There's a spot in Florida that crafted a 12-foot-substantial monument during town to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would any individual might like to do that?
Very well, to start, heroes are tough to come by On this put set up Florida - the Panhandle money of scotland- Wausau, house of less than 500 individuals in the guts of Washington County about 10 miles south of Chipley.
Why not the possum, an unlikely hero understandably? No one else places the possum more than a pedestal. Why don't you Wausau?
Secondly, again in 1982, Wausau received Sick and tired of getting left out Using the Florida lists of fun, fairs and festivals. Every single commit Florida desires a Competition. Rather than 1 invest Florida carries a Possum Pageant. Why don't you Wausau?
If you have never long gone to Washington County, you most likely will Assume I am developing this up. When you have visited Washington County, you may recognize - and know this can be a correct Tale.
Wausau, it turned out, experienced some rather effective possum politicians within the early '80s. Here i will discuss two factors they completed:


They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the Original Saturday in August as Possum Day in Florida. That led on the building Together with the monument along Condition Highway 77 in Wausau.

They even obtained America Congress to promote the possum. Congress joined the enjoyable by delivering the cash for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau might have a location to support its once-a-year Enjoyment Working day and Possum Pageant. Featuring a queen contest and possum auction, among the other issues, the Competition draws in heaps of individuals yearly, additionally they like it.
Day out For several educating of Northerners in this article. The South's possum is the same lowly animal you call opossum, (Why use seven letters when six will execute?) It's a smallish marsupial that life in trees and reveals its unsightly overall body only at night. That is why, if you end up more info In the ideal place in Florida, you'll be able to hear possum hunters' dogs baying and barking. Treed by dogs, the possum 'freezes', so it is actually not so difficult to hook (or shoot) one particular.
An inscription across the monument throughout Wausau cites the possum's job in delivering 'each fur and food stuff' from the whole generations. It goes to say: 'Their presence listed here has provided a source of nutritious and flavorful food in typical situations and includes been a substantial enable to human survival for the duration of situations of distress and important need.'
Chuckle in case you'd desire. The men and women of Wausau will giggle together with you - though downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.