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

There is a place set up Florida that constructed a twelve-foot-large monument in the middle of town to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would everyone must do that?
Very well, to get started with, heroes consider time and effort to locate in this devote Florida - the Panhandle cash of scotland- Wausau, residence of less than 500 persons in the guts of Washington County about 10 miles south of Chipley.
Why don't you the possum, an not likely hero understandably? No person else puts the possum more than a pedestal. Why not Wausau?
Next, back again 1982, Wausau obtained Sick and tired of being omitted Together with the Florida lists of exciting, fairs and festivals. Every area in Florida requires a Competition. Instead of 1 commit Florida carries a Possum Competition. Why don't you Wausau?
If you've got by no means visited Washington County, you most likely will Assume I am producing this up. When you've got attended Washington County, you may understand - and know this can be a accurate story.
Wausau, it wound up, experienced some fairly powerful possum politicians during the early '80s. Here are two matters they accomplished:


They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the quite very first Saturday in August as Possum Day in Florida. That led to the making while in the monument together State Freeway seventy seven in Wausau.

They even received America Congress to promote the possum. Congress joined the enjoyable by giving the money for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau might need an area to help keep its annual Entertaining Day and Possum Pageant. That includes a queen contest and possum auction, among the other things, the festival attracts loads of people each and every year, furthermore they like it.
Trip for the handful of educating of Northerners right here. The South's possum is similar lowly animal you phone opossum, (Why use seven letters when 6 can do?) It's a smallish marsupial that life in trees and displays its unsightly body only in the evening. That is why, if you're inside the right devote Florida, you could hear possum hunters' canine baying and barking. Treed by canines, the possum 'freezes', so It is really not tough to entice (or shoot) one.
An inscription about the monument in the center of Wausau cites the possum's position in furnishing 'both of those fur and food' through the entire hundreds of years. It goes onto say: 'Their existence in this article has delivered an origin of nutritious and flavorful foods in typical occasions and possesses been a crucial guide to human survival through instances of distress and important will need.'
Chuckle here if you like. The men and women of Wausau will snicker with you - even though downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.