substantial monument in the center of town to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would any one must do that?
Nicely, to start with, heroes are tough to return by in this devote Florida - the Panhandle money of scotland - Wausau, residence of fewer than five hundred people in the middle of Washington County about 10 miles south of Chipley.
Why don't you the possum, an unlikely hero as you'd be expecting? No one else puts the possum over the pedestal. Why don't you Wausau?
Secondly, in 1982, Wausau acquired fed up with being overlooked with the Florida lists of pleasurable, fairs and festivals. Every set in position Florida would like a Pageant. Instead of one commit Florida contains a Possum Festival. Why not Wausau?
If you have never gone to Washington County, you most likely will think I am causeing this to become up. When you've got been to Washington County, you can recognize - and know this is the accurate story.
Wausau, it turned out, had some very potent possum politicians noisy . '80s. Listed here are a pair of issues they accomplished:
They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the extremely first Saturday in August as Possum Day in Florida. That led to the building inside the monument together State Highway seventy seven in Wausau.
They even got The usa Congress to promote the possum. Congress joined the enjoyment by the funds for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau may need an area to hold its annual Enjoyable Day and Possum Competition. Showcasing a queen contest and possum auction, among the other things, the Competition draws in lots of folks Every and every year, as well as they adore it.
Day trip for some educating of Northerners right here. The South's possum is equivalent lowly animal you call opossum, (Why use seven letters when 6 can do?) It's a smallish marsupial that lives in trees and displays its unattractive body only at nighttime. That is why, whenever you end up in the right commit Florida, you could hear possum hunters' dogs baying and barking. Treed by pet dogs, the possum 'freezes', for that reason it really is not so difficult to hook (or shoot) just one.
An inscription with the monument in the course of Wausau cites the possum's purpose more info in providing 'each fur and foodstuff' through the centuries. It goes on to say: 'Their existence listed here has presented a source of nutritious and flavorful food stuff in usual periods and it's got been an essential support to human survival in times of distress and significant require.'
Chortle if you want. The individuals of Wausau will giggle along - although downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.