Every year, the Frozen Dead Guy Days (FDGD) festival in Nederland, Colorado celebrates the on-ice existence of a real frozen dead guy from Norway. Yes, it’s weird – and more than 10,000 people converge on this small mountain town west of Boulder to party and laugh in the face of death.
The festivities include a parade of hearses, costumed coffin races and polar plunges, frozen turkey bowling and salmon tossing, lots of music and alcohol, and other fun events. For the fifth time, I’m returning to Frozen Dead Guy Days to show the documentary “Grandpa’s in the TUFF SHED,” which tells the whole weird true story behind the frozen dead guy (click for more info) and conduct The Newly-Dead Game®, a fun game I created to test couples on how well they know each others’ last wishes (click for more info).
Frozen Dead Guy Days is the perfect opportunity to laugh off our fear of death and learn what we need to know BEFORE we go. We’ll have a drawing for fun FDGD items, my book and DVD series A GOOD GOODBYE: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don’t Plan to Die, and other goodies. The Newly-Dead Game and movie screenings are sponsored by Carroll-Lewellen Funeral Home and AGreenerFuneral.org.
Other upbeat events to encourage end-of-life planning in Colorado will take place on Thursday, March 10. I will conduct Laughing & Learning, a practical end-of-life workshop in Highlands Ranch from 9:00 a.m. to noon, sponsored by Heflebower Funeral & Cremation Services and Seven Stones, a new botanical gardens cemetery in Littleton, CO. Click for more information.
At 6:30 p.m. on March 10, I’ll present Laughing in the Face of Death: Funny Films for Funeral Planning at Carroll-Lewellen’s funeral home in Longmont. This free upbeat talk in the funeral home’s chapel will feature popcorn, beverages, door prizes, and clips from comedy films and television programs. Click for more information.
Celebrating its 15th year in 2016, Nederland, Colorado’s Frozen Dead Guy Days is known as one of the most unique and quirky festivals in the country and continues to be a world-renowned spectacle. The home-grown frosty fest pays homage to Bredo Morstoel, who is frozen in a state of suspended animation and housed in a Tuff Shed on dry ice high above Nederland. Thousands of adventurous, life enthusiasts come annually to participate in Colorado’s “most frigidly fun festival” and view the events along with local, national and international media and entertainment. For more information on Frozen Dead Guy Days, visit www.FrozenDeadGuyDays.org.
Links to recent blog posts and other upcoming events follow. Please call if I can be of assistance – 505.265.7215.
Live long and prosper,
Gail Rubin, CT, The Doyenne of Death®
The Family Plot Blog Highlights
Click on the titles to read the blog post. Review all posts on The Family Plot Blog or view just the Death Cartoons posted on the blog!
How Much Mercury is in Your Mouth? If you’re considering cremation, read this blog post.
Home Funerals Without the Funeral Home A New York Times article looks at DIY funerals and some funeral providers dedicated to bringing this life cycle event back home.
Stephen Jenkinson, MTS, MSW
Speaking With Stephen Jenkinson, Author of “Die Wise” In this special edition of A Good Goodbye Radio, pioneering death educator Stephen Jenkinson and I talk about how we can start the conversation in our death-avoidant culture.
TED Radio Hour on Rethinking Death Access some of the best TED talks on end-of-life issues (including my TEDxABQ talk).
Tips to Approach Decluttering and Downsizing Parting with your stuff is part of end-of-life planning.
What Does “It’s All Taken Care Of” Really Mean? When parents tell their adult children, “It’s all taken care of,” regarding their end-of-life arrangements, what do they mean and do they really have everything covered?
Upcoming Events and a Humorous Quote
See the Calendar page for a full listing of events.
Wednesday, February 24, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time/noon Pacific Time — Live Google Hangout online with The Death Chicks, with Gail participating in a panel discussion on “What Happens When We Die??? A Conversation About the Afterlife.” More information here.
Monday, March 7, 11:00 a.m. – Knights of Columbus Insurance presentation, Movies, Medicine and Mortality.
Tuesday, March 15, 2:00 p.m. – Elder Mediation Network presentation, What Does “It’s All Taken Care Of” Really Mean?
Monday, March 21, 3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. – Osher Continuing Education program, Hallmarks of Hitchcock. $20 tuition fee.
Thursday, March 24 – Friends of the Los Alamos Library presentation, A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don’t Plan to Die.
Friday, March 25, 9:00 a.m. – Obituary Writing Workshop at the Los Alamos Senior Center ($25 per participant), followed by a free Death Cafe conversation at 11:00 a.m.
Saturday, April 2, 2016, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. — Albuquerque Death Cafe at Gail Rubin’s home. More information here.
April 13 to 16 — Coverage of the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association (ICCFA) convention and expo in New Orleans!
“Life is what happens when you are making other plans.” — John Lennon