Seriously friends, it’s things like this that make me really glad I live in a somewhat quirky county in Colorado. Let me just add that I am not making any of this up, scouts honor. Also…sorry if you are offended by my gallows humor…I will be back with a quilt post later this week…promise.
Every year in the tiny town of Nederland Colorado they has an event called, Frozen Dead Guy Day. This is all in honor of Nederland’s most famous resident Bredo Morstol. It turns out that shortly after Bredo died in Norway his family brought his cryogenically frozen body to the U.S. He was kept in a “facility” until his grandson and daughter moved him to Nederland. No one knew any of this until the grandson was deported for outstaying his visa. As you can imagine, it was quite a sensation.The town tried to outlaw such behavior but there was such an uproar they had to pass a special exception, a “grandfather clause” to allow Bredo to stay (kinda gives new meaning to that legal phrase). Since then a cryogenic company has taken over preserving the body and he is now in a Tuff Shed.
The town of Nederland celebrates every year with the appropriately named event, Frozen Dead Guy Day. Happenings include coffins races, slow motion parade and a Dead Guy look alike contest. There is even a movie, Grandpa’s in the Tuff Shed and now an even more recent movie, Grandpa’s Still in the Tuff Shed. You can even take a tour of the Tuff Shed.
I sure do love living here!
P.S. aren’t you glad I refrained from sharing the Youtube video?
I love the quirkiness! I would love to see the You tube video!
Posted by: Camille | 03/08/2011 at 08:10 AM
I saw this on CBS Sunday Morning a few years ago. Nice to know the tradition continues. It make some of the people here in Maine look a bit more average... only a bit...
Posted by: Leslie in Maine | 03/08/2011 at 09:10 AM
So funny...thanks for enlightening me. I might need to add that to my "Celebrations to Join Someday" List.
Posted by: Debbie in Alaska | 03/08/2011 at 10:16 AM
I saw a show on the Smithsonian Channel called "America Wild & Wacky" that featured this event. It looked fun. I can't believe you live there. I guess it's a small internet after all.
Posted by: Michelle | 03/08/2011 at 10:37 AM
Good heavens, Nederland, that is where I live...!!!(The Netherlands that is to you people, fortunately for me...). Am I correct to assume from the photo that there are nine "Bredo"s so far? Weird!
Thanks for this information, Erin! :)
Digna
The Netherlands
Posted by: Digna | 03/08/2011 at 10:45 AM
Great, great from the Netherlands :)))
Posted by: Esse-Riekje Agter | 03/08/2011 at 12:09 PM
Bring on the video!!
That shed looks so redneck or something! Do they have 9 bodies frozen now?
Posted by: Tonya | 03/08/2011 at 02:05 PM
I saw this on the news last year ... what an odd thing!
Posted by: JFQuilts | 03/08/2011 at 03:45 PM
Interesting! But I would expect nothing less from the neat little town of Nederland!
Posted by: Jeanne | 03/08/2011 at 05:34 PM
Remember the Alfred Packer burger they used to sell at the CU Student Union?
Posted by: paula.thequilter | 03/08/2011 at 08:09 PM
I love Colorado--spoken by a true fourth-generation-born-in-Colorado-native-in-exile-in-Utah person.
Posted by: Deanna | 03/09/2011 at 02:20 PM