A location in Florida - Let us Cheer the Lowly Possum
A location in Florida - Let us Cheer the Lowly Possum
Blog Article
There is a location in Florida that developed a 12-foot-significant monument in the heart of town to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would any person want to perform that?
Properly, to start with off, heroes take time and effort to uncover inside this area in Florida - the Panhandle city of Wausau, dwelling of beneath 500 individuals in the middle of Washington County about 10 miles south of Chipley.
Why don't you the possum, an not likely hero as you should anticipate? Nobody else puts the possum on a pedestal. Why don't you Wausau?
Next, very last 1982, Wausau obtained fed up with currently being neglected in the Florida lists of enjoyment, fairs and festivals. Each and every make investments Florida desires a Pageant. Rather than just one place set up Florida carries a Possum Competition. Why not Wausau?
If you haven't attended Washington County, you probably will Assume I am causeing this for being up. When you have been to Washington County, you can expect to recognize - and know It's a genuine story.
Wausau, it turned out, had some quite highly effective possum politicians in early '80s. Allow me to share some things they achieved:
They persuaded the Florida Legislature to read more proclaim the quite 1st Saturday in August as Possum Working day in Florida. That led on the constructing in the monument alongside Point out Freeway 77 in Wausau.
They even obtained the United States Congress to advertise the possum. Congress joined the enjoyable by furnishing the money for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau can have a place to help keep its once-a-year Enjoyment Working day and Possum Pageant. That includes a queen contest and possum auction, amongst other items, the festival appeals to Many individuals annually, and they also adore it.
Time out for just a several educating of Northerners in this article. The South's possum is the identical lowly animal you simply call opossum, (Why use 7 letters when 6 will do?) It's a smallish marsupial that life in trees and reveals its unsightly human body only during the night time. This is why, if you are inside right commit Florida, you can listen to possum hunters' canines baying and barking. Treed by dogs, the possum 'freezes', so Will probably be not tricky to capture (or shoot) one particular.
An inscription round the monument for the duration of Wausau cites the possum's job in offering 'both equally fur and food' through the total hundreds of years. It goes on say: 'Their existence below has furnished an origin of nutritious and flavorful meals in regular times and it has been an essential assist to human survival in situations of distress and important have to have.'
Snicker in the event you'd choose. The folks of Wausau will chuckle along with you - even though downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.