Don't brush aside our painters!

As the clock ticks louder and louder, counting down the minutes till opening day, all our different crews are out and about doing whatever it takes to get the park ready.

The painters are hard at work. It's hard to tell sometimes, because they have such a rollicking good time slapping on that paint. They're a hilarious bunch of guys. (We tease them it's because of the paint fumes...)



This is Don modeling the spring's finest paintwear. (Thanks for not making a face at the camera, Don.)

I asked Rick, our graphic artist, to estimate the amount of paint we go through each season. He had to brush up on his math skills to arrive at his answer...

Up to 1000 gallons a year.

Wow. Color me amazed.

Time to whine

Last night, the Indiana State Legislature made a timely decision.

Next April, the entire State by law will “spring forward.”

Now maybe David Letterman and Jay Leno won’t make quite as much fun of the Hoosier State. And the national news anchors won’t have to make a big deal every spring and fall when they announce, “Every state in the Union…except Indiana, Hawaii and Arizona…will change their clocks tonight.”

If you’re not from around here, you probably don’t know this, but even when we’re on the same time, we’re on different time.

Huh?

When you visit Holiday World this summer from, say, Indianapolis, you may decide to check ahead of time about time zones. You might check on our website. Hmmm…Indy is on EST (Eastern Standard Time) and the town of Santa Claus is on CDT (Central Daylight Time).

So…do you leave a little earlier or a little later?

Neither.

Mathematically speaking, EST=CDT. You’ll cross a time zone, but won’t need to change your watch.

Confused yet? Welcome to my world.

All that may change in 2006. In April next year, the entire State will “spring forward.” But, unless there’s a federal decision to move the time-zone lines, most of Indiana will be on EDT but five counties in southwestern Indiana will be on CDT. And then you’ll definitely need to change your watch when you come to visit from Indy.

Fox 7 in Evansville thought it would be fun to talk to us about the potential for confusion. Corey and Chris drove up in the rain, and we ducked beneath the eaves at the front gate for the interviews. (If you live in the area and care to tune in, the story will be on the news this evening at 6:00 and 9:00 pm CDT.)

Will talked about the importance of “one state, one time.” (The man’s a walking slogan maker.)



He explained that looking at a time-zone map, it appears that Indiana should be on Central Time. But the Indianapolis area is on Eastern Time. In his opinion, it’s more important for us all to be on the same time than for our five counties to stay on Central.

Then Corey asked to speak with someone who lives on one time and works on the other during the winter months. I’d already roamed the hallways hitting up Tori, Vanessa, Rachel, and Sabrina (who would have done it, but she just got a perm). Matt is apparently still celebrating Tax Day and was unavailable for comment.

Everyone was really, really sorry…but just didn’t feel comfortable being interviewed for TV. So the pinch-hitter was forced to step in. I live an eight-minute drive from work, but in another time zone. So from October till April, it takes me 68 minutes to get home in the evening (even when the roads are clear). And in the morning, I manage to go back in time and arrive at my desk 52 minutes before I left home. (Believe me, the science-fiction/time-machine geeky excitement wears off pretty quickly. Then it just gets annoying. And no, I don’t suddenly look down and realize I’m still in my jammies.)

So, gentle readers, don’t worry about time zones this season. If you were on-time last season, you’ll be on-time this season. (Of course, if you were an hour early last year and I waved at you in the parking lot at 8:00 am CT, you might want to linger over that last cup of coffee a bit longer.)

If the Federal government decides to move the time-zone lines, I’ll be sure to let you know. And if they don’t, I imagine I’ll be back again a year from now, whining about time.

And you can set your watch to that!

Cool as a cucumber

It was so nice for us to read yesterday how much confidence Will has in his staff.

...and that he's not worried one bit. It's really nice to have an easy-going, trusting boss.

In case you were wondering how the rest of us are doing, go here and then click on the cute little HoliPiggy.

I'd say that just about captures the mood around here.

Problem solving the high-tech way

Wow! Will Koch is getting into this HoliBlogging -- two days in a row! (He cautioned me not to expect something every day. We'll take what we can get, right?)

This is from Will:

Yesterday, our marketing director, John, called and said we needed to talk about the logo design for the water tower. We had planned to put the Holiday World logo on it in its usual “stacked format.”



It would be about 32’ wide by 25’ high. A nice size that would probably be visible a few miles away. The painting contractors had the art, and should have started painting the logo several days ago, but there wasn’t a logo there yet, so I knew something was up.

The problem, apparently, was that because of the logo’s height, it was wrapping too far up and down the sides of the tank. Because of the decreasing radius of the tank as you go up or down from the “equator,” this would cause too much distortion. It wasn’t going to work.

So, John and I had to sort out the problem. The question was, how much does the curvature affect the art?

How big can we go without really messing up the Holiday World logo?

Fortunately, I had something in my office that worked out as a stand-in for the water tank. It was the “Official Zinga Test Ball,” a basketball used by Andreas Tanzer of ProSlide to test the Zinga before we put water, inner tubes, and people on it.

According to Andreas, a basketball on a dry slide is a pretty good stand-in for an inner-tube-on-a-wet-slide. Anyway, the Zinga Test Ball became the stand-in for something else—-the bowl on our new 500,000-gallon water tower.



As you can see, we decided that the “horizontal” logo would look the best. We even used the basketball to determine exactly how long the logo could be and still be read without too much distortion. Indiana is famous for basketball, but who knew how clever we Hoosiers could be about finding new and creative uses for them?

Anyway, the water tower problem was solved, and the Zinga Test Ball has a new look for a while.

10 days till opening: Will Koch's thoughts

Here is Will's first HoliBlog post:

As opening approaches, everywhere I go in town, people ask me, “Are you ready?”

And I always respond, “No. But we will be on opening day.”

They also want to know whether I’m nervous about getting the park open. The funny thing is that I always (honestly) reply that no, I’m not nervous at all. And I’m not.

We have such a great team of Directors, Managers, and Staff who’ve been with us for many years and who just know what needs to be done that I don’t have to worry.

I know that our parks are in capable, caring hands, and that the work will get done. There are always a few battles that we’re fighting or things that we’re waiting for as we come down to the wire (this year it’s the concrete embedments for our new Applause Hands fountain in the entrance plaza—we’re 10 days from opening, and some of them still aren’t here) but by and large, our staff just gets the job done.

The parks are a beehive of activity during these weeks (watch out for golf carts, mules and gators in the walkways), and it can be a little scary walking around and thinking about all of the things that need to be done before opening.

Heck, we have a water tower sitting in The Legend Parking Lot in three big blue, red, and yellow pieces right now.



At the same time, it’s also satisfying to know that all of our rides have been set up, tested, and passed state ride inspections. I feel good that Raging Rapids, Frightful Falls, The Wave, and The Congo River are already full of water, with filters running.

With luck, we’ll start filling Bahari, the new wave pool, on Friday. It will be ready for Splashin’ Safari's opening on May 14. I’m extraordinarily proud of our staff for never missing an opening date with a new ride or attraction. This time of year, it’s interesting to read the press releases from other parks that are explaining how their new attractions will open late due to bad weather. The weather hasn’t been perfect here, either. But Bahari will be open on May 14. Enough said.

Anyway, we’re getting ready. We’ve “built it.” Now, I have to face the issue I really do worry about: “Will they come?”

Stay tuned.

Around and around we go!

…well, maybe not we.

I don’t know, maybe it has something to do with getting older, but those circular rides make me sick.

Sorry, I can’t “spin” this into something positive, but it really doesn’t matter, does it? You either like to put centrifugal force to the test or you don’t.

I’ll pass.

Back in 1992, the Kochs offered to take all the park directors to the annual IAAPA convention. Whoopee! We eagerly read through the printed materials detailing the multi-day event. Lots of workshops and seminars. An opportunity to network (oh, boy! was that ever the big buzzword back then) with management from other parks. Plus, we’d get to visit a big park near the convention site.

Huh? Why would we want to do that?

Oh—of course! To network some more, stroll around the park, munch on some goodies, maybe watch a show.

Rides? They have rides? Will it hurt their feelings if we don’t ride?

What the heck am I doing working for a theme park? Most rides terrify me. When we “employee tested” Liberty Launch a few years back, no one wanted to sit next to me for fear of permanent hearing loss. And I’ve already told you about testing The Raven a few weeks back.

My first park experience was at Quassy Amusement Park, or as it was then called, Lake Quassapaug. I was three or four and was determined to go on the kiddie helicopter ride. It looked wonderfully exciting and I begged and begged until my parents agreed to let me ride.

Big mistake.

When the ride started up and my pudgy little hands grasped the bar, I held on as tightly as I could. Unfortunately that bar was in the position that lifted my cute little helicopter to its highest position. Miles and miles above terra firma. My parents and brothers looked like ants from my terrifying vantage point.

So I did what I still do in such situations: I screamed my lungs out.

They actually had to stop the ride to let me off. I guess the other little kids had the opportunity to get a second, longer ride, so maybe they weren't too mad at me. I'll never know for sure, though; there was no way I could force myself to look back to check.

Happily, there are many, many children and adults out there who love rides that spin around. One mom emailed me recently to tell me she and her son always ride the Virginia Reel together—it’s their favorite ride. (Heaven help me – I can barely think about that ride!)

The Roundhouse is gone (you know that, don’t you?). Don’t get worked up about it, though, because we’ve replaced it with Revolution. It’s basically the same ride, actually, only a little bit bigger, a little bit faster, and with a slightly higher tilt.

And a spiffy light package:



Thanks to Tori, our director of rides, for providing this photo. She snapped it over the weekend, when it was incredibly cold and obnoxiously windy. What crummy conditions for training!

We’re all so pleased that replacing the Roundhouse with Revolution means we can still use Tori’s little joke: After you get soaked on Raging Rapids, be sure to spin dry on Revolution!

If it’s all the same to you, Tori, I believe I’ll drip dry.

The big countdown

Oh, my gosh -- it just hit me! How does time pass so quickly from year to year?

There's never enough time to get ready.

And now, all of a sudden, we're down to single digits!

Just eight months till Christmas! (Faked you out, didn't I?)

It's so much fun to be out at the Front Gate during the season, to see the look on our Guests' faces as they enter the Christmas section. All of a sudden, there's Christmas music! Some folks look shocked, but then start laughing. Others immediately start singing along. Still others don't notice; they're too busy checking to make sure they didn't already misplace their car keys.

And then there's the Santa statue. How many families crowd around Santa for a family portrait each summer? It's really sweet to watch. Sometimes we get to play photographer after offering step in and snap the photo so that the entire family is in the shot.

He's all spiffed up and ready for opening day:



One of my favorite stories from over the years involves the Santa statue.

A young family was walking into the Christmas Plaza. Mom, Dad, and a little girl. She was four, tops, and cute as a button.

Daddy pointed out the Santa statue, "Look, honey, there he is! You've been waiting and waiting to see him! Who is it?"

The little dumpling turned to see. Her face suddenly broke into gleeful recognition. She let out a joyous squeal and ran toward the statue as fast as her chubby little legs could take her.

Who is it, honey?

"MICKEY!"

15 days till opening

...and the park is bustling with preparation!

Our hardworking crews from Grounds and Cleaning are scrubbing every inch of the park, removing the winter grime.



And the rides are coming out of hibernation, complete with a fresh coat of paint.



A contractor sees to it Splashin' Safari will "rock" with Beach Boys music this summer.



Chris, our Director of Entertainment, works on the set for the new American Country show.



And the foods folks pay close attention to their training:



Look at that picture-perfect funnel cake!



More training this weekend as we all get ready to open our 59th season!

The agony of de feet

Important Notice to all new Hosts and Hostesses: It really helps to "break in" your spiffy new white sneaks before the first day of work.

Now, that doesn't mean to drag them through a mud puddle the way my older brothers did as we trudged to Sacred Heart Elementary on the first day of school each year. I mean wear them for a while, walk in them, stand in them. Wiggle your toes. Adjust the laces. You'll be glad you did.

Years ago, Holiday World's “uniform room” was located right outside of my office. A few of those years, we bought hundreds and hundreds of pairs of shoes so our employees didn’t have to go shopping somewhere else for their uniform shoes. We were their sole provider.

All those tennis shoes…well, they stunk! Not a stinky-feet odor, thank goodness, but the rubber, or whatever it is on the soles of the shoes, created an interesting work environment.

Usually there was someone on hand to help outfit the new folks. But once in a while, some poor little newbie would wander cautiously into my office and whisper, “Do you have this in a size 7 narrow?”

Comfortable shoes are very important for park workers. We warn everyone at the Job Fairs that most of our positions require a lot of standing. Broken-in shoes help ease that transition as your entire body adjusts to being vertical for hours at a time.

Rachel and I took a HoliBlog photo walk through the park the other day. We made sure no one was watching and she snapped a shot of one of my new sneakers:



Can you tell the size of someone's shoes from a photo like this? Well, in the interest of fair disclosure, I'll tell you. I wear an 8½.

No big deal, right? Nothing to be ashamed of, certainly. Probably downright average.

Long ago, at a former job, my boss decided at the last minute to fly several of our staffers to Los Angeles to attend a huge food show. We all worked for Pizza Today magazine, which originated here in Santa Claus, Indiana (the pizza capital of the world, hadn't you heard?).

Normally, I'm not a girlie-girl like-let's-go-shopping-okay? type. But when the others asked me along, what the heck.

After picking out nice outfits which we hoped would make us look a little less like "country girls" (remember how Nellie used to sneer at Laura and Mary?) we headed over to the shoe store.

We were chatting happily, heading down the aisle toward new footwear. All of a sudden, I realized I was alone. Where did everyone else go? Hrrumph! Over in the aisle for Size 5 and Size 6. Good grief, I'd never noticed these women had such tiny appendages. How did they manage to balance themselves in even a gentle breeze?

I survived their teasing that evening, but never did find a suitable pair of clown shoes for my freakishly large feet.

Two days later, we checked into our hotel in Little Tokyo. It was a bit of a cab ride from the convention center, but we were lucky to find rooms at all.

Imagine my delight when I saw there was a shoe store right across the street. Surely in L.A. they would have some stylish shoes for me. I dropped off my luggage and headed over for a look. Only window shopping, as the store was closed for the evening, but it would reopen about 30 minutes before we were scheduled to leave in the morning. And there, in the window, was just what I wanted.

After a lovely stroll through Little Tokyo and a good night's sleep, I was ready to go. I waited patiently outside the shop's door while the owner hustled down the sidewalk to greet his first customer of the day.

"Good morning!"

"Good morning, sir! Am I ever glad to see you! Those navy blue pumps in the front window are exactly what I need. If I could just slip into a size 8½ I'll pay you and be on my way."

The store owner glanced up at me with a look of momentary confusion. A split second later, I had my answer:

"No, no, no! Nothing that big! Too big! Too big! Maybe four, maybe five -- that's all. Nothing so big!"

This is a family blog, so I won't tell you my usual closing line to this story.

Suffice to say, the food show was a great experience. And despite tromping around all day in a huge convention center, my tootsies remained fairly happy in my not-quite-new, purchased-in-Indiana, comfortable, broken-in shoes.

Woodn’t you like to know?

Will Koch does not like to cut down trees.

Let me rephrase that: Will Koch does not like to cut down tree.

It’s against his nature. He wants as much shade as possible in the park. And the beauty of the old hardwoods is part of his family’s heritage. He’s the third generation to run this lovely playground and he doesn’t want to be the one to mess it up.

The popular “S curve” at the bottom of the last drop on The Raven actually came about because Will didn’t want to lose any more precious trees. The initial design skimmed along the edge of the forest, creating the need to cut down an entire row.

“Can’t we zig-zag it into the woods and save some trees?” he asked.

They made it work.

Whenever we do have to take out a tree, I think about that wonderful old Keep America Beautiful ad. Remember it? The one with the Native American sadly looking out over the polluted, trashed river? With that single tear slowly sliding down his weathered face.

I picture Will that same way.

Well, when I saw this on my way to work this morning, I felt compelled to run by the store to pick up a box of those man-sized tissues for Will:



What’s going on? Who would do this? Does Will know about this?

To give you a bit of perspective, gentle readers, I risked life and limb and stood along Highway 162 to take this photo from up near Holidog’s FunTown:



I can’t tell exactly where on the property the trees originated. It’s certainly not a clear-cut operation, as the forested area beyond Splashin' Safari is still there.

It looks as if the trees have been removed very precisely. One by one. As few as possible. Making room for … could be just about anything!

Well, whatever it is, it’s big.

Really big.

Even the skulls are smiling!

A friend from Massachusetts emailed me this morning to tell me about his young daughter. Ella just turned six and is a darling little girl. As the mother of three sons (no daughters) and the sister to three brothers, I do have an affinity for stories about daughters.

They watched one of the Harry Potter movies the other night and now Ella wrestles with "bad thoughts" as she tries to go to sleep at night.

Her daddy used the age-old "let's think about something else" trick. He cleverly turned her throughts to their upcoming trip to Holiday World. They've not been here before, so they couldn't rely on memories but instead turned to their imaginations to dream up ideas about what might be here.

One of Ella's ideas was, "There should be big snowflakes that you swing back and forth on!" She was on the right track, happily drifting toward dreamland.

This all screeched to a halt when she remembered we also have a Halloween section.

Uh-oh.

The Halloween holiday can be scary. Spooky stuff. My mom always loved the creepy side of Halloween; she used to take my brothers and me on nightly "Witch Walks" each October. At dusk we'd skulk about our neighborhood, telling ghost stories. We'd dash from lightpost to behind trees to keep the "witch" from catching us. My brothers reveled in the thrill.

Scared me half to death.

So, I'm with you, Ella! And to quell your fears a bit, take a look here at HallowSwings, which we added a few years ago.



When our graphic artist and our marketing department were working on the graphic design for this ride, Mrs. Koch brought up an interesting question:

"Will the design be scary-scary or friendly-scary? I don't think we should terrify the smaller children."

The resulting design makes me laugh every time I walk by HallowSwings...



Don't worry, Ella. At Holiday World, even the skulls are happy!

Only in a town named Santa Claus...

...will you see the cleaning manager for the park (this is Samantha's first season as manager) hoist a big white trash bag over her shoulder and cheerfully call out:

"Ho, ho, ho!"

Training on the high seas

Training is one big yawn, right? The trainer says, “Blah, blah, blah,” while you nod politely and think about what’s for dinner.

Our lifeguards get 32 hours of training before they start work. (That’s a lot of meal planning!)

Each year the members of the management staff at Splashin' Safari put on their thinking caps and come up with a theme.

The thinking caps, this season, just happen to be pirate hats, eye patches, and an assortment of attention-getting weapons.



Lori, their fearless she-pirate leader, gave me a copy of the text of the skit her clever folks used to get everyone in the mood to learn about first aid.

Here are some of the lines from the skit:

Black-and-Bluebeard: Gar…I’m so thirsty…I’ve been up in the crow’s nest all day…my skin is all dry and clammy…

Burnacle Britt: Gar…Black-and-Bluebeard… due to your prolonged time in the sun without any fluid intake, you must be suffering from a heat-related emergency, which we medical professionals know as hyperthermia. The first thing… (Burnacle Britt then explains the steps to helping the overheated, under-hydrated pirate.)

Later in the skit…

Long Jen Seizure: Shiver me timbers! Will I have to fill out another one of those blasted reports?!

Captain Contusion: Aye, you will, mate. First-aid reports are very important. Anytime we treat someone, it’s important to document the event and describe the scenario as best we can. (Etc.)

Next comes the fight sequence:

Black-and-Bluebeard: Gar…quit your talking Long Jen Seizure…go back to Treasure Island. You couldn’t even get into a movie because it was rated “RRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!”

Long Jen Seizure: Those be fightin’ words!

(There is then a "bloody" sword fight—a very dramatic and realistic battle, as only plastic toys can convey.)

Black-and-Bluebeard: Gar… (caring for Burnacle Britt)…looks like we have an imbedded object. I’ll control the bleeding and I’ll leave the object for real medical professionals to remove.



Long Jen Seizure: Gar…do you do piercings, too?

Captain Contusion: Yeah…they’re a buccaneer (buck-an-ear, get it?).

Okay, here’s one more…can you take it?

Long Jen Seizure: Captain Contusion, I’m not doing so well. My joints are stiff and sore. And it’s been taking a while for me cuts to heal.

Caption Contusion: Slow wound healing…arg! You have a Vitamin C deficiency! Gar…ye gots the scurvy, mate!

Poor Jen then has a seizure. The pirates hustle to put a towel under her head and remove potentially dangerous objects from the area. Once the seizing subsides, they are taught to maintain an open airway and do an initial assessment.

Well, blow me down! Who knew these landlubbers could learn so much from a bunch of scallywags!

Several years ago we had a TV crew in the water park to interview some of our lifeguards. One comment has also stuck with me, “It’s not Baywatch!”

Aye, matey. Aye.

(Oh…and a reminder from Mrs. Koch: Don’t forget to swab the decks!)

Tax Day extension

Steven in marketing is already planning to expand our proposed Tax Day themed section.

He is in brilliant form today:

Dependant Land - a special area just for children

Deduction Junction - a train ride, to keep us on track

Special Robot Mascots - named W-2, W-4, and I-9

Thanks, Steven. We appreciate your interest.

Sign of the times

Three weeks till opening.

Rain this week didn't help the process of getting ready. Look at how much we got:



Who needs a rain gauge when you've got a Christmas Crater?

But wait! What's that on the left?

There--by the edge of the giant puddle.

A white flag?

A treasure map?

A sail?



Whoever made that sign and posted it...thank you. It made a lot of hurried, harried people laugh today.

Where did our fountain go?

Long, long ago…before the town of Santa Claus was even named…a giant meteor crashed into one of the town’s hillsides, leaving behind a giant crater for folks from miles around to come and see.

It was amazing. A shooting star came to rest in this town. And it happened on Christmas Eve. What does this mean? A holiday miracle perhaps?

The reason I present this as fact and not legend is because I know it’s true.

Mr. Koch told me. In fact, he knew the guy who dug the crater.

Oops.

I thought of this story the other day when another Christmas Crater appeared in town.



No it’s not a sinkhole. It’s the remains of the Christmas Fountain.

Here one day. Gone the next. All that remains is a big hole in the concrete. Sigh!

In late 2003, we were named as one of the three finalists for the highly coveted Applause Award.

Normally, I wouldn’t use a word like “coveted.” Sounds trite, and a bit sinful.

But let there be no misunderstanding, Will Koch coveted the Applause Award!

To be a finalist for this international award the first time we were nominated was a coup in itself. It hit us that we had a chance to win this thing. And we'd be the smallest park ever to win.

“If we win,” Will pledged in staff meeting, “we’re putting those hands in the fountain.” We all chuckled.

The Applause Award is a work of art. It’s a pair of hands, applauding. Will talked about having a large version made and added to the fountain.

After hosting the international Board of Governors for the Applause Awards last summer we knew we had a shot. But so did the other two parks, both magnificent European parks.

Well, we won.



Not long after, Will distributed our Capital Improvement Budget for 2005. As I scanned the long list of line items, I blurted out: “Oh! You really meant it about the fountain!”

All those months, I’d thought Will was joking (he jokes a lot; he’s a jovial guy).

Oops.

Yes, he really meant it. We’re getting a new fountain. Same size, but with a bunch of bubblers, jumping jets, and colored lights. And, rising proudly from the center of the waters, a pair of applauding hands, eight feet tall.

The giant hands are being hand-crafted for us, so it may be a while before they’re ready. Meanwhile, bronze plaques will be installed along the perimeter, naming the other parks that have won this coveted award in the past. It's our way of starting a hearty round of applause for all the people who developed, worked at, and visited these parks over the years.

Bravo!

New themed section

About 18 months ago, I got a new computer here at work. One of the fussy little set-up chores is to go through and choose all the “Options” in Outlook.

I send my emails HTML. I sort my Contacts by Address Cards (but not Detailed Address Cards). I prefer my Icons small and in a list, thankyouverymuch.

Next it was time to sort out my Calendar. One option presented is “show holidays.”

Rather a no-brainer, don’t you think? If you work at Holiday World, being aware of the nation’s holidays is a good thing.

On the appointed day, up pops the announcement of the holiday. Ground Hog Day. St. Patrick’s Day. Columbus Day. Tax Day.

Tax Day?!

Who in the world declared today a holiday? Was this the work of a federal government agency? Or some mischievous software designer who claims an extra three dependents each year and gets a fat check back from the IRS?

Could there possibly be a method to this madness?

Once in a while, just for fun, we toss around ideas for a new themed section.

But no one has ever suggested Tax Day.

Think of it, though, for just a minute…what joy a Tax Day section could bring to families:

…the Shake You Down Go-Round, the world’s first inverted merry-go-round;

…The Taxman Cometh dark ride, complete with laser pointers for scratching out errors;

…the Bean Counter Carousel, sponsored by H&R Block;

…a musical show called Evasion Jubilation;

…a dunking booth with – you guessed it – simulated IRS agents;

and finally…

…The Taxinator roller coaster, which only goes uphill.

Thanks to my Cousin Jeff in St. Louis for helping me with these ideas. I tried calling our corporate controller first, but was told he has taken the day off.

Huh. I guess, for some, today is a holiday.

The Queen of Clean strikes again

Rachel came back from the main office this afternoon with the following story:

As I was looking for more letterhead over at the main office today, I heard a big sigh come through the door first...then Will.

I chuckled and Will said, “I asked Marlene if she had seen Mom, and she said, 'The last time I saw her she was headed out with a broom.'”

Will laughed and said loudly, “AND IT’S JUST APRIL!”

As I was leaving the office I noticed Will had found Mrs. Koch. I thought, "Oh that’s nice, they are going to lunch together."

But wait, she was just showing him the door leading out of the main office. She was so proud...she cleaned all the metal on the door and it was shining beautifully.

That door had been bothering her all winter.

Will and I just stood there for a moment and Mrs. Koch said, “You don’t remember what it looked like before do you?”

Nope, we sure didn’t.

She went on to explain it had a lot of black grimy stuff on it and was disgusting. But now it was gleaming like new.

Will shook his head.

"Oh, great! Now we have to paint the door."

…but somebody’s got to do it

The call came out on the two-way radio first thing this morning: All units, we need 24 bodies for The Raven!

Training is a particularly rough time around here. We have to ride roller coasters over and over. We have sample new food items day after day.

Bummer.

Rachel and I trudged dutifully out to the station. (How cute is that? The PR department is actually our initials: “P” for Paula and “R” for Rachel.)

There were two seats left for us in the new Raven train. We were both a bit alarmed as the seats felt a bit…um…cozy. We decided it wasn’t because we were wider, but because the train is brand new. Gotta break in those new seats…like a new pair of shoes. Sure, that’s it.

What a relief to find out we were correct!

It’s funny to have 24 fellow employees all together in a train. Lots of different departments were represented; picnics in front of us, warehouse and shops immediately behind. Really good people; jovial teasing and laughter in anticipation of the first ride of the day.

On a side note, we now have a Transfer Track Storage Building adjacent to the Raven station. It’ll be handy for the maintenance staff and will provide storage for the second train on slow days. It’s an extra tunnel at the very start of the ride.



Now that we have two trains, the lift-hill chain will go slower. In essence, it will make the ride experience a longer one. I think it’s more fun to take your time heading up the hill. Gives you time to look around. Check things out.

Hey, Vanessa! Your shop windows need cleaning!

At the top of the hill, we crested and down we flew. I’m a screamer, remember? The guys up ahead seemed to find that amusing. Rachel just peeped out an occasional, “Oh!”

Up and down the hills. Over the lake. And that wild ending back to the station. Whew!

Great ride. Who needs caffeine? Let’s go again!

It amazes me how some people can ride over and over and never tire of it. Me? I definitely have my limits.

On the third ride around (which I was promised would be my last ride of the day), they practiced stopping the train on the lift hill. Training, remember?

Didn’t like that one bit. No, sir.

Going up, up, up, is okay. Stopping on the hill, for me, goes against nature.

Vanessa and Dee Ann, farther back in the train, felt the same way. I tried getting everyone to sing “Kumbaya” but found it far more soothing to holler, “I’m freaking out!”

How embarrassing.

We made it back to the station and hopped out.

Thank you for riding Raven Air!

Sure. Happy to help. Call anytime. Glad to be a team player. Whatever it takes.

Okay, so where else are they training today? Funnel cakes or the fudge shop?

Wallpaper that won't peel off your screen

Our web designer, Rick, is a great guy. He crafted our current site, and enthusiastically jumps in whenever we want to add a new feature. A native Hoosier, he was out in California for a number of years, but recently moved back home. (Here’s an article from his local paper. Bless his heart, he made sure our site was up on his computer screen when the photographer snapped a few pictures.)

Our latest venture has been to start a Wallpaper-of-the-Month feature. I was surprised (and relieved) to see how easy it was to save the wallpaper to my desktop.

In the coming months, we’ll offer current photos, archival pictures, and construction shots.

Lots of construction shots.

A story from Mrs. Koch

Mrs. Koch just called and told me this little story; she asked me to add it to our HoliBlog:

On Sunday, there was a knock at her door. It was an elderly gentleman, who asked if she knew the whereabouts of L.J. Koch, Jr., an old friend.

She explained that he had passed away; he was her brother-in-law. He asked if her family was the one which owned the “tin shop” in Evansville. Indeed, Mrs. Koch’s father-in-law, Louis J. Koch, Sr., was one of the “sons” of George Koch Sons (now a subsidiary of Koch Enterprises Inc. ).

He asked which Koch she married, and she told him about Bill.

The octogenarian remembered meeting Bill Koch back in the 1940s, during a visit to the town of Santa Claus. The gentleman was helping the VFW bring a group of underprivileged children to the town of Santa Claus to visit the park. (Not Santa Claus Land, but the park which included the huge Santa statue.)

The children were so disappointed when it was discovered that the park had closed and they would not be able to enjoy their day as planned.

At this point, Bill Koch entered the picture. (Here’s a 1956 photo of Mr. Koch at Santa Claus Land with his parents.)



A Navy veteran of World War II, Mr. Koch didn’t want the VFW’s group of children to leave the town disappointed. So he invited the entire group over for a day at Santa Claus Land, his treat.

The man finished his story with a smile and, turning to leave, added: “Can I give you a compliment? You really do take care of yourself!”

Mrs. Koch chuckled with laughter over the compliment. “I was ready to go out, so I was all dressed up. I wonder what he would have said if he’d seen me 30 minutes earlier?!”

Praise from Paris

...Illinois, that is. Here's what an email from Mike had to say:

I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy reading the articles you post on the HoliBlog site.

I have visited Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari every year since 1979 when my grandparents would bring myself, my brother and cousins every summer. Now I have made it a family tradition of my own and bring my child every year. I could probably walk through the park with my eyes closed and know exactly where I was just by the sounds of the rides. Keep up the good work and tell Mrs. Koch I think she looks as good in person as she does on TV. Every time I have visited the park I always see her greeting guests and helping to keep the park clean. You all deserve a huge round of applause for providing such an enjoyable experience to everyone young and old. I look forward to another wonderful visit in July of this year.

Sincerely,
Mike
Paris, Illinois

PS - I was just curious, I believe back in the early '80s, prior to the Hoosier Celebration Theatre, there was another theatre behind Mrs. Klaus's Kitchen. There was also a play area with I believe a rocket shaped slide. Has all this been removed? I always try to peak through the fence to catch a glimpse but have never been able to see anything.
---------------------

I forwarded Mike's email to Will Koch, who remembers that area well. Here's Will's reply:

He is correct. The theater was called the Showboat Theatre. (It was originally built for the Santa Claus Land Children’s Choir.) That was where Happy Kellems (the clown) and Gene Smith (the tap dancing magician) performed. There was also a country show there in some years. The theater was where the pole building that houses the carpenters’ shop supplies is now. There was also a rocket-shaped kid’s slide that was located literally right where I now park my car.



Happy Kellems (that's his wife and partner, Lillian, bonking him on the head) was a popular clown at Santa Claus Land. We'll have to talk more about him in the coming months and years. During his long career, Happy performed for presidents, with Gene Autry and Roy Rogers, and for families at Santa Claus Land.

For now, here's a Happy quote from a 1979 newspaper article: "The most important this is to bring as much laughter and happiness as you can to a tired world that needs laughter."

P.A.S.S. me that extinguisher

Anyone driving by Holiday World at lunchtime today probably wondered what sort of tribal ritual we were performing.

A tall man with a flaming torch lit afire a pan of gasoline and water in the Raven parking lot. And we were all lined up (in a circle, actually) so that one by one we could put the fire out with an extinguisher.



COOL!

It isn't exactly on the top of my list of WhatIWantToAccomplishInMyLifeBeforeI'mEighty ... but I must admit I've always wanted to try out a fire extinguisher.

How convenient to be able to do it without the requisite raging fire, scalding heat, and collapsing buildings.

I was always the obnoxious kid at school who volunteered to go first in Speech Class. So, why change now? (Plus it was starting to rain.)

The key, my friends, is P.A.S.S.:

P = Pull. Pull the pin out. (Don't squeeze the handle yet, though.)
A = Aim. Easy enough. Aim at the base of the fire.
S = Squeeze. The squeezing part was much easier than I'd expected.
S = Sweep. No, they're not telling you to sweep up the cinders; it's the motion of your arm as you move the direction of the hose to quickly extinguish the fire.

Our controller, Matt, heckled me, "Hey, Paula! Is this HoliBlogable?"

Yes, Matt; it is. But please don't ever say HoliBlogable again!

Up, up and away!

It's noisier than usual this spring.

There's a giant contraption being assembled right across the street in our Legend parking lot.

And it looks like a hot-air balloon:



Actually, it's a new water tower. Our very own. That massive sphere will hold half a million gallons. That a lot of H-2-O!

Will Koch likes to refer to the water tower as our "insurance policy." If a water main in the area would break, we would be able to use our own reserve. Wouldn't have to close the park and hang up a "Sorry, No Water Today" sign.

This isn't, of course, a new ride. But we're all still pretty excited about our water tower. It'll be home of our webcam, when it gets back from rehab.

Meanwhile, a special crew works daily at assembling that monstrosity. If you look closely, you'll see a welder at work.

Once in a while, we hear a sudden "BOOM!" that has a movie-like echoing sound to it. Each time, I can't help but glance out the window to make sure the orb-a-plenty hasn't pulled loose of its moorings and is heading our way.

The pieces, over the next month, will be painted the happy Holiday World colors. Then two huge cranes will lift the "ball" into place.

I just may post from home that day.

First flight

The second train at The Raven is feeling right at home.



You guessed it -- Raven Red! Originally (back in 1994) I was in favor of a black train, since ravens are that color. But the red is so stunning, especially once the trees leaf out; it was definitely the right choice.

Four more weeks. For all of us, they'll just fly by!

Raven sighting

Just pulled into my parking space and saw, off in the woods, The Raven flying by.

Empty, of course. It's testing time.

But still, what a glorious sight! And the click-click-click sound as the train ascends the lift hill is music to my ears!

We're adding a second train to The Raven this season. I'm not sure if it's here yet, but I'll find out and will let you know.

With the addition of the second train, all sorts of safety contraptions have been added. That's what they're testing. In a nutshell, there will always be a set of brakes between the trains. It's a good system.

We had quite a discussion regarding whether the second train should be "Raven Red" or a different color. I'll wait to tell you until I can show you the new train.

You can hear it in St. Louis

Last summer, we got a call from a travel writer with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Tom and I had been in touch for several years and it was great to know he planning to drive the three hours to visit us.

Tom was particularly fun to walk with around the park. He was fascinated by Zinga, and took lots of photos of those clover-leaf inner tubes plunging into the enormous pink and blue funnel.

When it came time to look at our coasters, I offered him a ride. I'll never forget his answer: "I'll ride them as long as you hold my hand." Will Koch was with us and we had a good yuck. Will knows what a coward I am and that I’d be no comfort whatsoever to someone who was a bit nervous about riding a top-ranked coaster.

We decided to ride The Raven first, since it's not as long or fast as The Legend. Tom deferred to me for advice when I asked where to sit. I like the front, because you get the best view. The back, though, provides the wildest ride.

The back seat it was.

As previously mentioned, I'm a chicken and a screamer. Doesn't matter how many times I've ridden, I still render my riding partner temporarily deaf.

It's downright humiliating.

Tom and I hooted and hollered over the hills of The Raven. He grinned as he wiped a few drops of sweat (or were they tears?) away. And we headed down the hill to The Legend.

He talked me into grabbing another backseat ride. We screamed ourselves hoarse.

As we lurched into the brake run at the end of the ride, two teenage girls (with fabulous long, blond “coaster hair”—sorry I caught my hand in it, dear) sitting in front of us were still squealing. One shouted to the other, “That was awful – let’s ride it again!”

Late last summer, the Post-Dispatch ran Tom's inviting travel article about his trip to southern Indiana. And, by golly, here’s another one.

And in case you’re wondering, he never did hold my hand.

It always snows in April

It’s a shame we’re not open this month.

Now that’s a dangerous statement to make 29 days before opening. Everyone is focused on getting rides ready to go, employees trained, new stuff publicized and advertised. Lots of painting and cleaning to do. Time is of the essence. Tempus fugit.

Nerves can get frazzled.

As an aside, this is when Mrs. Koch’s sense of humor kicks into high gear. I think it’s her background in nursing kicking in. We may get a little rattled, but she’s there to tease and kid around. And a good belly laugh doesn't hurt a bit.

In April, the Bradford Pear trees are in bloom in the park. The dogwoods aren’t out yet, nor are the redbuds. The first sign that spring is really here is those pretty trees. (Thus ends my knowledge of trees. I think I could recognize a maple leaf and the bark off a birch tree, but that’s it. Heaven help me if we ever decide to open an Arbor Day section!)

All it will take is one blustery storm and the lovely white blossoms will swirl to the ground. Our last snow storm before opening. And blossoms don’t conveniently melt as snow does. It’s one more clean-up process.

Every spring, I think how it’s a shame our Guests don’t get to see our lovely Bradford Pear trees.

So here’s a look. Springtime is in the air today … and our last snowfall is not far away.

A Friend from '62

Wow. It's not just my Mom reading this thing.

An email came in late yesterday afternoon from a lady asking about discounts. When I emailed her back with the information, she replied with this sweet story (I have her permission to post this and use her name, plus I put in the link):

I remember my Aunt Deanie (who had come home from California for a couple of weeks with her kids) reading about the "new park called Santa Claus Land." She piled all of us kids in the car (she must have been crazy!) and we headed all the way down there. Long drive then, but less traffic, too.

So, I was 8 years old and we were there one of the first years it opened. I almost cried when I saw on your website showing the very first sign! I ran the video (only one I could get to run) and I swear I saw myself, but everybody back then had pony tails and white blouses. Ha!

I would love to see some more old pix!!

Thanks! K. Flynn-Spires

My First Complaint

Just to put to rest any cynical suspicions that HoliBlog is intended to be a sweet, puffy, sugary, cotton-candy cog in my magical PR spin machine…

I’m about to pull my hair out!

And it’s all about numbers.

Now, I’m not a math genius, but I can hold my own. I balance my checkbook. I don’t go over my budget. I can even count to 20 in French. (Vraiment!)

But when people are assigned specific numbers as part of their identity, and then all those numbers are changed…well, let’s just say it interrupts the smooth passage of my day.

When I was hired in 1991, I was assigned a 2-way radio number: Forty.

40.

Two score.

Four-zero.

Four-oh.

Fine.

Several years later we had added enough staff that it was time to organize the numbers to coordinate with departments.

I became twenty-one. I was pleased. Sort of a compliment, don’t you think?

And this week, due to additional growth, we’ve moved on to three-digit numbers.

I am now 160.

One-six-zero.

One-sixty.

Oh, excuse me, did you call for one-sixteen? My mistake!

We’re a month from opening, so I’m not yet using my radio much, but it’s on in the background as the construction, maintenance and cleaning crews communicate out in the park. They’re making a valiant effort, throwing all those big numbers around.

Not everyone answers right away. Sometimes it takes two or three tries.

And once in a while a two-digit number sneaks through. Even, in desperation, an occasional name.

But far be it for me to be resistant to change! (The fact that I already lost my tiny cheat sheet out in the park, notwithstanding! Thanks for the second copy, Dee Ann.) It’s time to start memorizing all those new numbers; chant them under my breath; put a face with a…number.

For decades, we had just one person with a three-digit 2-way number. The rest of us existed happily with two digits, while Mr. Koch (Will’s dad, Mrs. Koch’s husband) stood alone with three.

I loved to hear Mr. Koch on the 2-way as he identified himself: 007.

Double-oh-seven.

That dear man passed away in September of 2001 at the age of 86. At the start of the funeral mass, his wife, children and grandchildren carried special objects to the altar. These objects represented many aspects of Bill Koch’s life: his family, the town of Santa Claus, his family’s theme and water parks, highway development, Lincoln’s boyhood home, and more.

I had to grin when among all the gifts at the altar; a small placard caught my eye.

On it were three simple numbers: 007.

Would you like to take a walk?

A lot of children (and some adults) think working at a theme park is the coolest job imaginable.

Yes, making families happy for a living is an amazing career.

Permit me, however, to clear up a few possible misconceptions:
...No, we don't get to go on rides all day.
...No, we don't take long lunches lingering by the wave pool.
...And, no, we don't get free-unlimited funnel cakes!

One of the many things we do get (inherit, really) is a vast wealth of family tradition and small-park culture. We have an exciting future, certainly, but also a rich past. And we'd like to share them with you.

When we host a travel writer, or similar V.I.P., we typically stroll together through the park. And it's not just to point out this coaster and that theater; it's to provide "color commentary" on the 100 acres that have hosted millions of smiles and laughs over the past 59 years.

The stories range from a teasing tale about Will Koch's childhood "job" as an elf, to the history of how we went from being Santa Claus Land to Holiday World. If Mrs. Koch joins us, she'll laugh as she tells about the man who stopped her in the Christmas section a few season back and asked her, "Are you that woman in the commercials?"

Pleased, she responded, "Well, yes I am. I'm Pat Koch."

"Well," he snorted. "You look a heck of a lot older in person!"

(Only he didn't say "heck.")

Here she is, by the way, looking quite youthful with one of the Tiki faces for Bahari, our new themed wave pool.



The stories are different with each walk in the park. They seem to fascinate the writers and other V.I.P.s, and yet few, if any, of the stories end up in a news release.

So that why we're starting HoliBlog: A Walk in the Park. We'd like to share these stories with you. And maybe hint about upcoming expansion projects. And once those new projects are under construction...we'll show you photos and will let you know what's going on.

And who is the actual blogger? Ideally, we'll make this a group effort, with stories from all departments. But for the most part, these entries will be penned (can you even say "penned" anymore?) by PR director Paula Werne.

Meanwhile, it's April 7. We open for our 59th season on May 7.

You do the math!