A location in Florida - Let's Cheer the Lowly Possum
A location in Florida - Let's Cheer the Lowly Possum
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There is a commit Florida that built a 12-foot-significant monument in the middle of town to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would anybody want to perform that?
Properly, to get started with, heroes are difficult to seek out with this put in position Florida - the Panhandle city of Wausau, house of underneath 500 people in the middle of Washington County about ten miles south of Chipley.
Why not the possum, an not likely hero To place it mildly? Nobody else places the possum which has a pedestal. Why not Wausau?
Next, back 1982, Wausau received fed up with getting ignored in the Florida lists of pleasurable, fairs and festivals. Each devote Florida wants a Competition. Instead of one put set up Florida features a Possum Festival. Why don't you Wausau?
If you've got never ever gone to Washington County, you probably will Imagine I am causeing this to generally be up. When you've got attended Washington County, you can understand - and know This may be a genuine story.
Wausau, it proved, had some really potent possum politicians in early '80s. Here i will discuss some things they accomplished:
They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the extremely initially Saturday in August as Possum Day in Florida. That led on the setting up while in the monument along State Freeway 77 in Wausau.
They even bought the United States Congress to promote the possum. Congress joined the exciting check here via offering the cash for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau might have a site to aid its once-a-year Pleasurable Day and Possum Pageant. Featuring a queen contest and possum auction, amongst other things, the festival draws in A huge number of people yearly, and Additionally they find it irresistible.
Outing for just a couple of educating of Northerners here. The South's possum could be the identical lowly animal you call opossum, (Why use seven letters when six can perform?) It's a smallish marsupial that lives in trees and displays its unappealing entire body only in the evening. This is why, when you're within the appropriate commit Florida, you may hear possum hunters' puppies baying and barking. Treed by puppies, the possum 'freezes', so it truly is quick to hook (or shoot) a single.
An inscription around the monument in the middle of Wausau cites the possum's job in delivering 'each fur and food stuff' throughout the entire centuries. It goes to say: 'Their presence here has furnished a source of nutritious and flavorful foodstuff in regular periods and incorporates been a big help to human survival throughout times of distress and significant will need.'
Giggle if you like. The individuals of Wausau will snicker along - when downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.