A location in Florida - Let's Cheer the Lowly Possum

There's a spot in Florida that constructed a 12-foot-high monument in the course of town to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would everyone want to accomplish that?
Perfectly, to start out, heroes are tough for getting using this put set up Florida - the Panhandle town of Wausau, dwelling of less than 500 folks in the guts of Washington County about ten miles south of Chipley.
Why not the possum, an unlikely hero to state the the very least? No person else places the possum on a pedestal. Why don't you Wausau?
Next, again in 1982, Wausau got Bored with currently being ignored within the Florida lists of entertaining, fairs and festivals. Every single set in position Florida requires a Competition. Rather than one particular devote Florida provides a Possum Pageant. Why don't you Wausau?
If you haven't visited Washington County, you almost certainly will Imagine I'm causeing this to get up. If you have been to Washington County, you can expect to recognize - and know This is actually the genuine Tale.
Wausau, it turned out, had some rather impressive possum politicians within the early '80s. Here i will discuss a pair of factors they attained:


They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the 1st Saturday in August as Possum Working day in Florida. That led to your making in the monument alongside Point out Freeway 77 in Wausau.

They even acquired the United States Congress in marketing the possum. Congress joined the fun by means of giving the resources for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau might have a locale to carry its once-a-year Enjoyment read more Working day and Possum Pageant. That includes a queen contest and possum auction, amongst other factors, the Pageant attracts A huge number of men and women each and every year, and so they love it.
Outing For several educating of Northerners in this article. The South's possum may be the similar lowly animal you connect with opossum, (Why use 7 letters when 6 can do?) It's a smallish marsupial that lives in trees and displays its unappealing human body only during the night time. That's why, if you're during the right place in Florida, you could hear possum hunters' dogs baying and barking. Treed by pet dogs, the possum 'freezes', hence it truly is not so challenging to hook (or shoot) one.
An inscription to the monument during Wausau cites the possum's function in delivering 'both of those fur and meals' throughout the complete centuries. It goes on to say: 'Their existence below has furnished a resource of nutritious and flavorful food in normal situations and possesses been an important help to human survival in occasions of distress and critical need to have.'
Laugh if you want. The persons of Wausau will chortle together with you - while downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.