NEDERLAND — The sun was shining in Nederland for the 10th annual Frozen Dead Guy Days festival on Saturday, although blustery winds kept attendees bundled up. Nearly 10,000 spectators crowded the streets at noon to watch the hearse parade, where cars of a variety of colors and styles cruised down First Street.
“It’s the dead of winter, and everyone here is getting kind of antsy,” said Nederland resident Sonia Forthuber. “People start coming out of the woodwork for this.”
Many in the parade wore costumes and had their faces painted to resemble skeletons. Coffin- race teams, cheerful and dancing despite the brisk temperatures, followed the hearses in the parade.
Each team had a theme, such as the Mystery Machine, Mario Kart, the Nedterrestrials, or the Bone Collectors, who were, as the announcer said, “putting the ‘fun’ back into ‘funerals.’ “
Frozen Dead Guy Days celebrates the cryogenically frozen body of Bredo Morstoel, a Norwegian man who died more than 20 years ago. Following his death, his son settled in Nederland and brought the body with him, storing it in a shed behind his house.
Morstoel’s son, Trygve Bauge, was eventually deported from the United States for overstaying his visa, but left the body in Nederland. The town began Frozen Dead Guy Days in 2002 as a way of celebrating its most unusual inhabitant, affectionately known as “Grandpa.”
On Saturday afternoon, revelers went from First Street to the charity Polar Plunge at Chipeta Park. The $20 entry fee benefits the Nederland Fireworks Fund. Crowds gathered on the still-frozen edges of the pond while plungers got ready to jump into a thawed area about 10 feet in diameter.
Many of them were scantily clad. Two women wore flowered diving caps, swim goggles and coconut bras. A man dressed as Superman, complete with a cape, dove headfirst into the icy waters to amused cheering.
“I’m really, really cold,” said Ally Jewel, 15. “I can’t feel from my calves down right now.”
Ally, shivering in her swimsuit, had just taken the plunge with her sister. “I’ll probably always remember it though,” she said.
Local stores and restaurants were swamped with business. Backcountry Pizza and Whistler’s Cafe had customers waiting in lines for tables, some opting to grab a beer and stand instead.
Nature’s Own, a local store selling jewelry and gemstones, also was packed.
“It’s one of our busier weekends,” manager Aaron Schneider said. “It’s kind of a goofy reason to throw a winter festival, but it’s great to see everyone interacting.”
The Coffin Race was held later, as well as the Ice Turkey Bowling Contest and a Brain Freeze Contest. The award-winning film “Grandpa’s in the Tuff Shed” was shown every 30 minutes.
