What This One Colorado Family Keeps In Its Barn Will Send Shivers Up Your Spine
Annie
Author
Here is something you don’t see everyday: In the mountain town of Nederland, Colorado, there is a very cold, very dead man who resides in a manufactured Tuff Shed. Totally WTF, right? You haven’t heard the half of it…
Here’s the whole story (as per the FDGD’s official site):
Before Grandpa Bredo Morstoel died from a heart condition in 1989, he enjoyed a comfortable life in Norway, where he was born and raised. He loved painting, fishing, skiing, and hiking in the mountains of his homeland. He was also the director of parks and recreation in Norway’s Baerum County for more than 30 years.
After he died, things got really interesting. Instead of a burial, he was packed in dry ice and prepared for international travel. First, he was shipped to the Trans Time cryonics facility in Oakland, California, where he was placed in liquid nitrogen for almost four years. Then, he was moved to Colorado in 1993 to stay with his daughter Aud Morstoel and his grandson Trygve Bauge, both strong advocates for cryonics who hoped to start a facility of their own.
There he stayed for years under cold cover, in a shed, near his grandson’s home, and about to be left on his own due to some pesky visa issues.
If you peruse the laws of Nederland, you’ll discover that it’s illegal to store a frozen human or animal (or any body part thereof) in your home. We have Grandpa Bredo to thank for this. When grandson Trygve was deported in the mid-90s because of an expired visa, Bredo’s daughter stepped in to take care of the household – including keeping her father on ice.
Soon, Aud was evicted for living in a house with no electricity or plumbing and was about to head back to Norway. This meant that the family’s fledgling cryonics facility was destined to come to a halt. Worried that her father would thaw out before his time, she spoke to a local reporter, who spoke to the Nederland city council, who passed Section 7-34 of the municipal code regarding the “keeping of bodies.”
Luckily for Bredo, he was grandfathered in and allowed to stay. Suddenly, he was a worldwide media sensation. And he has been well cared for by his family and community ever since.
So what do you do when you have a well-loved (albeit long-dead) member of the community? You throw a big party, of course!
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Since 2002, the town of Nederland has celebrated Frozen Dead Guy Days, a three day long party consisting of live music, frozen yard games, a polar plunge, coffin races, and so much more! According to their website, “Thousands of adventurous, life enthusiasts come annually to participate in Colorado’s “most frigidly fun festival” and view the events along with local, national and international media and entertainment.”
The 2016 Frozen Dead Guy Days runs from March 11th – 13th in Nederland. For more information, visit frozendeadguydays.org.
What do you think: Is the festival super cool or a bit too quirky for your taste? Let us know in the comments!
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