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's a put in Florida that developed a 12-foot-high monument in the guts of town to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would anyone would like to accomplish that?
Nicely, to start with, heroes are tough for getting on this commit Florida - the Panhandle town of Wausau, house of under five hundred persons in the guts of Washington County about 10 miles south of Chipley.
Why don't you the possum, an not likely hero understandably? Nobody else places the possum that has a pedestal. Why not Wausau?
Secondly, again 1982, Wausau got Ill and Sick and tired of being disregarded While using the Florida lists of enjoyment, fairs and festivals. Just about every commit Florida wants a festival. And never one particular place set up Florida incorporates a Possum Pageant. Why don't you Wausau?
If you have not been to Washington County, you probably will Assume I am making this up. Should you have gone to Washington County, you may understand - and know this can be a correct story.
Wausau, it proved, had some very highly effective possum politicians in the course of the early '80s. Listed below are a few matters they accomplished:
They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the 1st Saturday in August as Possum Day in Florida. That led to the developing Using the monument alongside State Highway seventy seven in click here Wausau.
They even got The usa Congress to market the possum. Congress joined the fun by furnishing the money for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau would have a locale to guidance its annual Entertaining Day and Possum Festival. Featuring a queen contest and possum auction, between other factors, the festival attracts 1000s of individuals Each and every and each and every year, as well as they adore it.
Day out for lots of educating of Northerners below. The South's possum is identical lowly animal you contact opossum, (Why use seven letters when six can do?) It is a smallish marsupial that lives in trees and displays its unappealing body only during the night. That is why, whenever you end up during the right dedicate Florida, it is possible to listen to possum hunters' canine baying and barking. Treed by puppies, the possum 'freezes', consequently it is not so hard to hook (or shoot) one.
An inscription around the monument in the center of Wausau cites the possum's role in offering 'both equally fur and food stuff' throughout the total hundreds of years. It goes to say: 'Their existence listed here has presented a useful resource of nutritious and flavorful food stuff in ordinary periods and has been an important help to human survival throughout situations of distress and critical need to have.'
Laugh if you love. The folks of Wausau will chortle along - even though downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.