Gloomy skies seemed like appropriate weather for a day in Hell, Michigan.
Hundreds of people descended on the hamlet, about an hour southeast of Lansing, Saturday for a celebration Mountain’s Dew’s new “Flamin’ Hot” soda. The tiny town’s diner, saloon and gift shop had been decked out in neon green and crimson flame motifs to match the unnaturally bright-red drink.
The spectacle included a DJ set by Pauly D of Jersey Shore fame and a food demonstration with chef and rapper Action Bronson.
This type of event is par for the course forHell, where visitors can get married, earn a degree from “Damnation University" or become mayor for a day. Nearly 250 became unofficial leaders of the hamlet in 2021, and about 400 people are currently on the waitlist. The morning of the Mountain Dew event, a 94-year-old took charge of the small block of buildings.
Putnam Township Clerk Valerie Niemiec said a sense of humor is required to be a part of the community.
“I'm the clerk from Hell. I keep the records in Hell, try not to get on my bad list. … Our fire trucks say, ‘We put out the fires in Hell.’ So, it's, you know, a hell of a good time," Niemiec said.
She explained the popular theory is that the community gained its name during Prohibition when moonshiners would make stills in the area and “raise hell.” That reputation carried forward until the late nineties, when a local decided to change things up.
“There is a very creative entrepreneur named John Colone," she said. “He's the one who really upped the game.”
Colone had recently retired from owning a car dealership at the time and felt like he could make Hell more of a destination for visitors than a place to cause trouble.
He owns a gift shop called Screams Souvenir from Hell & Helloween and manages a miniature golf course next door, among other businesses in the town.
“People just come to have fun now and not to raise hell, and that's the difference,” Colone said.
Among the visitors who’ve come to be mayor for the day, some of the standouts for Colone have included a Youtuber who renamed the town “Gay Hell,” an internet-famous cat and a go-go dancer who brought her own pole to dance on.
On June 6, 2006 or 6/6/06, nearly 20,000 swamped the town. Colone said it was an unplanned event, and the community wasn’t prepared for such large crowds.
“I ended up having to make a public apology for doing it ... I was fined for it, but it was worth the 200 bucks.”
After more than two decades managing Hell, Colone said he’s still not ready to fully retire. His philosophy is simple.
“Lots of people are going through Hell, let's make them happy as hell,” he said.
As for the drink, was it hot enough for the town of Hell?
“It was like, more citrus than I thought. I was expecting like more heat or like spice,” Jade Nesler of Livonia said. She came with a friend who was invited to the event through an influencer network.
Costa Wells of Sterling Heights said he decided to attend because he was a fan of Mountain Dew and Action Bronson. He had a similar opinion on the drink.
“I taste a slight kick, if anything.”
But maybe that's fitting for a town with an intimidating name but a surprisingly friendly demeanor.
