A Place in Florida - Let us Cheer the Lowly Possum
A Place in Florida - Let us Cheer the Lowly Possum
Blog Article
There is a place in Florida that constructed a twelve-foot-large monument in the heart of town to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would any individual could like to do that?
Perfectly, very first off, heroes just take effort and time to investigate With this put in Florida - the Panhandle town of Wausau, house of less than 500 individuals during Washington County about 10 miles south of Chipley.
Why don't you the possum, an unlikely hero understandably? No person else puts the possum more than a pedestal. Why don't you Wausau?
Next, back again in 1982, Wausau obtained Fed up with staying disregarded from the Florida lists of pleasurable, fairs and festivals. Just about every dedicate Florida needs a festival. And not one particular devote Florida includes a Possum Festival. Why not Wausau?
If you haven't visited Washington County, you probably will Assume I am making this up. In case you have gone to Washington County, you will realize - and know that is a real Tale.
Wausau, it turned out, experienced some quite highly effective possum politicians noisy . '80s. Listed below are a set of things they attained:
They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the primary Saturday in August as Possum Working day in Florida. That led towards the building While using the monument alongside Point out Freeway seventy seven in Wausau.
They even got The us Congress in marketing the possum. Congress joined the pleasurable through furnishing the cash for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau might have a place to hold its once-a-year Fun Working day and Possum Pageant. That includes a queen contest and possum auction, between other factors, the festival draws in many people on a yearly basis, and so they like it.
Trip for many educating of Northerners listed here. The South's possum is identical lowly animal you call opossum, (Why use seven letters when six will do?) It is a smallish marsupial that life in trees and reveals its unattractive system only at nighttime. That is why, For anyone who is inside the proper put in position Florida, you could listen to possum hunters' canine baying and barking. Treed by dogs, the possum 'freezes', so It will likely be not challenging to entice (or shoot) one read more particular.
An inscription regarding the monument in the heart of Wausau cites the possum's position in supplying 'each fur and food items' throughout the centuries. It goes on to say: 'Their presence here has supplied an origin of nutritious and flavorful foods in standard times and possesses been a significant help to human survival in the course of situations of distress and demanding require.'
Laugh if you want. The folks of Wausau will giggle together - when downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.