Today I introduce you to a rather unusual ‘festival’ that we stumbled upon a few years ago: HearseCon (not for the faint hearted). We will begin with the Cars, and next week take a closer look at some of the symbols. I will warn you ahead of time that next week may be disturbing for some……
So lets start with the ‘Hearse Girls’:
HearseCon is sort of a middle-aged goth phenomenon. Hearse Girls typically have a campy dominatrix theme. Many are models hired for the event to be decorative. Here a participant explains her take on getting ready for HearseCon (Please excuse her language). A somewhat typical HearseCon participant. People are actually friendly and appreciate that you appreciate their strange hobby.
Now for the Venue. This time in suburban Aurora, Colorado. When we first attended a HearseCon it was in a rundown industrial part of Denver. It was raucous, loud and Fun. The public events have since become a bit more subdued. I’m sure the private events (for hearse owners only) are still very interesting.
So why collect and restore hearses? Well, there is no after market resale value for used hearses. Think about it. Unless you are a collector, why would you want one? So they are really cheap. But when you talk to the owners, they love hearses and have always wanted to own one. I’ve never wanted to own one, but to each his own. It all makes the world turn……..And the restorations are beautiful. But as ‘Smiley Boo’ on YouTube tells you, they have tremendous maintenance problems. I think by the time hearses are retired from service, they are pretty much ‘dead’ themselves.
Next week we’ll take a look at typical symbolism. Here’s a Preview:
Based on my earlier posts, I bet you never thought I would go to something like this. And more next week…….
Tech Info: Lomo Lady Grey 400 Film; Fuji GA645Zi camera. Developed and scanned by Old School Photo Lab.
52 rolls 
I love discovering stuff like this! I stumbled on a small anime convention nothing like all the big Cons but devoted to cosplayers. Everyone dressed as their favorite character from an anime or manga series, most of which I’d never heard of. But they loved having their picture taken and telling their story. BTW I once dated a guy who drove, you guessed it, a hearse. He got it for next to nothing, and it gave him a certain cachet 💀
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I think these restored hearses do have a certain cache. But the best thing is the pride the owners have in there hearses. BTW how did you like riding in the hearse?
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