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 is a dedicate Florida that designed a twelve-foot-large monument for the duration of city to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would any person choose to do that?
Perfectly, to begin with, heroes are tricky for getting on this place in place Florida - the Panhandle city of Wausau, house of less than 500 folks in the midst of Washington County about 10 miles south of Chipley.
Why not the possum, an unlikely hero as you should be expecting? Nobody else puts the possum on the pedestal. Why not Wausau?
Secondly, in 1982, Wausau bought fed up with staying left out through the Florida lists of entertaining, fairs and festivals. Just about every put in Florida desires a Competition. Instead of one place in place Florida includes a Possum Competition. Why not Wausau?
If you haven't been to Washington County, you almost certainly will Feel I am generating this up. For those who have attended Washington County, you are going to have an understanding of - and know It is just a accurate Tale.
Wausau, it turned out, experienced some fairly highly effective possum politicians noisy . '80s. Here are a set of factors they achieved:
They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the pretty to start with Saturday in August as Possum Day in Florida. That led to the building of your monument along Condition Freeway 77 in Wausau.
They even obtained the United States Congress to current market the possum. Congress joined the enjoyable by furnishing the cash for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau could have a place to carry its once-a-year Enjoyable Day and Possum Competition. That includes a queen contest and possum auction, get more info amid other points, the Pageant draws in 1000s of persons each year, and so they like it.
Time out for lots of educating of Northerners in this article. The South's possum is the same lowly animal you call opossum, (Why use 7 letters when 6 will do?) It is a smallish marsupial that life in trees and reveals its unsightly human body only during the night time. That's why, if you find yourself while in the proper devote Florida, it is possible to hear possum hunters' pet dogs baying and barking. Treed by pet dogs, the possum 'freezes', so it really is uncomplicated to catch (or shoot) one particular.
An inscription within the monument for the duration of Wausau cites the possum's role in delivering 'both of those fur and foods' during the whole generations. It goes on say: 'Their existence here has presented an origin of nutritious and flavorful foodstuff in normal times and possesses been an important aid to human survival considerably more distress and important want.'
Giggle if you prefer. The people today of Wausau will chuckle along - even though downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.