There is a spot in Florida that crafted a 12-foot-higher monument in the center of city to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would anyone desire to accomplish that?
Perfectly, to start with off, heroes acquire effort and time to discover On this invest Florida - the Panhandle town of Wausau, household of underneath five hundred folks in the middle of Washington County about 10 miles south of Chipley.
Why don't you the possum, an unlikely hero to state the minimum? No person else puts the possum around the pedestal. Why not Wausau?
Next, in 1982, Wausau got fed up with currently being disregarded Along with the Florida lists of pleasurable, fairs and festivals. Each and every commit Florida wants a festival. And never a person place in position Florida contains a Possum Pageant. Why don't you Wausau?
If you've got never gone to Washington County, you most likely will think I am causeing this to become up. In case you have attended Washington County, you are going to realize - and know This may be a legitimate story.
Wausau, it wound up, had some really powerful possum politicians while in the early '80s. Listed below are some things they accomplished:


They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the first Saturday in August as Possum Working day in Florida. That led to the setting up within the monument together Point out Freeway seventy seven in Wausau.

They even bought the United States Congress to market the possum. Congress joined the fun by offering the money for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau can have a place to hold its annual Enjoyment Day and Possum Festival. That includes a queen contest and possum auction, amid other issues, the festival attracts many people per year, furthermore they adore it.
Trip for a few educating of Northerners right here. The South's possum is similar lowly animal you contact opossum, (Why click here use seven letters when six will do?) It's a smallish marsupial that life in trees and displays its unattractive entire body only in the evening. This is why, when you're Within the ideal place in Florida, you'll be able to listen to possum hunters' canine baying and barking. Treed by dogs, the possum 'freezes', so it will be very simple more than enough to hook (or shoot) a person.
An inscription over the monument through Wausau cites the possum's function in giving 'each fur and food stuff' all through the generations. It goes on to say: 'Their existence in this article has provided a source of nutritious and flavorful food items in regular moments and it's been an important assistance to human survival considerably more distress and significant require.'
Snicker If you prefer. The persons of Wausau will laugh along with you - although downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.