X-Message-Number: 18710 Date: Wed, 6 Mar 2002 11:32:07 -0600 From: Eivind Berge <> Subject: Frozen Dead Guy Days From rockymountainnews.com: Nederland plans 'Frozen Dead Guy Days' this weekend By Michael Mehle, News Staff Writer Nederland town leaders -- who once fought against a frozen dead man and the grandson who kept him in his backyard Tuff Shed -- are now ready to celebrate the celebrity who hasn't drawn a breath in nearly 13 years. Introducing Nederland's first "Frozen Dead Guy Days." This weekend's festival will fete Bredo Morstoel, who died in his native Norway in 1989. Ultimately, his body was moved to Colorado in 1993, where his grandson Trygve Bauge preserved him in a backyard cryogenics lab. When town leaders learned what was stored in the Tuff Shed, they summoned health officials and passed an ordinance to prevent the storage of further frozen citizens. But in the end, Morstoel (who was "grandfathered" in) remained, and now town leaders are ready to capitalize on their famous frozen resident. "I think enough time has passed," said Teresa Warren, president-elect of the Nederland Area Chamber of Commerce, which is organizing the event. "Everybody knows Nederland because of him," Warren said. "You constantly meet people from out of state who'll ask, 'Is that frozen dead guy still there?' " "I'm sure some people will question whether it's in good taste," said Peter Rowland, the chamber's executive director. "But we haven't heard from any of them yet." The headlining event is Saturday's coffin race, in which participants will construct a coffinlike container capable of holding a 75-pound person, then carry it through an obstacle course in the city's Chipeta Park. Rowland expects as many as 50 participants for the noon event, with some of them lugging elaborate caskets and others the cardboard variety. Other events include the Grandpa Ball, a 3 p.m. film festival Sunday featuring the Beeck sisters' Grandpa's in the Tuff Shed movie and a Grandpa Look-alike contest. The latter contest could get tricky, Rowland said. "We're leaving it to the participants to decide whether they should look like Grandpa did, how he looks now or how he might look when he's thawed." Another first for the festival: Grandpa tours that will cover "inside and outside the Tuff Shed." Those who go on the tour must sign an agreement never to return to the site or divulge where it is to others. Tickets are $25 and are available by calling (303) 258-7976. Interest has exceeded organizers' expectations, and they anticipate it growing considerably next year. Larger sponsors are already stepping up. "This will likely be the last year it will be just a town event," Rowland said. "It's just quirky enough that people from other parts of the state want to check it out." March 5, 2002 Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=18710