Hell HearseFest 2016

Today we checked out HearseFest in Hell, Michigan.  Wouldn't ya know, it rained most of the day??  At least it was a light rain and not cold, so we dealt.  We visited Hell a few years ago on a hot summer day, so this wasn't our first time there (I was going to post the link to that post, but I only had like 5 pictures).

Hell is only about an hour & 20 minutes/68 miles from me. 

Oh good - you can't see the humidity-induced Medusa curls yet

Hell in a Handbasket & Screams

This is about the extent of Hell.  There are 2 buildings (there is also Hell Saloon, but we didn't make it down that far...besides it was 10am and I was with someone underage!)

Since we got there first thing, we got a good parking spot.  Good parking for us consists of an easy escape route!  

So the vendor area was thru the gates of Hell. 

 

There was a DJ playing appropriate music and lot of booths with cool stuff for sale.  I was surprised to see several selling jewelry made with real bones or critters (bats, spiders, bugs). 

Shout out for the vendor at Poking Dead Things for having such a great name - and her wares were unique & beautiful!

 

The official National Weather Service weather station.  

The real wedding chapel.  It holds like 10 people.

"A marriage made in Hell has no place to go but up"

(or something like that, heehee!)

 

Locks of Love 

The Casketeria 

Just a warning - some / most of these photos look better small.  My damn camera was acting up and I didn't know it until I got home and downloaded the photos.  It apparently wasn't focusing well. 

Cue many expletives!

Pretty sure they dumped this one off a flatbed.  

There's no way that was driveable - but it was for sale! 

People around here do like to restore cars, so that would be a selling point!

There was a guy who may have owned this wearing stilts with fur leggings over them and red & black wings.  The costume was cool from the neck down - he didn't wear a mask or anything, tho. Weird!

 

Since we got there early, hearses were still rolling in. 

 

This one was probably the coolest one there - all souped up.
edit - he got the award for Best Modified

There was a guy tooling around in a hearse golf cart thingy.

 All of these Rosie the Riveter ladies were with this hearse and 

were carrying around a sign to 

Save the Bomber Plant

So glad we walked around a second time on the way to leave!

This first time he didn't have this out....

This was pretty awesome - lots of people were stopping. 

 

The Haunted Sawmill

(also need to update their website!)

Ecto-1 

Camo-bats! 

 The red headlights / overall vibe of this one reminded us of...

The license plates were appropriate, too. 

We saw MUERTE, 2LATE4U, YURNEXT, CMG2GTU and several regular vintage plates.

Also ones from Ohio & Wisconsin, too. 

Pretty apparently wasn't a requirement to participate! 

edit - there were awards given out in multiple categories - 

including "How the Hell did it make it here?" !!!! 

I'll have to poke around, but I heard the guy driving say Hermie or Herman (in the coffin) has his own Facebook page and posts a funny of the day.  

 

 

Part of the putt-putt golf course.

 

 We didn't stick around for the parade at 5, they were going for the Guiness Book of World Records for the most hearses in a parade.  They won it in 2011 with 51, but last I saw, the record is now 107.  Honestly don't think they beat that unless a lot more came in after we left.
edit - grand total was 75 this year.

 

Since it was a Halloween event, people were encouraged to dress up.  I mainly saw goth-looking outfits.  I wore my black trick or treat shirt & new skeleton necklace and coffin earrings, but that's about it.  And you can see Miss Angela at the beginning of the post looking like a basic white girl. 

I missed getting a picture of the sign for Hell Creek, but I did stop and get the one for Purgatory Cattle Company!  

 So we did some shopping, of course!  We each got t-shirts. 

Mine 

Randy's

and Angel's already disappeared into the recesses of her room, her's was in block letters that said "Go to Hell" in orange and Michigan underneath in white. 

I brought this adorable couple home, too.

I got a $2 bill stamped with "I've been to Hell & back" as change from ice cream at Screams. This will not ever get spent.  I may frame it along with a set of the H'ween stamps coming out this year. 

A fun magnet. 

You always get an exit visa when you buy something there - this is the one I got this time.  Last time I got a solid orange one. I like this one better.

This was a lot of fun, I heard it rained for this event last year, too.  

Hopefully it'll be better next year!