A Place in Florida - Let's Cheer the Lowly Possum
A Place in Florida - Let's Cheer the Lowly Possum
Blog Article
There's a place set up Florida that built a 12-foot-significant monument in the heart of town to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would any one should do that?
Effectively, to start, heroes are challenging to locate On this area in Florida - the Panhandle city of Wausau, house of below 500 persons in the center of Washington County about 10 miles south of Chipley.
Why don't you the possum, an unlikely hero as you'd probably anticipate? Nobody else places the possum on a pedestal. Why don't you Wausau?
Next, last 1982, Wausau obtained Ill and exhausted with staying overlooked from your Florida lists of enjoyable, fairs and festivals. Just about every place in Florida wants a festival. And never just one commit Florida provides a Possum Festival. Why not Wausau?
If you haven't frequented Washington County, you probably will think I'm building this up. When you've got long gone to Washington County, you can expect to fully grasp - and know it is a accurate Tale.
Wausau, it proved, experienced some fairly effective possum politicians in early '80s. Listed here are certain things they achieved:
They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the very to start with Saturday in August as Possum Working day in Florida. That led for the building during the monument along Condition Freeway seventy seven in Wausau.
They even obtained the United States Congress to industry the possum. Congress joined the pleasurable by furnishing the resources for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau could possibly have a location to keep its once-a-year Fun Working day and Possum Pageant. Featuring a queen contest and possum auction, amongst other issues, the festival appeals to Many of us every year, as well as they obtain it irresistible.
Time out for many educating of Northerners in this article. The South's possum is similar lowly animal you get in touch with opossum, (Why use 7 letters when six can do?) It is a smallish marsupial that life in trees and reveals its ugly physique only during the night time. That's why, after you end up within the correct dedicate Florida, it is possible to hear possum hunters' canines baying and barking. Treed by check here canines, the possum 'freezes', so it can be quick to catch (or shoot) one particular.
An inscription within the monument in the center of Wausau cites the possum's function in furnishing 'both equally fur and foods' with the full centuries. It goes to say: 'Their existence here has furnished a resource of nutritious and flavorful food items in normal moments and consists of been a crucial help to human survival in moments of distress and significant will need.'
Snicker if you want. The folks of Wausau will giggle with you - when downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.