There is a put in position Florida that constructed a twelve-foot-large monument in the middle of town to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would everyone wish to do that?
Perfectly, to start, heroes acquire time and effort to locate in this place in position Florida - the Panhandle town of Wausau, house of under five hundred people in the course of Washington County about 10 miles south of Chipley.
Why don't you the possum, an unlikely hero understandably? No one else places the possum on the pedestal. Why not Wausau?
Next, back again in 1982, Wausau obtained sick and worn out with staying disregarded in the Florida lists of enjoyable, fairs and festivals. Each and every set in place Florida wishes a festival. And never one particular place in position Florida includes a Possum Festival. Why don't you Wausau?
If you have hardly ever been to Washington County, you most likely will think I'm producing this up. If you have been to Washington County, you'll recognize - and know this can be a correct story.
Wausau, it proved, had some pretty potent possum politicians noisy . '80s. Here's a pair of points they completed:
They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the Preliminary Saturday in August as Possum Working day in Florida. That led to the making With all the monument alongside State Freeway seventy seven here in Wausau.
They even received The usa Congress to publicize the possum. Congress joined the exciting by furnishing the cash for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau would've a spot to maintain its yearly Fun Working day and Possum Festival. Featuring a queen contest and possum auction, among the other things, the Pageant draws in A lot of people yearly, and so that they like it.
Trip for some educating of Northerners here. The South's possum is comparable lowly animal you phone opossum, (Why use 7 letters when six will do?) It is a smallish marsupial that life in trees and demonstrates its ugly system only at night. That is why, If you're within appropriate dedicate Florida, you may hear possum hunters' canine baying and barking. Treed by dogs, the possum 'freezes', so It is really easy plenty of capture (or shoot) 1.
An inscription with the monument in the center of Wausau cites the possum's function in furnishing 'both fur and food' over the full generations. It goes on say: 'Their presence right here has delivered a useful resource of nutritious and flavorful foodstuff in usual times and possesses been an important support to human survival during periods of distress and significant need to have.'
Chuckle if you want. The men and women of Wausau will chuckle along - even though downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.