The quirky Emma Crawford Coffin Races and Festival are set to make their return to Manitou Springs on Oct. 25.

According to the city of Manitou Springs, the first coffin races in the nation began in 1995 when the Chamber of Commerce came up with the event in memory of Emma Crawford, a beloved former resident of the town.

For the races, costumed impersonators of Emma will be pulled on coffin-like contraptions by teams of four “mourners.” There are awards for the “Best Emma,” “Best Coffin,” and “Best Entourage.”

The event also includes after party entertainment with RADO in Soda Springs Park.

According to Visit Colorado Springs and the City of Manitou Springs, Emma Crawford arrived in Manitou Springs in 1889 searching for a cure for her tuberculosis. She hoped that the clean, crisp mountain air and the area’s famous mineral springs would heal her. Crawford reportedly hiked up Red Mountain and declared that she wanted to be buried on the mountain when she died. Sadly, she soon passed away in 1891 at 28.

Her lover, Wilhelm Hildenbrand, a civil engineer on the Pikes Peak Cog Railway, honored her wish. He enlisted the help of eleven other townspeople and carried Emma’s coffin 7,300 feet up the slope, burying her near the summit of Red Mountain.

in 1929, however, her coffin was dislodged after experiencing years of harsh winters and spring rains. It came racing down the mountain. Allegedly, the children who discovered her remains only found the casket handles, a nameplate, and a few bones.

Here’s a look at the event schedule for this year’s festival:

• 8 a.m. – Team Check-In
• 10 a.m. – Coffin Staging
• 11 a.m. – Parade Line-Up
• 12 p.m. – Parade Begins
• Upon conclusion of Parade – Coffin Races Begin
• Upon conclusion of Races – Race for Coffin Cup begins, immediately followed by the award ceremony
• 2 p.m. – After Party Entertainment with RADO in Soda Springs Park

Check out more information on the Emma Crawford Coffin Races and Festival here.