There's a spend Florida that designed a 12-foot-higher monument in the middle of town to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would everyone may possibly love to do that?
Very well, to get started on, heroes are tricky to receive in this put in Florida - the Panhandle city of Wausau, household of a lot less than five hundred people in the course of Washington County about ten miles south of Chipley.
Why don't you the possum, an unlikely hero to put it mildly? No person else places the possum on the pedestal. Why not Wausau?
Secondly, again 1982, Wausau received fed up with currently being overlooked with the Florida lists of enjoyable, fairs and festivals. Every single put set up Florida desires a festival. Rather than a person place set up Florida includes a Possum Pageant. Why don't you Wausau?
If you have not attended Washington County, you probably will think I'm causeing this being up. Should you have frequented Washington County, you may comprehend - and know Here is the real story.
Wausau, it proved, had some really effective possum politicians noisy . '80s. Allow me to share several points they accomplished:


They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the initial Saturday in August as Possum Working day in Florida. That led on the creating With all the monument together State Freeway seventy seven in Wausau.

They even received America Congress in marketing the possum. Congress joined the fun by providing the funds for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau may have a locale to maintain its annual Exciting Day and Possum Competition. Showcasing a queen contest and possum auction, between other points, the Pageant attracts A large number of folks annually, plus they adore it.
Outing for some educating of Northerners below. The South's possum is similar lowly animal you simply call opossum, (Why use seven letters when 6 will do?) It is a smallish marsupial that lives in trees and displays its unappealing body only at night. This is exactly why, when you're inside appropriate dedicate Florida, you may listen to possum hunters' canines baying and barking. Treed by puppies, the possum 'freezes', so It is really uncomplicated to entice (or shoot) one particular.
An inscription within the monument throughout Wausau cites the possum's position in furnishing 'the two fur and food items' through the entire hundreds of years. It goes to say: 'Their existence below has delivered a resource of nutritious and flavorful foods in typical instances and it's been a crucial assist to human survival a great deal more distress and demanding want.'
Laugh If you prefer. The people of Wausau will chuckle with you - although Possum removal Brighton downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.