There's a spend Florida that crafted a twelve-foot-superior monument all through town to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would any one want to accomplish that?
Nicely, to begin with, heroes are tough to investigation within this spend Florida - the Panhandle city of Wausau, home of less than five hundred persons in the course of Washington County about ten miles south of Chipley.
Why not the possum, an unlikely hero as you would hope? No one else puts the possum that has a pedestal. Why not Wausau?
Secondly, back again in 1982, Wausau obtained Unwell and Fed up with remaining neglected of the Florida lists of enjoyable, fairs and festivals. Every single commit Florida demands a Competition. And not one particular place in position Florida contains a Possum Competition. Why not Wausau?
If you've got never visited Washington County, you most likely will Feel I am building this up. For those who have attended Washington County, you can expect to recognize - and know this is the legitimate story.
Wausau, it proved, had some fairly highly effective possum politicians in the early '80s. Listed here are a pair of issues they achieved:
They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the 1st Saturday in August as Possum Day in Florida. That led for the constructing during the monument together State Freeway 77 in Wausau.
They even got America Congress to advertise the possum. Congress joined the exciting by the money for Wausau's read more Possum Palace so Wausau might have a place to maintain its yearly Enjoyable Day and Possum Pageant. That includes a queen contest and possum auction, among other points, the Competition attracts loads of folks on a yearly basis, and they also like it.
Outing for a great deal of educating of Northerners below. The South's possum is definitely the similar lowly animal you simply call opossum, (Why use 7 letters when six will perform?) It is a smallish marsupial that life in trees and displays its unattractive system only in the evening. That's why, if you're within suitable set in place Florida, you'll be able to listen to possum hunters' dogs baying and barking. Treed by pet dogs, the possum 'freezes', so it's not complicated to catch (or shoot) 1.
An inscription across the monument in the center of Wausau cites the possum's role in providing 'each fur and foods' through the total centuries. It goes to say: 'Their existence below has furnished a source of nutritious and flavorful meals in typical periods and has been an essential help to human survival considerably more distress and demanding want.'
Laugh if you want. The people of Wausau will snicker together with you - when downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.