Wouldn't it be nice ... to have a live band in Splashin' Safari?

Yes, it would be fun, fun, fun!

It would help make your visit even better than before, with some changes in attitude the second you hear the tunes.

That's right, The Beachcombers will be a cover band, covering the 3B's: Beatles, Beach Boys and Jimmy Buffett.

So...which group's music are you looking forward to the most? Please vote in our poll!

We've talked about the coaster crazies before. They're those park enthusiasts who love all-things-coasters to the point that they join a club.

...to the point that they go to meetings (and we're not talking about the 12-step type).

...to the point that they'll even wear silly clothes.

Enter Marty Moltz. He's one of our favorites.

Marty is a member of the American Coaster Enthusiasts. He's also an attorney and, more recently, a judge.

He's also a snappy dresser. (If you like bright, clashing colors, that is.)

The year we opened The Legend, Marty arrived at the park delighted that he "matched" the flags (pink, purple and gold). And he did.

Marty has long been one of the coordinators of an ACE event called "No Coaster Con." That's right; no coasters. Just enthusiasts. And park reps who travel to Chicago on a cold, snowy day in January to talk about ... their coasters.

I noticed on this year's flyer that No Coaster Con 2010 was declared "Dress Like Marty Day."

Although I didn't have a Hawaiian shirt to wear, our department thought maybe we could find one for Holidog. Thanks to Sylvia in our office, Holidog was soon dressed for the trip.

And Marty was so pleased:

Okay, so it's more like a muumuu...but Holidog was a good sport.

...as were the enthusiasts, who were putty in my hands singing along with "We Will Ride The Voyage!" to the tune of Queen's "We Will Rock You." (During lunch, a section of the ballroom spontaneously burst into an encore as they pounded the table and clapped to the beat.)

A communications snafu prevented The Gravity Group fellows from joining us in Chicago to talk about our new TimberLiner trains for Voyage.

So they stayed in Cincinnati, but Chad and Mike joined us via Skype:

There they were, sitting proudly in a TimberLiner car. Mike did most of the talking and at one point grabbed the camera to give us a close-up look at the underside of the train.

They even put up with my request to "go bouncy, bouncy" on the seats, to demonstrate the comfort-enhancing suspension.

It was a fun event with loads of enthusiasts and other park folks (including Jeffrey from Schlitterbahn, who snapped the above photo).

A question, though, for the attendees. Do you still have an earworm from our little ditty?

   Ride it in the nighttime -- for Voyage that is flight-time
   Hands up in the air (yeah, I will someday)
   You'll have fear on your face (it's no disgrace)
   Flying through the tunnels at incredible pace, singing...
   We will ride The Voyage! We will ride The Voyage!

When the deep-freeze opened (and stayed open!) at the end of the year, dreams of a white Christmas quickly turned to thoughts of spring.

Warmth.

Sunshine.

Wildebeest.

The seasonal management team for Splashin' Safari is already getting together with Director Lori (front, right) and Manager Jennifer (front, left) to plan the hiring a gaggle of slide attendents and a covey of lifeguards.

Ever wanted to stick your toe in the water and try for a position on our seasonal staff? We've got about 2,100 job openings to fill for the upcoming season in order to fully staff all the departments at Holiday World & Splashin' Safari.

The first step is to head over here and apply online. Then come to one of the four Job Fairs we will host here at Holiday World in February. (Follow that link for the details.)

Hint: Don't forget your smile.

Who doesn't have a soft spot in their heart for a college competition in which teams are named "Team Kirk" and "Team Spock"?

Whatever it is they're selling ... I'm buying. (Although Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott was the fellow for whom I'd risk the wrath of Mom while sneaking out of bed to watch Star Trek from the top of our stairs as a child. A very, very young child.)

Team Kirk and Team Spock were challenged by Scott Anderson, their computer science instructor at the University of Southern Indiana, to undertake a "real world" project.

The challenge was to create a Lost & Found Management software program to replace the one we currently use. (Suffice to say we were ready for an upgrade.) And the class was up for the challenge.

Joe, our IT Director, is a man of relatively few words. When I asked him what he thought of the teams' results, he needed but three bon mots: "Pretty cool stuff."

That's Joe on the far left of the photo, above. Admissions Director Eric is on the far right. And IT Rusty is in the front row in the the, uh, rust-colored shirt.

The two teams don't know yet whose software program was chosen to be used at Holiday World. Was it Team Spock's cool logic or Team Kirk's quick wit (and rugged good looks) that won the day?

They won't find out until after the start of the next semester. And hopefully you, as a park guest, will never have to "real world" test the software program. But if you do happen to lose something while here at the park, chances are the new system will boldly go where our old system did not and if your item is located, we'll know in warp speed.

No bones about it.

Everyone knows Holidog, our cuddly park mascot.

But do you remember Mary ChrisMouse?

She had a rather unforgettable look...

Here she is, in all her mousey glory.

Current and past park employees will be quick to point out that Mary would never meet our "uniform standards."

Is that why she's gone?

Brandon, our HR director, remembers Mary from 1991, when he was a seasonal ride operator here: "I remember working Thunder Bumpers and seeing her walk by."

Does anyone else remember Mary? I showed Joe her picture and he just shook his head. Joe has worked here all but one of our 63 seasons. He remembers everything and everyone ... but somehow not Mary.

Do you have any recollections of the old girl, er...mouseling.? If so, please post them here as a comment, no matter how cheesy. There's something about Mary, but for now she's squeaking by without bringing back many memories.

Tens of thousands of children from the world over write to Santa at his address here in Santa Claus, Indiana, each year.

Some letters are sweet, others sad. And there are some that are, um, enthusiastic regarding the quantity of gifts requested.

And then there are some written just to check in on old Santa.

Santa's getting really busy preparing for his big night, so please make sure children's letters get here by Monday the 21st. Here's the address: Santa Claus, PO Box 1, Santa Claus IN 47579.

Did you know we haven't always been called Holiday World?

When we opened on August 3, 1946, we were called Santa Claus Land.

And guess who was hard at work?

Of course! The jolly elf himself.

Have the children you love written to Santa yet? If they get their letters in the mail within the next few days, Santa will be sure to write back. Here's his address: Santa Claus, PO Box 1, Santa Claus IN 47579. (Be sure to include a legible return address. Donations, which are used to cover postage, are appreciated.)

Merry Christmas from everyone here at Holiday World & Splashin' Safari!

Kicking back and sleeping late during the "off season"?

Ha!

Or, rather, ho-ho-ho!

Mrs. Koch's days are filled with interviews and photo shoots at the Santa Claus Museum.

She's also leading the annual charge of the Santa's Elves, who see to it that every letter to Santa Claus that comes through our post office gets a personal reply.

Please get those sweet Letters to Santa here by December 21.

Here's the address: Santa Claus, PO Box 1, Santa Claus IN 47579. (Be sure to include a legible return address.) Donations to Santa's Elves, Inc. would be greatly appreciated, to help cover postage costs.

Merry Christmas!

Nearly everyone guessed correctly.

That's Tommy on the ladder, painting. (About a month ago ... a bit too chilly for that today.)

He's painting the back wall of The Wave at Splashin' Safari.

It's a great big thing he's painting, that's for sure.

So...what is it?

Any ideas?

We'll let you know in a day or two.