The history of Frozen Dead Guy Days began in 1989, when a Norwegian man named Bredo Morstoel died from a heart condition. His daughter Aud Morstoel and his grandson Trygve Bauge, both strong advocates for cryonics, packed Bredo’s body in dry ice and transported it to the United States. After being stored in the Trans Time cryonics facility in Oackland, California for several years, Bredo was moved to Nederland where Aud and Trygve kept him in a shed.
Trygve was deported to Norway in the mid-1990s for overstaying his visa, so Aud had to keep Bredo’s body cryogenically frozen herself. After being evicted from her home for living in an unfinished house with no plumbing or electricity, she told a local reporter about her father’s body because she was afraid it would thaw out. The story immediately became a sensation.
In response, the city made it illegal to store a frozen human or animal in your house, but an exception was made for Bredo. His body is stored in the Tuff Shed Cryogenic Mausoleum and Delta Tech, a local environmental company, keeps the cryonic facility running. The caretaker known as “the Ice Man” is responsible for transporting the dry ice and packing it around Grandpa Bredo to keep the body frozen.
The Frozen Dead Guy Days festival was established in 2002 to celebrate the discovery of Grandpa Bredo. Although Aud and Trygve filed a complaint against the town in 2005, the festival is thriving. It is held every year on the first full weekend of March, rain or shine, attracting thousands of tourists from all over the United States.
Frozen Dead Guy Days lasts for three days and is packed with weird yet fun events. Its main highlights include tours to the Tuff Shed where Bredo’s frozen body is kept, Grandpa’s Blue Ball, snowshoe races, snow sculpture contests, Frozen Dead Guy lookalike contests, coffin races, a slow-motion parade, and a polar plunge for the bravest ones. The festival also features a market showcasing local artists, food and drink stalls, live performances, and more.
Photo: Doug Grinbergs
