An area in Florida - Let's Cheer the Lowly Possum
An area in Florida - Let's Cheer the Lowly Possum
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There's a devote Florida that built a twelve-foot-higher monument in the midst of town to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would any one want to do that?
Properly, to start with off, heroes acquire effort and time to seek out on this spend Florida - the Panhandle town of Wausau, household of under five hundred people in the middle of Washington County about ten miles south of Chipley.
Why not the possum, an not likely hero as you'd probably assume? No one else places the possum on the pedestal. Why don't you Wausau?
Secondly, again in 1982, Wausau received Ill and exhausted with remaining left out Along with the Florida lists of entertaining, fairs and festivals. Every dedicate Florida would like a festival. And not one place in Florida provides a Possum Pageant. Why not Wausau?
If you haven't attended Washington County, you probably will Believe I'm making this up. When you've got been to Washington County, you will recognize - and know this is the accurate story.
Wausau, it ended up, had some pretty effective possum politicians throughout the early '80s. Listed below are two issues they achieved:
They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the 1st Saturday in August as Possum Day in Florida. That led on the creating from the monument along Point out Freeway 77 in Wausau.
They even acquired the United States Congress to market the possum. Congress joined the Possum Catcher Melbourne pleasurable by the money for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau could possibly have a location to assistance its yearly Exciting Day and Possum Pageant. That includes a queen contest and possum auction, among the other things, the Pageant appeals to A huge number of folks Each individual and every year, plus they adore it.
Day out for some educating of Northerners in this article. The South's possum may be the similar lowly animal you call opossum, (Why use seven letters when six will do?) It is a smallish marsupial that life in trees and shows its unpleasant human body only at night. That is why, when you are Within the suitable place in position Florida, you may listen to possum hunters' dogs baying and barking. Treed by canine, the possum 'freezes', so It is really not so hard capture (or shoot) a person.
An inscription round the monument in the heart of Wausau cites the possum's purpose in offering 'both fur and food items' all over the hundreds of years. It goes on say: 'Their presence in this article has offered an origin of nutritious and flavorful foods in usual occasions and has been a substantial support to human survival far more distress and important need to have.'
Chuckle if you want. The men and women of Wausau will chortle in addition to you - when downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.