A location in Florida - Let us Cheer the Lowly Possum

There is a put in place Florida that crafted a 12-foot-substantial monument in the center of town to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would anyone might like to do that?
Perfectly, very first off, heroes are challenging for getting with this particular area in Florida - the Panhandle town of Wausau, home of much less than five hundred folks in the midst of Washington County about ten miles south of Chipley.
Why don't you the possum, an unlikely hero as you'd probably hope? No person else places the possum around the pedestal. Why not Wausau?
Secondly, in 1982, Wausau got fed up with being neglected from the Florida lists of entertaining, fairs and festivals. Just about every place in Florida would like a festival. Instead of one set in place Florida includes a Possum Competition. Why not Wausau?
If you have by no means been to Washington County, you most likely will Feel I am creating this up. When you have attended Washington County, you'll recognize - and know this can be a legitimate Tale.
Wausau, it turned out, experienced some really potent possum politicians noisy . '80s. Listed below are a set of items they attained:


They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the first Saturday in August as Possum Day in Florida. That led to the building from the monument along Condition Freeway 77 in Wausau.

They even got The us Congress to advertise the possum. Congress joined the enjoyable by the resources for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau might have a region to maintain its once-a-year Exciting Day and Possum Pageant. That includes a queen contest and possum auction, among the other things, the Pageant appeals to Lots of individuals annually, and Additionally they like it.
Time out for any couple of educating of Northerners in this article. The South's possum is identical lowly animal you call opossum, (Why use seven letters when 6 will do?) It is a smallish marsupial that life in trees and reveals its unpleasant overall body only at night. That is why, If here you're within appropriate place in Florida, you are able to listen to possum hunters' puppies baying and barking. Treed by canines, the possum 'freezes', as a result it's not so hard seize (or shoot) 1.
An inscription regarding the monument in the course of Wausau cites the possum's job in offering 'both equally fur and food' all through the hundreds of years. It goes onto say: 'Their existence in this article has delivered a resource of nutritious and flavorful foodstuff in standard instances and has been An important help to human survival when in distress and significant require.'
Snicker if you like. The people today of Wausau will chuckle with you - although downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.