Friday, March 6, 2009

Frozen Dead Guy Days



Today the festivities kick off for the Frozen Dead Guy Days festival in Nederland, Colorado. This yearly celebration is held in honor of one of Nederland's residents, Bredo Morstoel - a dead man who has been frozen for 20 years now. Morstoel, a resident of the country of Norway, was brought to the United States following his death at age 89 in November of 1989. His body was cryogenically frozen and kept at Trans Time Cryonics in San Leandro, California. A few years later his family had his body removed from the facility and maintained its cryogenic state in a shed on their property in Nederland.

In 1994, Morstoel's relatives were evicted from their home (his grandson was also deported from the country). The town allowed Bredo Morstoel's body to remain behind. He was provided with a new and improved shed through a donation and has a caretaker who keeps him supplied monthly with dry ice. While initially upset over the incident, the town of Nederland eventually came to appreciate Morstoel, who became known to locals as "Grandpa Bredo."

Beginning in 2002, the town began hosting the Frozen Dead Guy Days festival to celebrate Nederland's famous corpsicle. The event lasts three days. Throughout this weekend there will be a parade, parties, a video festival and a number of other activities. Some revelers wear costumes, turning the event into a sort of Halloween in March. Another event held during the weekend is a coffin race, similar to the coffin races held during the Emma Crawford Festival in Manitou, Colorado (see Emma Crawford Festival and Memorial Coffin Race). What can I say - those Coloradoans love their coffin racing!

During the festivals it is possible to tour the shed in which Grandpa Bredo is kept. Tours are also available throughout the year by appointment with Bredo's caretaker Bo "The Iceman" Schaffer.

Pay a visit to Nederland, Colorado's famous dead guy in a shed.

-Tom G

PS: I'm curious. Have any of you considered cryogenic suspension after death for yourself or a relative? Why or why not?

2 comments:

Dracenea said...

I have heard of the coffin racing but didn't know about Mr. Morstoel. I wouldn't want to be a popsicle after death for two reasons. One, I hate the cold and two, I don't see the point. Even if there was a way to reanimate my body in the future, would they really have all the kinks worked out? I mean, would our organs and everything just start working correctly or would we be hooked up to machines for the rest of our second lives?

Anonymous said...

Hey,

Nice site, I like it a lot. I look forward to read some more.

Maybe we can do a link exchange, let me know.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Jason
President, Paranormalknowledge.com