Frozen Dead Guy Days

Journeying across the cultural melting pot of America, you are bound to find some strange traditions. One such peculiar holiday lies in Nederland, Colo., where every March, the town celebrates Frozen Dead Guy Days.

Yes, you read it correctly; this oddly named holiday is born out of a local Nederland tale. Back in 1989, Trygve Bauge from Norway brought his recently deceased grandfather to the United States, preserving the body on dry ice until they could store him in a cryonic facility. After a three-year stay in California, the grandfather, named Bredo Morstøl, was transported to his daughter in Nederland, in the hopes they could take care of the body until future medicines can cure him.

Grandpa’s in the Tuff Shed © Misty Faucheux | Flickr

Nederland residents didn’t take kindly to the idea of a dead body being kept in a shed, with the story becoming a local sensation. The town added a new provision in their municipal code pertaining to the “keeping of bodies,” effectively outlawing anyone from storing a deceased person or animal on their property. The broad law caused an outrage with Morstøl’s family, so the town decided to make an exception for Bredo in a grandfather clause.

Since 2000, the town of Nederland has thrown Frozen Dead Guy Days in honor of this strange local legend. The celebrations are packed with winter-themed activities and lots of people with their faces painted blue. Events include snowshoe races, ice sculpture contests, art showcases, a polar plunge and even a tour of the shed where Grandpa Bredo still rests.

This year’s Frozen Dead Guy Days will be March 13–15. Learn more at frozendeadguydays.org.