A Place in Florida - Let's Cheer the Lowly Possum
A Place in Florida - Let's Cheer the Lowly Possum
Blog Article
There is a devote Florida that created a 12-foot-high monument in the midst of city to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would any individual choose to do that?
Perfectly, to begin with, heroes get effort and time to get within just this put in Florida - the Panhandle city of Wausau, property of beneath 500 persons in the middle of Washington County about 10 miles south of Chipley.
Why don't you the possum, an unlikely hero as you would probably be expecting? Nobody else places the possum over a pedestal. Why not Wausau?
Next, past 1982, Wausau bought sick and tired of being disregarded in the Florida lists of entertaining, fairs and festivals. Each set in position Florida needs a festival. Instead of one particular area in Florida carries a Possum Pageant. Why not Wausau?
If you have not attended Washington County, you most likely will think I'm building this up. If you have been to Washington County, you'll fully grasp - and know it is a true Tale.
Wausau, it turned out, experienced some rather strong possum politicians in the course of the early '80s. Listed below are two issues they achieved:
They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the Preliminary Saturday in August as Possum Working day in Florida. That led to the constructing of the monument alongside Condition Freeway seventy seven in Wausau.
They even obtained The usa Congress to marketplace the possum. Congress joined the fun by supplying the funds for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau might have an area to hold its yearly Pleasurable Working day and Possum Competition. Featuring a queen contest and possum auction, amid other factors, the Competition attracts tons of people Each individual and website each year, they usually adore it.
Time out for lots of educating of Northerners here. The South's possum is similar lowly animal you get in touch with opossum, (Why use 7 letters when 6 is going to do?) It is a smallish marsupial that life in trees and exhibits its unattractive body only at nighttime. This is exactly why, Should you be inside of ideal place in position Florida, you may hear possum hunters' pet dogs baying and barking. Treed by puppies, the possum 'freezes', so It is simple ample seize (or shoot) a person.
An inscription with regards to the monument in the guts of Wausau cites the possum's part in providing 'both equally fur and meals' throughout the generations. It goes on to say: 'Their presence listed here has provided a source of nutritious and flavorful food stuff in typical periods and it has been a significant help to human survival in times of distress and critical have to have.'
Laugh if you want. The individuals of Wausau will chuckle with you - even though downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.