Not sure if this belongs under "smiles for the day" or "Travel" - we might want to have a "News of the Weird" section?
This is not an Onion parody. Read on.

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Worldwide weird: Party with a frozen dead guy in the Rockies

Cultural Activities
01 March 2011
By Lindsey Galloway
Frozen Dead Guy Days


When it comes to eccentric festivals, Frozen Dead Guy Days may take the cake.

Celebrated each March in the mountain town of Nederland, Colorado (15 miles west of Boulder), this weekend-long party all started with a cryogenically frozen body and a bizarre set of circumstances to match.

The 1,400-person town of Nederland gained worldwide notoriety in 1994 when local authorities discovered the body of Norwegian Bredo Morstoel packed in a steel coffin filled with dry ice. Morsteol's daughter and grandson had him frozen after his death in Norway in 1989 and shipped the body to an L.A.-based cryogenic facility, before moving it to Nederland in 1993 in hopes of starting their own cryonic facility. That venture never panned out and the Morsteol family returned to Norway. The body, however, remains ensconced in dry ice (replenished each month by a hired local now known as Bo the Iceman) in a shed donated by local businesses, while the family financially maintains the body and its upkeep from afar.

Rather than hide their skeleton in the closet, the city of Nederland chose to introduce the world to "Grandpa Bredo" (as he is affectionately known) with their midwinter festival, this year held March 4 through 6. "The whole story was always a stigma, until 2002 when we started the event," said Teresa Warren, one of the festival founders. "We figured we might as well capitalize on the fact that everyone knows us for it."

At this year's 10th anniversary celebration, you can take a tour of the shed where Bredo rests, compete in the coffin race with six pallbearer friends through an obstacle course, plunge into the polar pool and try a round of Twicester (frozen Twister). Tamer activities include musical acts, a pancake breakfast and beer tents with local brews. About 15,000 people attended Frozen Dead Guy Days last year.

Since some come dressed to the festival in costumes, Warren said "it is like a second Halloween!" Not a bad descriptor for the morbidly mirthful celebration.

Too late this year but we gotta plan a tour for next year. This is a must-see event! Gotta get a T-Shirt with Grandpa Bredo on it!

Being from Colorado I am quite aware of this yearly celebration (He's also known as the "Tough Shed" man) as that is where he currently resides. In all honesty the people of Nederland will celebrate anything, which is one of the reasons I enjoy the place.

There is a great Italian restaurant in Nederland, and the July 4th fireworks celebration up by the reservoir is the best I've ever been to

This is a huge event in Nederland. Although I'm a Colorado Native and Nederland about an hour away, I've never been to it but the people of Nederland love to have a good party and this always seems to be a hit and makes the news every year!

just in case you are interested;

http://denver.cbslocal.com/gallery/2011/03/07/frozen-dead-guy-days/#photo-7