A Place in Florida - Let us Cheer the Lowly Possum
A Place in Florida - Let us Cheer the Lowly Possum
Blog Article
There is a location in Florida that designed a 12-foot-significant monument in the middle of town to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would any one really need to do that?
Effectively, to begin with, heroes are complicated to discover using this devote Florida - the Panhandle capital of scotland - Wausau, household of beneath five hundred persons in the course of Washington County about ten miles south of Chipley.
Why not the possum, an unlikely hero to say the the very least? No person else places the possum which has a pedestal. Why don't you Wausau?
Secondly, back again in 1982, Wausau acquired sick and tired with being disregarded Along with the Florida lists of entertaining, fairs and festivals. Every single place set up Florida desires a festival. And never a single devote Florida carries a Possum Pageant. Why don't you Wausau?
If you have never been to Washington County, you probably will Consider I am generating this up. In case you have been to Washington County, you may recognize - and know this can be a correct Tale.
Wausau, it ended up, experienced some pretty impressive possum politicians through the early '80s. Listed below are two issues they completed:
They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the very very first Saturday in August as Possum Day in Florida. That led for the making in the monument along Point out Highway seventy seven in Wausau.
They even bought America Congress to advertise the possum. Congress joined the enjoyable by offering the resources for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau may have an area to carry its yearly Fun Working day and Possum Competition. Showcasing a queen contest and possum auction, amid other issues, the festival attracts many people Each individual and each year, and so that they like it.
Day out for many educating of Northerners below. The South's possum may be the similar lowly animal you call opossum, (Why use seven letters when six will probably do?) It is a smallish marsupial that life in trees and shows its hideous body only at nighttime. This is exactly why, when you are Within the correct spot in Florida, you could hear possum hunters' pet dogs baying and barking. Treed by puppies, the possum 'freezes', so it can be not challenging to capture (or shoot) a person.
An inscription about the monument in the midst of Wausau cites the possum's position in furnishing 'both of those fur and food items' throughout the generations. It goes to say: 'Their presence listed here has furnished a source of nutritious and flavorful food in usual instances and it's got been a crucial support to human survival considerably more click here distress and important want.'
Chuckle if you like. The persons of Wausau will snicker in addition to you - whilst downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.