An area in Florida - Let us Cheer the Lowly Possum

There's a devote Florida that developed a 12-foot-superior monument in the heart of city to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would any one might like to do that?
Effectively, to get started with, heroes take effort and time to come by in this dedicate Florida - the Panhandle town of Wausau, property of much less than five hundred people in the course of Washington County about ten miles south of Chipley.
Why not the possum, an not likely hero to convey the least? Nobody else places the possum using a pedestal. Why not Wausau?
Next, back 1982, Wausau obtained Unwell and tired with getting overlooked in the Florida lists of exciting, fairs and festivals. Every single place set up Florida needs a Pageant. And never just one location in Florida has a Possum Festival. Why don't you Wausau?
If you haven't gone to Washington County, you almost certainly will think I'm creating this up. When you've got frequented Washington County, you can have an understanding of - and know this is a true story.
Wausau, it proved, experienced some very strong possum politicians throughout the early '80s. Allow me to share two or three matters they completed:


They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the 1st Saturday in August as Possum Day in Florida. That led to the creating Along with the monument alongside Point out Freeway seventy seven in Wausau.

They even got America Congress to Possum removal Mt.Waverly promote the possum. Congress joined the pleasurable by the cash for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau may have a location to carry its yearly Exciting Working day and Possum Competition. Featuring a queen contest and possum auction, amongst other things, the Pageant draws in A lot of people annually, and they adore it.
Time out for a great deal of educating of Northerners listed here. The South's possum is similar lowly animal you simply call opossum, (Why use 7 letters when 6 can do?) It is a smallish marsupial that life in trees and shows its hideous system only during the night. That is why, any time you end up during the right devote Florida, you can hear possum hunters' pet dogs baying and barking. Treed by canine, the possum 'freezes', so it's not so complicated to hook (or shoot) one particular.
An inscription on the monument in the midst of Wausau cites the possum's job in delivering 'both fur and food items' throughout the entire hundreds of years. It goes to say: 'Their presence below has offered a supply of nutritious and flavorful meals in usual times and it has been an essential support to human survival considerably more distress and demanding need to have.'
Giggle if you're keen on. The people of Wausau will laugh along - even though downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.