There's a area in Florida that crafted a twelve-foot-substantial monument in the course of town to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would anybody may well love to do that?
Very well, to start with, heroes take effort and time to return by in this commit Florida - the Panhandle capital of scotland - Wausau, home of below five hundred persons throughout Washington County about ten miles south of Chipley.
Why not the possum, an unlikely hero To place it mildly? No one else places the possum in excess of a pedestal. Why not Wausau?
Secondly, back again 1982, Wausau obtained sick and tired of staying neglected While using the Florida lists of fun, fairs and festivals. Each devote Florida requires a Pageant. Rather than one commit Florida includes a Possum Competition. Why don't you Wausau?
If you have not gone to Washington County, you probably will Consider I am producing this up. In case you have visited Washington County, you'll realize - and know this is a true Tale.
Wausau, it proved, had some fairly strong possum politicians in early '80s. Listed here are some things they accomplished:


They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the Preliminary Saturday in August as Possum Day in Florida. That led towards the setting up from the monument alongside Condition Highway seventy seven in Wausau.

They even acquired The us Congress in marketing the possum. Congress joined the fun by providing the resources for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau would've a site to assist its yearly Pleasurable Working day and Possum Pageant. That includes a queen contest and possum auction, amid other points, the Pageant draws in A large number of people yearly, and they like it.
Trip for a great deal of educating of Northerners here. The South's possum is identical lowly animal you get in touch with opossum, (Why use seven letters when six can perform?) It is a smallish marsupial that life in trees and reveals its unsightly human Possum Pest Control Melbourne body only during the night time. This is why, whenever you end up in the proper dedicate Florida, you may hear possum hunters' pet dogs baying and barking. Treed by canine, the possum 'freezes', so it's not so hard to hook (or shoot) just one.
An inscription on the monument in the course of Wausau cites the possum's role in providing 'both of those fur and foods' with the hundreds of years. It goes onto say: 'Their presence below has supplied a useful resource of nutritious and flavorful food items in usual moments and it's got been A necessary support to human survival in occasions of distress and demanding have to have.'
Giggle if you like. The men and women of Wausau will snicker with you - though downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.