A Place in Florida - Let's Cheer the Lowly Possum

There's a area in Florida that built a 12-foot-significant monument in the guts of town to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would any individual must do that?
Properly, to start with, heroes choose time and effort to get inside of this dedicate Florida - the Panhandle funds of scotland- Wausau, house of much less than 500 persons throughout Washington County about 10 miles south of Chipley.
Why don't you the possum, an unlikely hero To place it mildly? Nobody else places the possum to the pedestal. Why not Wausau?
Next, back in 1982, Wausau obtained Ill and tired with staying overlooked Together with the Florida lists of exciting, fairs and festivals. Every area in Florida would like a Competition. Instead of 1 dedicate Florida incorporates a Possum Pageant. Why not Wausau?
If you haven't been to Washington County, you almost certainly will Assume I'm Hence, producing this up. When you have long gone to Washington County, you can realize - and know this is the real story.
Wausau, it wound up, had some really impressive possum politicians from the early '80s. Listed below are a set of items they accomplished:


They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the 1st Saturday in August as Possum Day in Florida. That led to the constructing with the monument alongside Point out Freeway seventy seven in Wausau.

They even got The us Congress to advertise the possum. Congress joined the entertaining through supplying the money for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau could have a place to aid its once-a-year Pleasurable Day and Possum Festival. Featuring a queen contest and possum auction, among the other matters, the Competition draws in A huge number of folks on a yearly basis, and they also like it.
Time out for your handful of educating of Northerners listed here. The South's possum is identical lowly animal you simply call opossum, (Why use 7 letters when six will probably do?) It's a smallish marsupial that lives in trees and displays its unappealing entire body only in the evening. This is why, if you are within right put in place Florida, you'll be able to hear possum hunters' pet dogs baying and barking. Treed by canines, the possum 'freezes', so It can be very simple more than enough seize (or shoot) a single.
An inscription regarding the monument in the center of Wausau cites the possum's function in furnishing 'equally fur and foods' throughout the centuries. It goes on to say: 'Their existence here has presented a resource of nutritious and flavorful foodstuff in normal instances and it has been A necessary help to human survival when in distress and critical want.'
Giggle If you need. The people today of Wausau will Possum Pest Control Melbourne snicker in conjunction with you - whilst downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.