Coffin races coming to Berwick

Berwick, Pa. — Fall is about to get a little spookier when Berwick becomes host to its first ghoulish coffin race.

Goblins, ghosts, and zombies are invited to build and race their own coffins during the inaugural event on Oct. 19 from 1-5 p.m. in front of Tri-County Lumber, which is putting on the event.

The race, which costs $50 per team to enter, is a fundraiser for a local food ministry, Not Bread Alone, said organizer and Tri-County General Manager John Albrecht. That organization holds its food giveaways in the empty Kmart parking lot, just in front of the lumber store on South Poplar Street.

“We’re trying to serve the community,” he said. Not Bread Alone serves about 700 families every other week, so this is the company’s way of supporting the organization and the area residents, he explained.

Albrecht, who is originally from Long Island, got the idea from the coffin races put on each year in Riverhead, NY as part of a Halloween festival. Those races, he explained, are actually inspired by the decades-old “ Manitou Springs Emma Crawford Coffin Races ” in Colorado. According to the Manitou Springs website, Emma Crawford was a beloved resident who died in 1891 and was buried atop a nearby mountain. “In 1929, after years of harsh winters and spring rains, Emma and her coffin came racing down the mountainside,” the website reads. In 1995, the city held its first commemorative coffin race in honor of Crawford, with the tradition continuing yearly.

Berwick’s coffin races have its own lore, though Albrecht admits it's a recently made-up story about a man named Otto Jenkins. According to the story, Jenkins disappeared in the 1920s after an unscrupulous business owner coveted the land where his workshop stood — now the site of Tri-County Lumber. Jenkins body was later discovered at the site and is said to still haunt the area.

“To this day, the residents of Berwick remember Otto not only for his craftsmanship and kindness but also as a restless spirit who continues to haunt the town, seeking justice and protecting its people from beyond the grave.

Race details

The race will be split into two categories: 12 and under, and 12+, with first place winners, a trophy, and $500 prize money awarded in each group. Second- and third-place winners in each group will receive medals. There will also be an overall Best Coffin Award, Albrecht said.

Coffins must be a minimum two-feet wide by five-feet long and a maximum of 3.5’x8’ and have 8-inch wheels. The coffins will be pulled by ropes or handles, so no working steering mechanism is allowed. Groups of five people, which include four pullers and one rider, are invited to compete.

Albrecht has put out a call for food and drink vendors as well, and hopes to set up games and activities during the event.

For more details or to sign up a team, visit the event Facebook page .