No, it's not the title of some warped Dr. Seuss book; it's the motto for the Frozen Dead Guy Days festival the Hunny Bunny and I decided to attend this weekend.
For those that may be unfamiliar with the saga of Grandpa Bredo Morstøl, the Reader's Digest version is that he was born in Norway in 1900 and stopped breathing in 1989. But rather than conduct a conventional funeral for the dearly departed Bredo, his daughter and grandson had him cryogenically frozen and have been storing him on dry ice in a Tuff Shed in Nederland, Colorado ever since (read the full story).
Obviously, deciding to create an annual event called Frozen Dead Guy Days to profit from this unusual story is something that could only be dreamed up by the folks that live in this sleepy little community on the western end of Boulder Canyon (let's just say that there's a lot of old Boulder hippies living in "the Ned," and their puffy reddish eyes made many of the inhabitants look pretty "sleepy" to me). Highlights of the FDGD include a parade (mostly consisting of vintage hearses and costumed revelers), coffin races (6 costumed folks running through a slushy obstacle course while carrying a person in a "coffin"), the polar plunge (where hearty folks with dubious decision-making skills are convinced that jumping into a frozen pond is a good idea), Grandpa's Blue Ball (masquerade contest and gala), an arts and crafts market, and lots of live music and cheap beer. I'm not usually a big fan of attending things like the People's Fair, or Taste of Colorado type events, but do I have to say that we both really enjoyed the slightly twisted version provided at the Frozen Dead Guy Days.
Given the nature of the event I guess it would be inappropriate to complain about the weather, but the combination of clouds, wind, and temperatures in the 30's made it pretty uncomfortable for us city-folks to stand around on the snow and spectate for very long. So the HB and I endured the parade and polar plunge, but decided to pass on attending the coffin races (we saw all the contestants during the parade anyway), and moved our base of operations to the local brew-pub to do some people watching from a climate controlled venue. Probably the best decision we made all day. It was just simple math: good food + good beer + a delightful waitress named Jamie (with blue and green hair) = one great time. If you ever find yourself in the Ned, FDGD or not, I'd highly recommend a visit to the Wild Mountain Smokehouse and Brewery, their BBQ is excellent and the Hop Diggity IPA is to die for (sorry)...