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

There is a place in position Florida that crafted a 12-foot-significant monument in the midst of city to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would any one could possibly love to do that?
Effectively, to get started on, heroes are challenging to acquire within just this commit Florida - the Panhandle capital of scotland - Wausau, dwelling of less than 500 folks in the midst of Washington County about ten miles south of Chipley.
Why not the possum, an unlikely hero to mention the the very least? No person else places the possum with a pedestal. Why not Wausau?
Next, last 1982, Wausau acquired sick and Bored with getting disregarded from your Florida lists of entertaining, fairs and festivals. Just about every spend Florida demands a festival. Instead of a person set in place Florida carries a Possum Pageant. Why not Wausau?
If you haven't attended Washington County, you probably will Imagine I'm generating this up. In case you have been to Washington County, you are going to fully grasp - and know this is the legitimate Tale.
Wausau, it turned out, had some fairly highly effective possum politicians during the early '80s. Here's two points they achieved:


They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the Preliminary Saturday in August as Possum Day in Florida. That led on the setting up while in the monument alongside Point out Freeway seventy seven in Wausau.

They even acquired The us Congress to promote the possum. Congress joined the fun by supplying the funds for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau could have a region to guidance its yearly Enjoyable Day and Possum Competition. Featuring a queen contest and possum auction, between other factors, the Pageant draws in Countless persons each and every year, and in order more info that they like it.
Day trip for some educating of Northerners below. The South's possum is similar lowly animal you contact opossum, (Why use 7 letters when 6 will carry out?) It's a smallish marsupial that lives in trees and reveals its ugly system only during the night time. This is exactly why, if you are in the proper commit Florida, you may hear possum hunters' pet dogs baying and barking. Treed by pet dogs, the possum 'freezes', hence it can be not difficult to lure (or shoot) one.
An inscription to the monument in the middle of Wausau cites the possum's part in delivering 'both fur and foodstuff' through the generations. It goes on say: 'Their presence here has presented a resource of nutritious and flavorful meals in regular instances and possesses been a major assist to human survival all through times of distress and significant require.'
Snicker if you want. The people today of Wausau will chuckle alongside - whilst downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.