A Place in Florida - Let's Cheer the Lowly Possum
A Place in Florida - Let's Cheer the Lowly Possum
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There's a put set up Florida that built a twelve-foot-superior monument in the midst of city to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would any person want to accomplish that?
Nicely, initially off, heroes acquire time and effort to come back by within just this commit Florida - the Panhandle city of Wausau, dwelling of fewer than five hundred persons in the center of Washington County about 10 miles south of Chipley.
Why don't you the possum, an unlikely hero as you'd probably expect? No one else puts the possum which has a pedestal. Why don't you Wausau?
Secondly, last 1982, Wausau got fed up with getting overlooked While using the Florida lists of enjoyable, fairs and festivals. Each and every spend Florida requires a Pageant. Instead of just one dedicate Florida carries a Possum Festival. Why not Wausau?
If you haven't been to Washington County, you probably will Assume I am causeing this to become up. When you've got attended Washington County, you can expect to realize - and know this is the real story.
Wausau, it turned out, had some quite strong possum politicians in early '80s. Listed below are a handful of points they completed:
They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the primary Saturday in August as Possum Working day in Possum removal Caulfield Florida. That led for the developing While using the monument along Condition Freeway seventy seven in Wausau.
They even acquired America Congress to market the possum. Congress joined the exciting by providing the money for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau would've an area to carry its once-a-year Enjoyment Working day and Possum Pageant. That includes a queen contest and possum auction, between other points, the Pageant attracts Many individuals each and every year, and so that they like it.
Day trip for many educating of Northerners right here. The South's possum is similar lowly animal you simply call opossum, (Why use 7 letters when 6 will conduct?) It is a smallish marsupial that lives in trees and demonstrates its unappealing physique only at nighttime. This is exactly why, when you are inside the appropriate invest Florida, you are able to listen to possum hunters' canines baying and barking. Treed by canines, the possum 'freezes', so It is not complicated to trap (or shoot) one particular.
An inscription with the monument in the middle of Wausau cites the possum's job in supplying 'both fur and foodstuff' with the complete hundreds of years. It goes to say: 'Their existence in this article has delivered a resource of nutritious and flavorful foods in regular times and possesses been a big assistance to human survival through moments of distress and critical want.'
Laugh if you prefer. The people of Wausau will laugh alongside - while downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.