There's a put set up Florida that developed a twelve-foot-higher monument during town to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would everyone would like to accomplish that?
Very well, to begin with, heroes are tough to locate using this type of devote Florida - the Panhandle town of Wausau, dwelling of much less than five hundred people for the duration of Washington County about ten miles south of Chipley.
Why not the possum, an unlikely hero to state the the very least? Nobody else places the possum within the pedestal. Why not Wausau?
Secondly, back again 1982, Wausau received Unwell and weary with remaining neglected within the Florida lists of enjoyable, fairs and festivals. Just about every invest Florida needs a festival. Instead of one put in Florida carries a Possum Festival. Why don't you Wausau?
If you have not absent to Washington County, you most likely will Feel I am building this up. If you have long gone to Washington County, you'll fully grasp - and know this can be a true Tale.
Wausau, it turned out, experienced some very highly effective possum politicians in early '80s. Here's a couple of issues they attained:
They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the primary Saturday in August as Possum Working day in Florida. That led into the making within the monument alongside Condition Highway 77 in Wausau.
They even got The us Congress in endorsing the possum. Congress joined the fun by supplying the funds for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau could have a location to hold its annual Enjoyable Working day and Possum Festival. Showcasing a queen contest and possum auction, among other items, the festival attracts a lot of people on a yearly basis, and so they adore it.
Day trip for many educating of Northerners below. The South's possum is the equivalent lowly animal you simply call opossum, (Why use seven letters when six will almost certainly do?) It is a smallish marsupial that life in check here trees and shows its ugly entire body only at night. That's why, if you're throughout the correct put set up Florida, you may hear possum hunters' pet dogs baying and barking. Treed by dogs, the possum 'freezes', so It truly is not so hard to hook (or shoot) a person.
An inscription around the monument in the middle of Wausau cites the possum's job in giving 'the two fur and food stuff' from the centuries. It goes onto say: 'Their existence here has presented a supply of nutritious and flavorful food stuff in normal instances and has been a very important assist to human survival when in distress and significant need to have.'
Giggle if you'd favor. The folks of Wausau will snicker alongside - while downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.