There's a devote Florida that designed a 12-foot-superior monument all through city to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would any individual would like to accomplish that?
Very well, to start out, heroes are difficult to investigation using this place in place Florida - the Panhandle town of Wausau, residence of beneath 500 folks in the guts of Washington County about ten miles south of Chipley.
Why not the possum, an unlikely hero to state the least? No person else places the possum with a pedestal. Why not Wausau?
Secondly, back in 1982, Wausau bought Fed up with getting omitted in the Florida lists of exciting, fairs and festivals. Each place in position Florida requires a festival. And never one particular devote Florida incorporates a Possum Festival. Why don't you Wausau?
If you have not frequented Washington County, you almost certainly will think I am causeing this to become up. For those who have been to Washington County, you'll recognize - and know this is the correct story.
Wausau, it turned out, experienced some rather strong possum politicians while in the early '80s. Listed here are a set of factors they achieved:


They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the very initial Saturday in August as Possum Working day in Florida. That led towards the creating in the monument alongside Condition Freeway seventy seven in Wausau.

They even acquired America Congress to marketplace the possum. Congress joined the entertaining by providing the money for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau can have a place to keep its annual Enjoyable Working day and Possum Competition. That includes a queen contest and possum auction, between other points, the Pageant attracts A huge number of men and women every year, they usually like it.
Day out for lots of educating of Northerners below. The South's possum is similar lowly animal you simply call opossum, (Why use 7 letters when 6 can perform?) It's a smallish marsupial that lives in trees and exhibits its hideous system only during the night. That's why, whenever you end up during the correct devote Florida, you are able to listen to possum hunters' puppies baying and barking. Treed by canines, the possum 'freezes', therefore it is not so hard capture (or shoot) one.
An inscription for the monument in the middle of Wausau cites the possum's job in supplying 'equally fur and food more info items' throughout the hundreds of years. It goes on to say: 'Their existence below has furnished a supply of nutritious and flavorful food in normal situations and has been a significant help to human survival a lot more distress and critical need to have.'
Laugh if you love. The folks of Wausau will snicker along - even though downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.