An area in Florida - Let us Cheer the Lowly Possum
An area in Florida - Let us Cheer the Lowly Possum
Blog Article
There's a position in Florida that developed a 12-foot-superior monument throughout city to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would any person choose to do that?
Properly, to start with, heroes are tricky to seek out with this area in Florida - the Panhandle money of scotland - Wausau, residence of fewer than 500 persons in the course of Washington County about 10 miles south of Chipley.
Why not the possum, an not likely hero understandably? No one else places the possum with a pedestal. Why don't you Wausau?
Next, in 1982, Wausau got fed up with being ignored from your Florida lists of enjoyable, fairs and festivals. Every commit Florida needs a Competition. And not one particular dedicate Florida incorporates a Possum Pageant. Why not Wausau?
If you've got never visited Washington County, you most likely will Assume I'm generating this up. Should you have been to Washington County, you will comprehend - and know this is the legitimate story.
Wausau, it ended up, experienced some rather potent possum politicians throughout the early '80s. Listed below are two issues they accomplished:
They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the primary Saturday in August as Possum Day in Florida. That led check here into the setting up While using the monument alongside Condition Highway seventy seven in Wausau.
They even acquired The usa Congress to promote the possum. Congress joined the exciting by delivering the funds for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau might have a location to assistance its yearly Pleasurable Working day and Possum Pageant. Featuring a queen contest and possum auction, among the other things, the Pageant draws in A large number of folks yearly, and they also come across it irresistible.
Day trip For a lot of educating of Northerners listed here. The South's possum may be the identical lowly animal you get in touch with opossum, (Why use seven letters when 6 will do?) It is a smallish marsupial that lives in trees and demonstrates its unattractive entire body only at night. This is exactly why, if you are throughout the ideal commit Florida, you are able to listen to possum hunters' canine baying and barking. Treed by canines, the possum 'freezes', so It will likely be straightforward sufficient to lure (or shoot) one particular.
An inscription within the monument in the center of Wausau cites the possum's job in giving 'each fur and foodstuff' in the total hundreds of years. It goes onto say: 'Their existence in this article has presented a resource of nutritious and flavorful meals in typical moments and it has been an essential help to human survival in times of distress and demanding require.'
Chortle if you want. The persons of Wausau will laugh with you - although downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.