Stay Weird Manitou Springs

The other day Marybeth had a strange question for me (yes this is Brandon actually blogging, can you believe it?).  She asked if Manitou Springs held coffin races.  Coffin races?  Who ever heard of such a thing?  She said she had read it in a book based in Manitou/Colorado Springs area.

I forgot about her question until I saw an email at work about.... the 17th Annual Emma Crawford Coffin Races.  Emma Crawford lived in the 1800s and had tuberculosis.  She died when she was just 19.  She had asked her husband to bury her at the top of Red Mountain.  He obliged.  But years later a railroad was built on the hill and her remains were moved.  Apparently they weren't buried very well because they eventually washed down the side of the mountain and into town.

In 1994 the town started the coffin races as a strange tribute to this woman.  We decided to check them out and make a day of it.  The radio personalities MCing the event kept saying, "Stay weird Manitou."  I don't think that will be a problem.

Before the actual races there was a parade complete with the Hearse Club.  Uncle Garth, I hope you're reading this.

Don't let their blue skin fool you.  These guys are firefighters.

This is the one I think the family should consider.

This is the team William wanted to win.

If I had to estimate, I would say there were about a bajillion people there.

These guys never finished the race.  They were slow, the team they ran against actually fell over, but they detoured to a bar.