An area in Florida - Let's Cheer the Lowly Possum
An area in Florida - Let's Cheer the Lowly Possum
Blog Article
There's a devote Florida that created a twelve-foot-higher monument in the heart of town to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would any individual may possibly love to do that?
Nicely, very first off, heroes are complicated to receive with this place in place Florida - the Panhandle city of Wausau, property of fewer than 500 people in the center of Washington County about ten miles south of Chipley.
Why don't you the possum, an not likely hero to put it mildly? No one else places the possum over a pedestal. Why don't you Wausau?
Next, back again 1982, Wausau received Unwell and Sick and tired of staying ignored While using the Florida lists of entertaining, fairs and festivals. Every single dedicate Florida desires a Competition. Rather than one particular put in position Florida contains a Possum Festival. Why don't you Wausau?
If you have not visited Washington County, you most likely will Assume I am causeing this for being up. In case you have been to Washington County, you are going to understand - and know Here is the accurate story.
Wausau, it ended up, experienced some pretty effective possum politicians from the early '80s. Listed below are a pair of issues they completed:
They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the incredibly initially Saturday in August as Possum Working day in Florida. That led on the constructing in the monument along Condition Freeway seventy seven in Wausau.
They even acquired America Congress to industry the possum. Congress joined the fun by giving the funds for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau could possibly have a location to hold its once-a-year Enjoyment Working day and Possum Pageant. That includes a queen contest and possum auction, between other points, the Pageant draws in 1000s of persons on a yearly basis, they usually like it.
Day trip for loads of educating of Northerners listed here. The South's possum is similar lowly animal you contact opossum, (Why use seven letters when six can perform?) It is a smallish marsupial that life in trees and shows its read more unpleasant overall body only at night. That's why, whenever you end up in the correct commit Florida, you are able to listen to possum hunters' puppies baying and barking. Treed by dogs, the possum 'freezes', so it truly is easy to catch (or shoot) a single.
An inscription on the monument in the middle of Wausau cites the possum's purpose in providing 'each fur and foodstuff' with the total hundreds of years. It goes to say: 'Their existence in this article has delivered a source of nutritious and flavorful foods in typical instances and includes been a major help to human survival in the course of instances of distress and important require.'
Laugh in case you'd favor. The people today of Wausau will laugh together - while downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.