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

There's a put set up Florida that crafted a 12-foot-large monument in the middle of city to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would everyone wish to perform that?
Properly, to start out, heroes are hard to return by using this type of devote Florida - the Panhandle money of scotland- Wausau, home of fewer than 500 folks in the course of Washington County about ten miles south of Chipley.
Why not the possum, an not likely hero understandably? No person else puts the possum more than a pedestal. Why not Wausau?
Secondly, back again in 1982, Wausau bought Unwell and drained with getting ignored in the Florida lists of pleasurable, fairs and festivals. Every single location in Florida demands a Competition. And not a single position in Florida incorporates a Possum Pageant. Why not Wausau?
If you have never frequented Washington County, you probably will Consider I am making this up. Should you have visited Washington County, you'll have an understanding of - and know This is actually the true Tale.
Wausau, it turned out, had some pretty highly effective possum politicians in the course of the early '80s. Listed below are two things they completed:


They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the really first Saturday in August as Possum Working day in Florida. That led towards the building inside the monument along State Freeway 77 in Wausau.

They even received The us Congress to promote the possum. Congress joined the exciting by supplying the cash for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau might need a place to help keep its yearly Entertaining Working day and Possum Festival. That includes a queen contest and possum auction, among other factors, the Competition attracts tons of men and women Just about every and each year, and so they like it.
Day out For most educating of Northerners right here. The South's possum is equivalent lowly animal you call opossum, (Why use 7 letters when six is going to do?) It's a smallish marsupial that life in trees and reveals its unattractive system only during the night time. That's why, if you are Within the correct dedicate Florida, you could listen to possum hunters' dogs baying and barking. Treed by canines, the possum 'freezes', thus it truly is easy adequate to hook (or shoot) one.
An inscription to the monument in the center of Wausau here cites the possum's role in providing 'both fur and food stuff' over the whole hundreds of years. It goes to say: 'Their presence below has offered a resource of nutritious and flavorful foods in ordinary moments and has been a vital support to human survival in moments of distress and critical require.'
Chuckle when you'd want. The men and women of Wausau will giggle in addition to you - when downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.