WAUSAU, Fla. (WMBB) — It’s the time of the summer when a Washington County town pays tribute to a certain marsupial.
The 53rd annual Possum Festival took place in Wausau on Saturday, and just about the whole community came out to partake in the festivities.
“This parade is really awesome,” festival-goer James Anderson said. “My kids love this parade and the inflatables are great and the music is great and there’s always good food and it sure is nice just to be around with the people.”
Wausau has a population of fewer than 400 people, and the Possum Festival is just about the biggest day of the year for the town.
“This is a unique area,” Possum Festival Chairman James Walsingham said. “We love it. But we are handicapped in some of the things that we do because we don’t have a lot of businesses out here that can support activities so this is a big event for us. It gives us an opportunity to raise funds so we can give back to this community and provide things for the kids to do.”
The proceeds raised during the festival help fund scholarships for graduating high school seniors.
This past year, three lucky students were awarded $4,000 scholarships from the money raised by the Possum Festival.
The festival also helps out the younger kids in Wausau.
“It’s just a big boost for our economy and for our recreation club, the one that does the ball teams and all for the kids, it’s a big boost for them,” Wausau Development Club President Steve Taylor said.
The event featured the parade, a possum king and queen, vendors, rides for kids, food, and even possums for auctioning.
Taylor hopes this event continues to grow for the next 53 years and beyond.