November 6, 1915

B. S. Petefish organized the first Polk County Possum Club banquet, which was held at the Hotel Mena. The “sumptuous meal” featured baked opossums (commonly called “possums”) and all the trimmings, with a dash of “fun, nonsense and good fellowship.” The Polk County Possum Club began with a challenge issued to local hunters of opossums in 1913 and henceforth hosted yearly banquets of opossum meat and side dishes until 1947, though it was active again for five years in the 1990s.