Emma Crawford Day sets mood for Halloween

This is a drag racermade from a coffin

Check out the Emma on this team...spooky

Yes, the Emma "Steve Irwin" Crawford on this casket team has a sting ray sticking out of his chest. And, the mohawk on the flamethrower dude on top of the hurse is real! Show off!

No one who knows me ever would be surprised at my sometimes dark, and even morbid sense of humor. And everyone who knows me knows that I love a good story. So this year, we finally went to local halloween festival, better known as the Emma Crawford Coffin Races and Festival in Manitou Springs. This is a place where morbid, and story come together in a fun, memorable, and yet somewhat dark fashion.... It is weird, macabre, morbid, and, yes, also fun.
Emma Crawford lived in Manitou Springs at the turn of the century. Sadly, young Emma died quite young, just before she was to marry Mr. Hildebrand, an engineer on the Pikes Peak Cog Railway. Emma was laid to rest on top of Red Mountain just above Manitou. After years of stormy weather on the granite mountain the rocks gave way and Emma's remains were washed down the side of Red Mountain right back into downtown Manitou Springs. Emma was later buried in the Manitou Springs Cemetery in an unmarked grave. But even after they buried her in the local Manitou cemetery, her coffin washed down onto the main street of town with the next major storm. Seems she didn't want to stay away!
In her memory, a festival, of sorts, began, and has grown into the annual weekend before Halloween tradition that draws thousands of ( some very interesting, to say the least) people for a parade and coffin races. Teams of coffin racers push a coffin with an "Emma" inside down the old streets of Manitou to win a trophy. This has been going on sice before we moved here, but it took us this long to actually make it to the event. Lori's cousin's husband Joe went along, too. We had a great time, and saw some memorable coffin teams. Check out the pictures at http://www.manitousprings.org/coffin_races.htm .