An area in Florida - Let us Cheer the Lowly Possum
An area in Florida - Let us Cheer the Lowly Possum
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There is a location in Florida that designed a twelve-foot-substantial monument in the middle of town to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would anybody want to accomplish that?
Well, to start out, heroes just take time and effort to study In this particular spot in Florida - the Panhandle city of Wausau, home of less than five hundred individuals in the course of Washington County about ten miles south of Chipley.
Why not the possum, an unlikely hero to convey the least? No person else places the possum on the pedestal. Why don't you Wausau?
Next, again in 1982, Wausau obtained Fed up with getting disregarded inside the Florida lists of exciting, fairs and festivals. Every single put set up Florida needs a festival. Instead of just one devote Florida provides a Possum Festival. Why not Wausau?
If you haven't long gone to Washington County, you almost certainly will think I'm producing this up. When you've got long gone to Washington County, you'll fully grasp - and know This may be a real Tale.
Wausau, it proved, had some fairly highly effective possum politicians through the early '80s. Here's a couple of things they attained:
They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the first Saturday in August as Possum Working day in Florida. That led to your making Using the monument alongside Point out Freeway 77 in Wausau.
They even obtained the United States Congress to market the possum. Congress joined the exciting by the money for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau may have a place to hold its once-a-year Fun Working day and Possum Competition. That includes a queen contest and possum auction, between other points, the Pageant attracts Lots of individuals on a yearly basis, and Additionally they like it.
Day out for the couple of educating of Northerners listed here. The South's possum would be the equivalent lowly animal you get in touch with opossum, (Why use here 7 letters when 6 is going to do?) It's a smallish marsupial that lives in trees and displays its unattractive body only at nighttime. This is exactly why, if you are within appropriate area in Florida, you may hear possum hunters' dogs baying and barking. Treed by pet dogs, the possum 'freezes', hence it is actually not so challenging capture (or shoot) one particular.
An inscription for the monument in the midst of Wausau cites the possum's role in giving 'both fur and foods' in the centuries. It goes on to say: 'Their existence in this article has delivered a supply of nutritious and flavorful foods in regular occasions and it has been an important assist to human survival in periods of distress and significant require.'
Giggle if you want. The folks of Wausau will chortle along with you - even though downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.