Will Wonders Never Cease?

I just learned about one of the weirdest festivals I’ve ever heard of – Frozen Dead Guy Days. Held each year in Nederland, Colo., it "celebrates" the cryonic storage of Grandpa Bredo. I kid you not.

Bredo Morstoel [pronounced "Bread-dough More-stul"] , a Director of Parks and Recreation in Baerum County, Norway for over 30 years died of heart failure on November 6, 1989. His grandson Trygve Bauge, had him put in cryonic suspension and has kept him there ever since. Originally stored in a cryonics facility in California, the body was moved to Nederland in December 1993.

When the locals learned of this, an emergency ordinance was passed to legalize the storage of dead human or animal bodies or parts on one’s property. Because laws can’t be passed after the fact, Bredo was "grandfathered" in.

The next festival, created by the the Nederland Area Chamber of Commerce in 2002 to provide a lively weekend in the quiet months of winter, will be held March 9-11, 2007. So mark your calendars!

For more information, visit www.nederlandchamber.org/FrozenDeadGuyDays.