Why not?

I'm working late and feeling a bit giddy and light-headed. Let's do it!

Let's give our HoliBlog readers a sneak peek at what's going to the news media before sun-up on Thursday.

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Mrs. Koch loves being known as "Santa's Daughter."

She grew up helping her dad answer children's Letters to Santa each year. Merry jingle bells were always handy in their home.

So when "Santa Baby" played during a recent photo shoot, she burst into peals of laughter.

This photo shoot was for our new online store.

The HoliShop will be up and operating very soon. ...just in time for Santa's Daughter to send you some great Christmas presents, from ornaments to snowglobes to hoodies to fudge.

Another post about food. Hmmmm...must be lunchtime. And nearly Thanksgiving time.

Our Food & Beverage Director is performing his annual tweaks to our menus, as we look toward the 2010 season.

The question has come up about the "sides" we offer with our Pizza Family Meal Deal.

A certain pizza lover (who also loves cookies) is a fan of pairing pizza with fries.

He couldn't imagine separating the two.

Why, that would be like Santa without Rudolph, Lucy without Desi, Kirk without Spock, Homer without Marge...

Meanwhile, Jason wants to introduce bread sticks as a side. The above-mentioned pizza lover is willing to try this pairing, but just isn't sure it's a match made in heaven.

Sounds like a poll in the making. What's your pick?

It should come as no surprise.

When I tweeted from home last night that I was making a batch of "Voyage Extreme Brownies" and asked if anyone wanted the recipe, the response was as fast and furious as the ride itself.

So here, sweet-toothed readers, it is:

Voyage Extreme Brownies

These brownies are every bit as extreme as Holiday World’s #1-ranked Voyage roller coaster!

Ingredients:
3 sticks of butter, melted (none of that fake nasty margarine stuff)
3 cups sugar
1 Tbs. vanilla (use real vanilla, don’t cheap out and use the colored water most of us buy; and yes, this calls for a full tablespoon!)
5 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cocoa
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt, optional

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Butter 9” by 13” pan.
3. In large bowl, stir together butter, sugar and vanilla. Taste.
4. Add eggs, stir until well blended. Taste.
5. Stir in flour, cocoa, powder and salt. Blend well. Taste.
6. Spread remaining batter evenly in pan and bake 50-55 minutes, or until brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Makes about 36 brownies. (Be sure to cut at a 90-degree angle!)

Okay, now that we've sweetened you up, would you mind clicking here to vote for the HoliBlog in this poll? They're searching for Indiana's top blogs and we're hoping to make the cut. Thanks!

We receive a nice email occasionally from a coaster-enthusiast friend named Mike. It's always great to hear from him.

His latest missive brought tears to our eyes.

Here's Mike's story:

When I was about age 6, my biological family and I were separated by the decision to give me up for adoption.

I had four cousins and a younger half-sister I never saw again for nearly 30 years until this year.

Thanks to the powers of the Internet, Facebook, and lot of luck from Above, I was reunited with all of them!

I got the chance to see my sister in NYC during a taping of the Rachael Ray Show (which aired nationwide October 13).

^ Rachael Ray, Mike's sister and cousin, plus his wife, Tammy.

But the icing on the cake was the fact that 2 of my cousins, Ryan and his sister Renee' were only a few short hours north of our favorite park, Holiday World! So, the decision was made to make a whole day of it there, and it was WONDERFUL!

^ What was old... that's Mike in the front row, far left. Next to him are cousins Renee' and Kristie; back row, cousins Eric and Ryan (in the white shirt).

^ ...is new again! Cousins Mike, Renee' and Ryan reunite this month at Holiday World.

Thanks Holiday World, for being THE perfect place for me to reunite with my family, AND giving us a chance to reconnect and make up for lost time!

Sincerely,     Mike, and my cousins Ryan and his sister Renee' 

As the mom of three boys, I learned long ago to gather ye rosebuds while ye may.

Those rosebuds are precious, be they squishy hugs, sloppy kisses, whispered I-love-yous, or silly photos.

And some of those photos that capture the true, rascally essence of a child will be treasured far more than the, well, picture-perfect ones.

Meet Avery Lee:

This tiny tot is from Louisville and is now nearly four years old.

Her mom told us Avery Lee loves to make silly faces. So her photo in front of our Santa statue is just that.

And that silly face earned Avery Lee a place among our Facebook Fan Page Photo Contest winners. She and her mom just won two tickets to come back for another visit next year.

Do you have some special photos from a past visit to Holiday World & Splashin' Safari? Become a Fan on our Facebook page and upload them. (You must be at least 13 years old and not a park employee or relative of one.) Who knows? You just might win two tickets.

...and the chance to make a silly face while you're having your photo taken at the Santa statue.

I wanted to thank everyone at Holiday World for a great day on Saturday, October 10th.

My family and I came down from Indianapolis for one last visit in 2009. We had a great day, made even better by the fact that the youngest of our coaster enthusiast family crossed the magic 48-inch mark.

Brenden crossed the mark back in July at his five-year checkup. Once the nurse said his height, his eyes lit up and he said, "Now I can ride the big coasters at Holiday World!"

Our first stop of the day was at The Raven. After the ride attendant checked his height and gave him a high-five, we were off. The giggling and laughing started on the first drop. By the time we got to the lake turn, Brenden had his hands up. I had my arm around him to make him feel a little safer, but I still couldn't believe it when he had his hands up.

Here is a picture of Brenden giving his opinion of The Raven.

I asked him if he wanted to go ride the "Holidog coaster." He said "No, I'm too big for that now." (Although, he did ride it later in the day.)

We rode all the other rides that he is now tall enough for: The Legend, HallowSwings, Liberty Launch and The Voyage. He also rode Turkey Whirl with his sister, which was a relief to the stomachs of both me and my wife.

Overall, he rode The Raven, The Legend, HallowSwings and Liberty Launch two times each, and The Voyage once. It was just too cold to try Pilgrims Plunge.

He loved all the coasters, although he says The Voyage was his favorite (Like father, like son.)

Now that the whole family can ride the coasters, we are looking forward to many more trips next season.

Rob B.
Plainfield, Indiana

This afternoon, our staff got to sample all sorts of foods (many deep-fried) that vendors are hoping we'll add to the parks' menus in 2010.

The vendors set up booths in Plymouth Rock Cafe' and opened the doors at lunchtime; enthusiastic munching and lobbying quickly ensued.

What better time to shoot a video?

Before viewing this amateur video, please note: We are a theme park, not an acting studio. We're not a film-editing studio, either.

Well then. Do you now have low expectations? Please lower them a bit more before watching. As our 2009 TV commercials clearly stated: We're a dorky bunch.

Not to worry, healthy soups and salads were part of the Food Fair, too.
 

We are fast approaching what is probably the huggiest weekend of the year.

It's closing weekend . The last two days of the season.

And Brendan is going to make this one last.

This sweet little fellow's aunt entered this photo in our Facebook Fan Page Photo Contest. They win two one-day tickets for 2010.

Looking good for this weekend. A bit chilly (around 60), but sunny skies. And the leaves are starting to change colors. Just lovely...

And one final reminder that the lowest prices for 2010 Season Passes are offered through this Sunday, October 11, at midnight. After that, the discount isn't quite as deep.

Wildebeest awaits...

Of course we're all hoping Wildebeest will be the "hot" new ride of 2010...

But this hot?!

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