There's a invest Florida that designed a 12-foot-significant monument in the center of town to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would any person could like to do that?
Well, to get started with, heroes are really hard to come back by within just this devote Florida - the Panhandle funds of scotland- Wausau, dwelling of lower than five hundred persons throughout Washington County about ten miles south of Chipley.
Why not the possum, an unlikely hero to put it mildly? Nobody else places the possum around a pedestal. Why not Wausau?
Next, again 1982, Wausau bought Ill and Uninterested in currently being omitted Together with the Florida lists of fun, fairs and festivals. Just about every make investments Florida demands a festival. And never a person place in Florida contains a Possum Competition. Why don't you Wausau?
If you have not visited Washington County, you almost certainly will Believe I'm causeing this being up. For those who have been to Washington County, you may fully grasp - and know Here is the real Tale.
Wausau, it wound up, experienced some quite powerful possum politicians while in the early '80s. Listed below are certain things they accomplished:


They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the initial Saturday in August as Possum Working day in Florida. That led for the creating from the monument alongside Point out Highway 77 in Wausau.

They even bought The us Congress to current market the possum. Congress joined the fun by giving the money for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau might have an Possum removal Brighton area to hold its once-a-year Enjoyable Working day and Possum Competition. That includes a queen contest and possum auction, between other matters, the Competition draws in Countless people today yearly, they usually like it.
Day trip for many educating of Northerners right here. The South's possum is identical lowly animal you call opossum, (Why use seven letters when 6 will do?) It is a smallish marsupial that lives in trees and demonstrates its ugly physique only at nighttime. This is exactly why, once you find yourself inside the appropriate dedicate Florida, you are able to listen to possum hunters' canines baying and barking. Treed by dogs, the possum 'freezes', so it can be simple to hook (or shoot) 1.
An inscription over the monument in the center of Wausau cites the possum's function in offering 'equally fur and food stuff' throughout the overall hundreds of years. It goes to say: 'Their existence in this article has delivered an origin of nutritious and flavorful meals in regular times and contains been a major assist to human survival in the course of times of distress and demanding have to have.'
Chuckle if you like. The people of Wausau will giggle together - though downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.