There's a put in place Florida that built a 12-foot-high monument in the heart of town to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would anyone might like to do that?
Well, first off, heroes are hard to find in this place in Florida - the Panhandle capital of scotland- Wausau, home of fewer than 500 persons in the heart of Washington County about 10 miles south of Chipley.
Why not the possum, an unlikely hero to say the least? Nobody else puts the possum on the pedestal. Why not Wausau?
Secondly, back Possum Proofing Melbourne , Wausau got sick and tired of being left out of the Florida lists of fun, fairs and festivals. Every invest Florida wants a festival. And not one invest Florida includes a Possum Festival. Why not Wausau?
If you haven't gone to Washington County, you probably will think I'm thus, making this up. If you have attended Washington County, you'll understand - and know this is the true story.
Wausau, it ended up, had some pretty powerful possum politicians in early '80s. Here are a couple of things they accomplished:
They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the initial Saturday in August as Possum Day in Florida. That led to the building in the monument along State Highway 77 in Wausau.
They even got the United States Congress to advertise the possum. Congress joined the fun by the funds for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau would have an area to hold its annual Fun Day and Possum Festival. Featuring a queen contest and possum auction, among other things, the festival attracts thousands of people each and every year, and they find it irresistible.
Time out for a lot of educating of Northerners here. The South's possum is similar lowly animal you call opossum, (Why use seven letters when six will perform?) It's a smallish marsupial that lives in trees and shows its ugly body only at night. https://www.paulthepossumcatcher.com.au/areas-serviced/ 's why, when you're within the right put in place Florida, you can hear possum hunters' dogs baying and barking. Treed by dogs, the possum 'freezes', so it's not so difficult to hook (or shoot) one.
An inscription for the monument in the heart of Wausau cites the possum's role in providing 'both fur and food' through the entire centuries. It goes on say: 'Their presence here has provided a source of nutritious and flavorful food in normal times and contains been an important assist to human survival much more distress and critical need.'
Possum Control Melbourne if you like. The people of Wausau will laugh along - while downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.