There's a spend Florida that built a 12-foot-higher monument in the middle of town to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would everyone need to do that?
Perfectly, to get started on, heroes just take effort and time to analysis with this spot in Florida - the Panhandle town of Wausau, property of fewer than 500 persons for the duration of Washington County about ten miles south of Chipley.
Why don't you the possum, an unlikely hero To place it mildly? No person else puts the possum over the pedestal. Why not Wausau?
Next, again in 1982, Wausau got Unwell and fatigued with being overlooked Using the Florida lists of enjoyable, fairs and festivals. Each individual place in Florida requires a Competition. Rather than one put in Florida carries a Possum Festival. Why not Wausau?
If you haven't visited Washington County, you probably will Feel I am developing this up. In case you have absent to Washington County, you can expect to recognize - and know It's a correct story.
Wausau, it ended up, experienced some fairly strong possum politicians through the early '80s. Here's a number of items they completed:


They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the incredibly initially Saturday in August as Possum Day in Florida. That led to the developing on the monument alongside Point out Highway seventy seven in Wausau.

They even bought The usa Congress in endorsing the possum. Congress joined the entertaining by offering the money for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau could have a spot to carry its annual Exciting Working day and Possum Competition. Showcasing a queen contest and possum auction, amid other items, the festival attracts A lot of people each year, and so they like it.
Outing For a lot here of educating of Northerners in this article. The South's possum is comparable lowly animal you simply call opossum, (Why use seven letters when six is going to do?) It's a smallish marsupial that lives in trees and exhibits its unpleasant system only at nighttime. This is why, when you are within the right position in Florida, it is possible to listen to possum hunters' puppies baying and barking. Treed by puppies, the possum 'freezes', so it's not so tough to hook (or shoot) just one.
An inscription about the monument in the center of Wausau cites the possum's job in furnishing 'both of those fur and foodstuff' from the full centuries. It goes on say: 'Their presence below has delivered an origin of nutritious and flavorful food stuff in standard moments and possesses been an important enable to human survival during moments of distress and important have to have.'
Laugh if you love. The people today of Wausau will giggle with you - although downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.