Frozen Dead Guy Days Returns from the Icy Brink

30 Nov 2019

Frigid Fun

By Lisa Truesdale Grandpa Bredo Morstoel moved to the U.S. from Norway in 1989. But unlike most people who relocate here from overseas, he didn’t have to pack, find a job, or even secure a passport. Grandpa Bredo was dead, surrounded by dry ice and shipped straight to a cryonics facility in California.
Coffin race contenders try to avoid a dead heat. (photos courtesy Frozen Dead Guy Days)
Long story short: Gramps ended up in Nederland, his family-members-turned-caretakers eventually went back to Norway, and his frigid fate was uncertain until a new town ordinance was passed, allowing him to stay frozen in the family’s shed indefinitely (or at least until he’s someday revived). Like Bredo, the wintry celebration of this wacky-but-true story also had an uncertain future. After 2019’s 18th-annual Frozen Dead Guy Days (FDGD), festival coordinator Amanda MacDonald thought there was absolute-zero chance the event could survive without some serious intervention. Then a life-saving miracle occurred — Sarah Martin, a Nederland resident who was involved with FDGD for years as a volunteer, stepped in to assume majority ownership of the festival. “We’re very grateful for Sarah,” MacDonald says. “She has a long history with the Colorado and Nashville music community, so we are especially looking forward to showcasing a highly diverse music lineup, featuring more than 30 of the best and upcoming bands from around the country.” Fans of the festival — which draws about 25,000 to town for three days in March — will be pleased to see cherished FDGD events on the schedule, like coffin races, a polar plunge and Snowy Human Foosball. The Frozen Salmon Toss is making a comeback, and there’s also a frozen T-shirt contest, an ice-carving competition, the Newly Dead Game, a Frozen Dead Auction and more frosty fun. “Frozen Dead Guy Days is not dead yet,” says MacDonald. “Come ‘freeze the day’ with us!”
FDGD is March 13–15 at venues throughout Nederland. Find out more and register for some of the larger events at www.frozendeadguydays.org.
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CulturePeopleWinter/Spring 2019-2020
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