There is a commit Florida that crafted a 12-foot-significant monument in the middle of city to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would any person want to do that?
Nicely, to start with, heroes take effort and time to have in just this dedicate Florida - the Panhandle city of Wausau, house of under five hundred persons through Washington County about 10 miles south of Chipley.
Why not the possum, an not likely hero as you should assume? No person else puts the possum on the pedestal. Why not Wausau?
Secondly, very last 1982, Wausau got Unwell and tired of staying left out from your Florida lists of exciting, fairs and festivals. Just about every place in position Florida requires a Competition. And never a single location in Florida incorporates a Possum Festival. Why not Wausau?
If you've got under no circumstances attended Washington County, you almost certainly will Consider I am generating this up. Should you have been to Washington County, you can expect to realize - and know it is a genuine Tale.
Wausau, it turned out, experienced some really potent possum politicians in the early '80s. Listed here are two factors 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 with the monument alongside Point out Highway seventy seven in Wausau.

They even received the United States Congress to sector the possum. Congress joined the entertaining by the cash for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau might need a place to assist its yearly Exciting Day and Possum Competition. Showcasing a queen contest and possum auction, between other matters, the Pageant draws in 1000s of persons yearly, and Additionally they like it.
Day out for any several educating of Northerners in this article. The South's possum is the equivalent lowly animal you get in touch with opossum, (Why use 7 letters when 6 will do?) It is a smallish marsupial that lives in trees and exhibits its unattractive physique only at get more info nighttime. This is exactly why, when you're within the ideal invest Florida, you are able to hear possum hunters' pet dogs baying and barking. Treed by dogs, the possum 'freezes', so It's going to be simple to capture (or shoot) one particular.
An inscription within the monument in the middle of Wausau cites the possum's job in delivering 'each fur and food items' through the hundreds of years. It goes on to say: 'Their existence right here has furnished a resource of nutritious and flavorful foodstuff in normal instances and incorporates been an important assist to human survival when in distress and significant will need.'
Chortle if you'd prefer. The people of Wausau will snicker coupled with you - whilst downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.