"You're enjoying this too much!"

Since when is it a sin to enjoy your job?

There's a lot of chuckling going on around the office as we drop a hint here and there regarding next year's record expansion project.

Sometimes, even more information is uncovered internally as the days progress. (In other words, I head over to the Main Office and ask some questions.)

For example, I just found out that the Snowy White Gravel Road is actually an access road to get supplies back to Bahari.

Go figure.

It'll be mighty handy in the coming months, as the Snowy White Gravel Road is into multi-tasking.

Rich Davis, at the Evansville Courier & Press, grilled me hard last Friday, trying to unravel the mysteries woven throughout the HoliBlog.

He learned a bit more.

And Fox 7 called a bit ago; they're doing a story for this evening's newscast (their news is on at 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm CDT).

This is fun.

So much fun, in fact, that we're delaying the announcement.

No, not because we want to -- we've hit a scheduling snafu and need to make the announcement a bit later than the originally planned June 16. (Sorry!)

On Friday, Rich asked if it made me nervous -- would all this hype end up causing a big let down at some point. After all, in the past we've always been buttoned-up tight until our announcements (usually held in the fall months).

This truly has been an adventure into uncharted waters.

I must admit, I'm a worrier. My mind constantly shouts, "What if?!"

Mrs. Koch and I laughed about this the other day. That advice, "Don't sweat the small stuff. It's all small stuff," doesn't work with our personalities.

With us, it's all big, huge, hairy stuff. (Although "stuff" could surely be replaced with a more properly descriptive word.)

But of this I'm certain. Folks who love Holiday World & Splashin' Safari will be absolutely enamored with our expansion plans.

You have to listen to win

This is one of those contests where you have to be listening to the right radio station at the right time if you want a chance to win.

"Win what?" you ask.

Win this:



Ain't it a beauty?

All you need to do is listen to WBKR radio station. Weekdays, sometime between 7:00 am and 7:00 pm CDT, there will be an announcement to "call in to win." If you manage to be Caller #10, you get a place on The Revolution.

That's right. If you'd like a chance to win, you need to capture one of the 33 spots on "the wheel":



On June 18, all the finalists will climb aboard our new Revolution and when the ride stops, there will be only one winner.

Want to know more?

I took a photo of the truck window:



(My apologies to the fellow who was trying to use the ATM machine while I was taking these photos. I promise I didn't peek!)

Want to know even more? Head over to the WBKR website for all the rules and regs.

Please don't email me asking to sign up another way, because...

(All together now): You have to listen to win!

Proud Grandma

Mrs. Koch always has cute stories about her grandchildren (she has 11; #12 is due in July).

Beautiful little Anna was here last week.

She's two years old (and just barely two, not nearly-three).

When Mrs. Koch took her to our Rudolph's Reindeer Ranch so that she could go on one of the kiddie rides, Anna had her own plan:

Go ride coaster!

It's in her blood, we figure.

In case you're wondering, the height requirements apply to the Koch children and grandchildren just as they do to everyone else. No exceptions. Not ever.

Four or five seasons ago, it was tough. Four of the grandchildren are the same age. Two were tall enough to ride The Raven and The Legend, and two were not.

The "vertically challenged" grandkids ate a lot of string beans that summer, believe you me! But until they were tall enough, "Go ride coaster!" had to remain the height of fantasy.

I said I wouldn't do it...

...but here's one last water-tower story.

My husband is a dairy farmer...and he needed some equipment welded yesterday. The fellow he normally calls wasn't available, as he was doing some work at Holiday World (oops! sorry, dear).

But the welder was available today and got the milking parlor stantions all fixed up.

He told Gary this story...

Remember the painters, suspended high about the ground, touching up the paint on the "bowl"? (Look here to refresh your memory.)

Apparently, when one of the painters returned to terra firma, he remarked about the view:

I could even see the high-dive team rehearsing their shows.

Those guys are crazy!

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

We and our friends (old and new) certainly intend to...



In case you've been wondering where in the world we put Bahari, the above photo should help put it all in perspective. (It really is a photo, I assure you. For some reason it looks a bit like an artist's rendering.)

Bahari has a lovely "resort" look, right on down to the fossil-bed finish on the multi-colored decking.

Let's zoom in a bit to get a better look at the theming...



There are lots of new deck chairs (which we refer to as "towel holders"). And the new Bahari Snacks food outlet even offers fresh fruit!

Okay, it's fresh fruit dipped in chocolate, but that doesn't cancel out the health benefits, does it?

Splashin' superheroes

How cute are these little guys?



Rachel took this photo last week down at Crocodile Isle (thanks to the parents for giving us their permission to do this).

We had chilly temperatures that day, so those little fellows must have used their super-powers to keep warm!

A new road in town

Santa Claus is a cute little town. About 2,200 population, with street names befitting the town's theme: Snowbell Lane, Sled Run, even Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire (I swear! I'll post a photo of the very long street sign some day).

When a new road appears, it's a bit startling. And when the road is improved from a dirt lane to lovely white gravel, it's a sight to behold!



Your intrepid reporter decided it was important to put the location of...let's call it the Snowy White Gravel Road...into perspective for you. Grabbed the digital camera, hopped in my car and drove over to the site.

Once again, I risked life and limb (and this time -- chigger bites!) to get the proper photo. The hillside, I've discovered, is remarkably steep. And full of colorful flowers interspersed with mean, scratchy weeds.

So steep, in fact, for a split second I thought I was going to fall over backwards. At that point I realized if I moved ten yards or so to the south, the angle would be better and the tangly weeds were not quite as thick.

In the lower foreground, you'll see the entrance to the Snowy White Gravel Road:



And to the upper far left, squint a bit and you'll see the top of Liberty Launch. Working your way to the right, you'll see the water towers and then the top of The Legend's lifthill.

Got it?

Hopped back in my car and carefully meandered up the Snowy White Gravel Road.

Please note: Do not try this at home. Seriously, as a park director, I have access. This is definitely an "Authorized Personnel Only: No Trespassing" area.

At the top of the hill, I wanted to head over toward the piled-up wood. If you are a faithful reader, you already know about this. If not, please go back and read this and then this.

Luckily, with no recent rains, it was no problem moving from the "improved" Snowy White Gravel Road to Proceed With Caution Lane.

Apparently, we've had several more deliveries since we last took a look.

Not sure, but this looks to me like some sort of fancy roofing material:



What do you think?

I glanced up after taking that photo and got rather spooked.

There was a gigantic bird hovering overhead. With a huge wingspan.

Looked rather threatening, actually.

First I thought it was a hawk. But maybe it was one of those wild turkeys that hang out around here. Whatever it was, it wasn't worth waiting around for a proper introduction; I snapped this and headed back to safety:



As much as I'd like to stick around and speculate with you, I'm heading home.

There's a big bottle of Calomine Lotion waiting for me!

Water, water everywhere

...and not a drop to drink.

Not!

About once a week during the season, we receive a comment that that our Free Unlimited Soft Drinks selection should include water.

Well...actually...it does.

If you dash in and dash out of one of the Pepsi Oasis buildings scattered throughout the parks...



...you may not see it in your haste.

But once you know to look for a separate button at the Fruit Punch or Lemonade selection, you'll see it's labeled "water."



It's good water, too. I get it all the time.

We're happy to reply to these emails, letters and phone calls. Only it's a little hard to take when we get a lecture.

At the risk of starting an international incident, I'll relate a recent chewing out we got from a fellow from our neighboring nation to the north.

Now normally I wouldn't mention a person's nationality. But in his argument to convince us to offer water, here's what he wrote:

"Obsecity is rappant in the U.S."

So.

Is he calling us a bunch of fatties?

I only know a few Canadians. My sister-in-law Marie-Susanne, for example.

She's thin.

And the fellows from ProSlide are Canadian. When they came down to test out Zinga a few years back, come to think of it, they were also quite trim.

Hmm.

In the interest of world harmony, what about this, my new friend from the North:

I'll take off five pounds.

And you start using SpellCheck.

Must be "sweeps week"

Erica and Jackson got married after 17 long years.

Carrie and Bo are prepping their pipes.

Thirty million headed over to Wisteria Lane for some answers.

And Pat Koch is featured in a "Close Up" on Evansville TV this evening.

We've already talked about this a few days ago, but I needed a good excuse to show you this:



The producer called yesterday and needed some additional archival photos of Mrs. Koch; Jerry was kind enough to dash over with a batch.

Apparently a condensed version of the profile will air tonight at 5:00 pm CT on WFIE-TV Evansville, with the full four-minute feature on at 10:00 pm.

"Sweeps week."

If you've ever been here, you've probably seen Mrs. Koch out in the park.

Did you catch the pun?

What a way to start the day

Email received overnight:

"Please mail me a brochure for Holiday World & Slashin' Safari."

Slashin'?

Sounds a bit gory, don't you think?

If you live in the Evansville (TV) area...

...you might want to set the TiVo for 5 pm and 10 pm on Wednesday to catch a four-minute news feature about Mrs. Koch.

WFIE's Ann Komis visited with Mrs. Koch a few weeks back, and they chatted for hours.



Mrs. Koch let slip a hint about our 2006 expansion; it'll be interesting to see if it's used.

Apparently, Channel 14 is running promotional spots about the "Close Up" segment. They mention that Mrs. Koch has "created a dynasty."

Of course, now we're all calling her Krystle. And we stay away from the pools and fountain when we see her coming!

Oh, the emails we receive...

We chuckle at the emails asking "how do we get there?" and not mentioning their location.

And the ones asking us to mail them a brochure, but they don't include their address.

Then there are the phone calls asking, "Are you on the same time with me?"

Hey -- we've all been there. Rest assured, we're laughing with you.

Really.

We also receive feedback, comments, suggestions, questions, and an occasional bit of intriguing trivia.

Benny gave me permission to post this tidbit of intercontinental info:

I am currently working in Manila, Philippines. Checked out the site as I am planning on being there when I get back home sometimes early June. One of my students saw the site and the page about the new wave pool...and told me that in Filippino, Bahari means "King of Flood." It is actually made up of 2 words Baha meaning flood and Hari which means King which translates into King of Flood. I like that one better than the Swahili translation and thought I'd share it with you and maybe you would be so impressed you send me some free tickets!

Somehow, Benny, I still manage to prefer the Swahili image of "immense sea." And sorry... we're intrigued, certainly, but not quite that impressed.

Can we tie in with today's big nat'l news?

You betcha!



This banner is hanging outside the building of the town's sole C-store.

It made me think of a story from a few years back...

It was the summer of 2002, less than a year after Mr. Koch passed away. A lovely bipartisan effort by our state legislature resulted in the renaming of a portion of Highway 162 the "William A. Koch Memorial Highway."

We put together an unveiling ceremony of one of the huge highway signs. It was to be in the Hoosier Celebration Theater, the outdoor theater located not far from the entrance to Splashin' Safari. And Governor O'Bannon would be on hand to talk about his friend Bill Koch and take part in the unveiling.

I'm one of those cross-the-t's-and-dot-the-i's person. A multi-page memo was in everyone's hands well ahead of time to make sure everything went perfectly.

And it did.

Well...almost.

The Hoosier Celebration Theater is located in the 4th of July section. I was rather proud of myself that I'd remembered to include a note to make sure the themed music for the 4th of July section was turned off shortly before the ceremony commenced. That way, the speeches and vocal performances within the outdoor venue wouldn't clash with the park music.

The news media arrived en masse. Former Indiana Governor Whitcomb, local officials, the Koch family, curious park guests, and some of our staff packed the theater. We were just waiting for Governor O'Bannon to arrive and make a suitable entrance.

The spirit was jovial and the Governor was only a few minutes late. Just as he entered the back of the theater to thunderous applause, I realized that just turning off the 4th of July music wasn't enough.

Halloween was still going strong.

If you're familiar with Holiday World's layout, you can picture how to the left of the seating area there's some "green space," then a walkway, and then HallowSwings.

That's how close Halloween is.

And just as Governor O'Bannon, beaming, entered the theater, those of us located on the left side of the seating area heard it immediately.

From the Halloween section, the unmistakable anthem:

Daaaah-dum dah daaaaaah-dum!

Darth Vader's Theme.

I looked over. The Governor was still surrounded by his constituents. Lots of hand shaking, back slapping and chatting.

Good. They couldn't hear it.

Yet.

I then turned to look at the news media.

They were in stitches. Watching me instead of the governor. Enjoying my discomfort far too much!

I clutched my two-way radio and called Base: Please turn off the Halloween music immediately!

The reply was that the Entertainment Director would have to do it.

Chris just happened to be in the theater's tech booth--mere yards from me. I looked back there -- our eyes locked (his were as big as saucers). I knew he couldn't leave the booth.

Daaaaaaa-da-da duh-dah-duh...

I thought I heard the Dark Lord's labored breathing.

Oh. That was me.

The news media's mirth was becoming audible. Chris made a quick phone call. Suddenly the Darth Vader Theme ceased. And the ceremony continued without further incident.



I always thought the Governor (on the far left) would get a kick out of that story. Sadly, that kind and gracious man passed away the following year.

I'll always remember that day as a mixture of tears and laughter. And the day the Force was with us.

If you live in the Louisville area...

...you might want to rise-and-shine Wednesday morning and check out WDRB's Darin Adams' visit to Holiday World & Splashin' Safari on Fox 41's "Fox in the Morning" show.

It was a little chilly when Darin and cameraman Eric visited Monday morning. I believe I counted the number of swimmers in Bahari on one hand.

There was a mom stretched out on a chaise lounge...

Knitting.

Darin kicked off his shoes and socks and bravely dipped his piggies in the water. Will, ever the King Solomon clone, wisely stayed to the side of the pool.

Eric and I snickered like school kids while Darin did a little ooooh-I'm-not-used-to-the-water-yet jig.

(Don't worry, the water is warming up nicely now that the sun is back in gear.)

Mrs. Koch was on hand to talk about Revolution and the new train on The Raven. I couldn't hear what she was saying but they were both laughing pretty hard.

Darin worked us over pretty hard, trying to get an idea about what we're scheming about for 2006. He was remarkably relentless. Not quite annoying, though.

You can tell that he didn't tip my annoyance scale since his dry shoes and socks were waiting for him on the shore when he finished his quirky little version of River Dance in our wave pool.

Would you want this job?

I tease a lot of the directors here at the park:

I'm sure glad you like your job -- I sure wouldn't want to do it!

Happily, not too many of my fellow employees are camping out at my office door, either.

It's nice to be well-suited to your job. Your career.

What about these guys?



Could you imagine?

Of course, there are those who love to build (and maintain) coasters. And others who hunger to feed the masses. Another who wheels and deals to squeeze every bit out of our advertising dollars. And still others who pay the bills and balance the books.

But hanging on the side of a water tower?

Oh, my!

By the way, for those of you who have been reading this HoliBlog for a while, you may be astonished that the logo in the photo is not the one explained by Will a while back in his Zinga Ball post.

Apparently plans changed back to the preferred "stacked-format" logo when a painter specializing in distorting-logos-so-that-they-look-right-on-a-curved-surface came into town.

Amazing.

By the way, I needed to come back to work last night for a few things and when I left, it was quite dark out. As I headed toward my car I wondered if, indeed, the bright yellow water tower would glow a bit.

To be sure. A gentle beacon in the night.

Mother's Day hits twice

I tease Thomas that he's my egghead son.

John, 13, is my musical son.

And James, 5, is my farm-boy son.

They're all bright fellows, but Tom is what I sometimes refer to as "scary smart."

I have, by the way, a newspaper clipping of an article stating that bright sons get their brains from their mothers. (Just thought I'd throw that bit of scientific fact on the heap.)

Tom is finishing up his second year at Rose-Hulman. If you're not from Indiana, this may sound like a school for florists. It's actually a highly regarded school of engineering. He's double-majoring in Electrical Engineering and Math and has tested out of enough classes that he could graduate a year early (if he didn't love school so much).

Slacker!

Anyway, Tom was home on spring break shortly after the start of the HoliBlog. I asked him to explain the whole concept of "RSS" to me. (I listened to, but didn't thoroughly retain, his explanation. It's a "syndication" that delivers the blog posts to you, rather than you having to check repeatedly for new posts. Something like that...)

So Tom granted me a demonstration on his souped-up laptop. He set up RSS delivery of HoliBlog posts on his system.

Cool!

He then promptly deleted it.

A knife to my heart would have caused less pain.

How could you, my son?

Shall we talk about the many hours of labor...and that you were delivered naturally so that no foreign substance might taint your precious brain?

...okay, I won't go there. You were the smallest baby after all. (If you can call 8 lbs. 13 oz. a runt!)

Trying to keep the pout out of my voice, I told him how I'd received an email from another local college boy ... who said HoliBlog was "like a letter from home."

Didn't work.

He didn't take the hint.

Cleaned up his desktop and moved on to some unpronounceable engineering project (for some light reading, don't you know).

So imagine my joy -- my rapture -- when my beloved first-born called a bit ago,

Mom ... what's going on? You haven't posted on the blog lately...

(Cue the music -- lots of violins swelling in unison.)

The prodigal son has returned. Kill the fatted lasagna!

Mommy's tiny touch of revenge, of course, is this rather humiliating post. Tom will see it immediately since he has that RSS thing, right?

It's nice to know--sniff!--that you care, Tom. (I also know my double-hyphens annoy you--don't they, dear?)

Motherhood is a precious, precious thing.

Friday the 13th brings good luck

(This was written on Friday, May 13 ... but since the HoliBlog's host site was down temporarily for maintenance, this post hasn't seen the light of day until today.)

Today, May 13, we are not open to the public.

We are hosting our 13th annual Play Day for 2,200 children with disabilities.

It's a wonderful event and you'll never see happier children.

Here's Mrs. Koch visiting with a young friend:



If you'd like to read a nice article from the Evansville Courier & Press, click here. (You may have to "subscribe" to see the article -- it's free.)

Our thanks to all the wonderful children, their parents, teachers and caregivers. They start off our daily season with the smiles, cheers and giggles that make all the past months' work worthwhile.

And to our friends at the Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center who help coordinate this event each May by inviting school children with disabilities from around the tri-state. We know you've spent the $135,000 donation wisely, and that hundreds and hundreds of your clients have benefited over the years.

Here's a little sweetheart who couldn't get enough of the Magic Waters in Holidog's FunTown:



We are truly blessed with the joy these special children showered on us on Friday the 13th.

Not such a scary day after all...

If you live in the Evansville area...

...you might want to tune in Friday evening to watch "Holiday World: The Kochs' Recipe for Success."

It's on at 8:00 pm CDT/EST on WNIN, Channel 9 (our local PBS station).

Thanks to Hilton for emailing me about the upcoming airing. ... and be sure to wave at him while you're watching, as his photo is used in the show. Look for a black and white photo of a cute little boy wearing a cowboy hat. Hilton won a contest and was named Town Marshal of the town of Santa Claus for the entire year of 1959.

Well, lookee here...Jerry, our archivist par excellence, found a photo and some articles about Hilton:



According to newspaper articles from December, 1958, the Santa Claus Chamber of Commerce held a nation-wide contest looking for children who had been born on Christmas Day. The two winners were Hilton, from Mount Vernon, Indiana, and a lad named Michael from Hastings, Minnesota. That's Santa Claus's Postmaster for 1958, Elbert Reinke, pinning the official Town Marshal badge on Hilton's shirt.

As an aside, get a load of the headline in Michael's local paper:

Minnesota Red-Haired Namesake of Arch-Angel Will Reign As Honorary Mayor At Santa Claus

(Whew! They don't write like that anymore!)

Michael was named Mayor of Santa Claus. Hilton got the cool job. Since he was born on December 25, 1946, he named was Town Marshal for 1959. I think Michael was a tad jealous:



There's a cute quote from Hilton in the newspaper article. During his weekend in Santa Claus, he invited all those he met to "visit Posey County, home of the famous watermelon patches, and where the Ohio River blows a breeze of freshness."

Regarding the TV show, if you're not in the Evansville, Indiana, area...you might want to pester your local PBS affiliate and ask them to air the hour-long "Holiday World: The Kochs' Recipe for Success" in your market. They just need to contact WNIN to set that up.

"In the Loop" interview

There's a new Internet radio feed called "In the Loop."

We lined Will up for an interview yesterday; if you'd like to listen to a portion of the interview click here.

The report also details how to hear the entire interview.

We'll keep you posted in the coming weeks as more articles and interviews are available online.

Stack o' wood

It's been a busy day, but at long last your trusty servant has tracked down the answer to yesterday's intriguing photo.

That stack of wood --

?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?

-- it's for a fence around Bahari, our new wave pool that opens Saturday.

Oh! You thought it was for --

No, really?

Goodness!

Well, I'll be!

That really is something to think about, isn't it?

Another interesting delivery

Okay, to date I've been called sneaky, a tease, and sly. All in the past month.

One fellow even accused me of enjoying the "torcher" of HoliBlog readers. (I believe he meant torture, as I have yet to light anyone on fire.)

So as not to disappoint all those fans, here's another intriguing photo:



So, where was I when I took this picture? Northeast of the park, on Highway 162, not too far from Yellig Park (the sports park on the north end of town).

To the left, you can see the new water tower. To the right there's a tiny blotch of yellow (it's a piece of construction machinery). And even farther to the right...

What's that?

Can you see it?

Try squinting...

Thanks to Steven in marketing, we'll point it out a bit more clearly for you:



Still can't tell what it is? It is pretty far back off the road, so it's hard to tell exactly what it could be. Let's use the zoom on this fancy camera.

(There's nothing like standing by the side of a state highway, fumbling for your reading glasses so you can be sure to push the correct button on the camera.)

Ah! Here we go:



Gosh. That's a little fuzzy. Sorry.

Guess I need new reading glasses.

It may take me a day or two to research this new discovery. But I promise, faithful readers, to report back with an answer.

By the way, I just ran the spellcheck program on this entry. You know how they suggest "more appropriate" words when they don't recognize a word or spelling?

They don't recognize the word "HoliBlog," which is certainly understandable.

Instead, they recommend that we use this word:

Helpless.

Thanks a lot!

Extra! Extra!

Ever want to be an “extra” in a commercial? Well then, today might just be your lucky day.

We need volunteers to be extras on Friday, Saturday and possibly Sunday of this week.

As extras for the new Bahari TV commercials, you’ll be asked to frolic in the huge new wave pool on and off throughout the day (8:30 am to 4:30 pm CDT/EST).

Interested?

On Friday, you’ll also take part in the Media Preview being held that morning. So you might end up on the news as well.

We can’t promise to make you a star, but we will feed you and give you a free ticket as a token of our esteem.

To sign up, please contact John at jchidester@holidayworld.com or call 812-937-5280 and ask to speak with Jacob or Ryan. They’ll answer your questions and will provide you with more information (such as please wear a swimsuit that is modest in design; bring towels and cover-ups plus something to pass the time during down-time). This is a first-come, first-served opportunity and families are particularly welcome.

And before you ask…is Bahari’s water heated? You bet! We use solar heating and as long as the sun is shining, the water is warming up.

Out with the old...in with the new

About a year and a half ago, Will announced in staff meeting:

I want to see more Guests walking around the park with plush that they've won.

Huh?

I guess this should not have surprised me. Will is, after all, the fellow who came up with the Free Unlimited Soft Drinks program for the year 2000. And the next year, he challenged us to come up with another such program. Lori suggested Free Sunscreen, and we added that.

April, our games director, recently sent me the following list of how many prizes were awarded at the various games in 2004:

Shrek ... 1,288

Donkey ... 1,315

Hoosier Hysteria Regulation College Basketballs ... 10,525

Duck Pond prizes ... 42,916

Wacky Cats ... 44,140

Skeeball – 44,539

Fried Frogs – 62,824

Approximately 4,200,000 tickets won from Skeeball and the redemption games in Merlin’s Arcade.

It suddenly occurs to me that the above numbers may offend those folks who came away from the skill games empty-handed. And that calling them "skill" games made you feel even worse.

Sorry.

So what's new this year? For one thing ... new Skeeball machines!

Say bye-bye to the vintage machines:



They were sold over the last few months on eBay and following news reports. (I promise the HoliBlog will feature future sales.)

Meanwhile, the new Skeeball machines are ready to go for opening day:



Skeeball always has an assortment of neat prizes. It's fun to watch children as they oh-so-seriously ponder their options as they get ready to trade in their tickets for something special.

Here's one of the featured prizes for 2005:



Here's wishing a lot of skill and a tiny smidgen of luck to all our Hosts & Hostesses this opening weekend.

More calculations

Around here we kid around about each person's "inner geek" coming out in our work.

John knows every dimension of the new water tower.

Will can explain the mechanical workings of every ride.

Lori knows every specific water-quality number and how to balance it perfectly.

I eagerly volunteered recently to rewrite text into blocks containing no more than 240 characters and spaces.

And even our HoliBlog readers are getting in on the act.

Marc from Murphysboro emailed me this question:

So it should weigh 155 tons empty then; do you know the capacity of it? Then we could figure the loaded weight of it, which I bet could double perhaps.

I emailed back the answer: 500,000 gallons.

And here is Marc's response:

From my figuring, water weighs 8.345 lbs per gallon * 500,000 gallons=4,172,500lbs of water + 310,000lbs for the structure = 4,482,500lbs total when full.

That would make it almost EXACTLY the weight of the fully-loaded and fueled space shuttle Endeavor on blastoff, and equivalent to the weight of 700 fully-fueled Hummer H2 SUVs.

Wow.

Wow, indeed.

Gosh, I don't even think that way! To calculate it all out and then have another example for comparison. Never in a million years would I come up with that.

But then, it's all geek to me!

Three shall be as one

The day has finally arrived!

We all gathered around (along with a number of people in town) and watched as...

Teepee + Stack + Bowl = Water Tower!

I'd always thought of the pieces as the cone, the cylinder, and the sphere. (Gosh, maybe I never will use what I learned back in geometry class...)



John, our marketing director, is particularly excited by this new water tower. He bustled about, taking photos from all angles. He knows all the water-tower-workmen by name and probably has his own plaster-of-paris model at home on the mantel.

Must be a guy thing. I looked around and saw mostly male-types with their eyes glued to the teepee/stack/bowl assemblage. We've all been so busy, I guess it felt good to stand still for a few minutes and just concentrate on the immense Tinker Toy being fitted together.

Thanks to John, we know the weight of each piece. The red "teepee" is 50,000 pounds. Quite a bit heavier is the 90,000-pound blue "stack." No wonder the big yellow "bowl" took a while to glide into place; it weighs 170,000 pounds.



A bit more painting to do. And more welding.

When you drive into the town of Santa Claus, from any direction, it'll be fun for the kiddos to scan the horizon, watching for the giant yellow lightbulb in the sky.

Yes, it's a bit shocking (forgive me as I plug in one last pun) and from the squeals of the children as they finally know the answer to "are we there yet?" ...it may even be a bit electrifying.

A bit of housekeeping

We've received a number of emails with general questions, so let's answer them here and now:

Q: Will the HoliBlog continue after opening day?
A: Certainly! If I can make it through this week and still write an entry or two each day (with the help of my friends), there shouldn't be any problem continuing. On a side note, we just received our monthly report with statistics regarding visitation to our website. Yikes! HoliBlog is the second-most visited page on our site. (More than 10,000 visitors in just three weeks.)

Q: Will the HoliBlog include stories about lesser-known features such as the Betsy Ross Doll House?
A: Sure! It way take a few months, but we'll try to get to all of your requests.

Q: When will you announce "what's new" for 2006?
A: The big announcement will take place on Thursday, June 16.

Stay tuned...we've got more interesting photos coming soon.

Fountainbleu

Have you been concerned about the progress of the new fountain in the Christmas Plaza?

It's progressing nicely, thank you:



I feel like such a dog, prancing out of my office to take a photo of people who are really earning their pay. The park is buzzing with activity!

Hope they know we appreciate all they do.

I also hope those guys suspended over the middle of the fountain didn't just have a big lunch!

Christmas comes early for Mrs. Koch

When you look up "determined" in the dictionary, chances are Mrs. Koch's photo will be there.

Every season, there are two or three things that just bug her. Drive her crazy.

Up a tree, even.

But she doesn't gripe and complain. She figures out a way to change it.

It's usually something people whisper in her ear all season long. Our Guests see Mrs. Koch on TV all summer. She's an approachable person. And approach her they do!

Top of the list last year was the big fir tree in the Christmas Plaza.

"We need a beautifully decorated Christmas tree for the children to see when they first come in the park," she announced one week in staff meeting.

No one disagreed. She was right (she usually is).

Next week at staff meeting, "Don't you think we should fix up that tree for next season?"

And the following week...

What about my tree?

Just imagine our collective joy and exultation when Will passed out the 2005 Budget last fall and one of the line items was:

Trim and Decorate Tree in Christmas Plaza.

Hooray!

Joe carefully researched how the huge tree should be thinned and trimmed, so as not to cause any damage.

The great wooly tree underwent a makeover worthy of reality TV.

And then a week ago came the big announcement: The decorations have arrived!

It rained nearly every day that week. But finally, Monday, the work began.



First, the lights were strung.

All 2,700 of them.

And then the huge ornaments were brought out. Giant lollipops, gingerbread men, candy canes, colorful balls, ribbons, snowflakes, and much more.

Kinda pretty, huh?



By the way, Mrs. Koch's desire to have additional benches placed around the park has also become reality.

And she's already been granted a very special wish for 2006.

You'll be able to share next year's gift with her.

In fact, she'll insist.

An all-consuming hunger

The countdown to Season Opening isn’t just a busy time. It’s also a hungry time.

When you know the pizza ovens will be heating up soon, it makes you want pizza.

Now.

And all those funky fudge flavors at Mrs. Klaus’ Kitchen. Bubble-gum fudge sounds mighty tasty.

Now!

So in honor of our updated Restaurants and Food Outlets page (thanks, Rachel! Aren’t you glad you asked me to delegate more? You’re now a Code Monkey just like me!), I polled our directors:

Which particular food item are you most looking forward to enjoying on Opening Day?

I’d only just clicked the “send email” button when – ding! – back came Will’s reply:

Will: Polish sausage at Hot Diggity Dogs. Then a Goblin Burger and corn dog at Goblin Burgers.

Now mind you, this was at 8:15 in the morning. What if I’d asked at lunchtime?

Next comes our Director of Food Service:

Wayne: Pizza … plus cheese-filled breadsticks at the new Bahari Snacks.

Brandon, our Director of Human Resources (who, by the way, should find a way to bottle his Miracle Metabolism—-it would be an instant best-seller), just wants a little snack: pork chop sandwich, corn on the cob with extra butter, and a baked potato.

Isn’t that always the way? Sigh!

Vanessa, our Director of Merchandise, can't wait to buy some Chicken Fajitas.

Joe Hevron, director of Cash Control, Warehouse and Flowers: Everything!

Mrs. Koch is craving Chicken Strips.

So is Matt (our Controller). And Dee Ann (Director of Admissions). And Tori (Director of Rides).

John, our Director of Marketing, says the Brandon Special (see above) sounds mighty good.

April, our Director of Games, is looking forward to her first Taco Salad of the season. Her husband, Chris, is Director of Security (and Entertainment – talk about multi-tasking!). Chris is heading down the freshly-paved Halloween Hill for a Goblin Burger.

Lori, the Director of Splashin' Safari, says she’s craving a Pickle-on-a-Stick (she just said that to get me to make gagging sounds--and it worked).

Steve, our Director of Development, wants a pork chop sandwich.

And finally…Mike. Actually, we have two Mikes. One is Director of Sales and the other is Director of Safety and Maintenance. I didn’t write down which Mike told me this, so let’s just assume that they both want this on opening day: Pizza.

Me? It’s hard to decide. But I must admit, when I’m walking a travel writer around the park (and that walk gets longer every year) on a hot summer’s day, I surely do appreciate stepping into a Pepsi Oasis building for a free Diet Mountain Dew.

Meanwhile, I have a bag of lettuce in the fridge for lunch. And some prunes.

Opening day can’t come soon enough!

Brace yourself!

Here are a few more photos (thanks, Rachel!) with additional details of today's delivery.



If you're planning to visit Holiday World this weekend (or will be stopping by sooner to get your season-pass photo taken) you can see this ... er ... stuff in our Employee Parking Lot:



For now, anyway.

Memories from the last century

I still get a charge out of using that line. Anything that happpened five or more years ago sounds ancient, since it was "the last century."

This is part of an email from Marcia, who used to live in Evansville, Ind. Now she's in Indianapolis and is looking forward to a return visit to Holiday World & Splashin' Safari this summer.

Here's what she had to say:

Not only was 1991 your first year as an employee of Holiday World, but it was also the first year I had a season pass. I had bought passes for my step-daughter, Jessica (age 11 at the time), and myself in the fall of 1990 for the following summer. Danielle wouldn't be three years old until the following September, so I knew she would be "free" all that summer.

Well, I was a bit surprised when I ended up getting pregnant that fall and had my son, Jacob, in June. Not one to miss out on my season pass thrills, I packed up all three kids a number of times that summer for a few hours of amusement park fun. I remember meeting Mrs. Koch that winter at a December event (which included a Christmas-themed show) and tearfully thanking her for providing such a wonderful venue for my family. Owning a season pass to an amusement park was a childhood fantasy come true for me, so I used it many times that year.

Now that I live a bit farther away, I haven't been back to the park since 2000, so my youngest child, Laura (age 11), is really looking forward to riding the Raven for the first time this summer. She has already practiced by riding the simulator version available at Chuck E. Cheese's. I've ridden the ride at Chuck E. Cheese's, and it does capture the Raven experience pretty well.

My young neighbor girl went on the Chuck E. Cheese version one time (while under my care), and when I walked up to her, I noted she was sitting in a puddle.

Unfortunately, she didn't know how to stop the ride in order to get to the bathroom in time.

Oops!

Marcia B., Indianapolis
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And now a word from our sponsor...

If you've already purchased your 2005 Season Pass and would like to have your photo taken before the season starts, please stop by the Holiday World front gate during these dates and times:

May 3 ... 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. CT

May 4 ... 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. CT

May 5 ... 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. CT

We will also take season pass photos after Holiday World opens, but prior to Splashin' Safari's opening:


May 10 ... 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. CT

May 11 ... 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. CT

Otherwise, just bring your season pass voucher with you the first day you visit this season.

Smile pretty for Holidog!

Deliveries arriving daily

Since the days till opening can now be counted on one hand (gulp!) the folks in the warehouse department are handling tons of … stuff.

Lots and lots of plush has been unloaded and will soon be put on display at games throughout Holiday World.



Uniforms have arrived and are being distributed. Cleaning supplies, lots of souvenirs and other items for the shops, last minute equipment for the show techs to use. And a bunch more mats for Jungle Racer:



And then there’s this.

Hmmmmm...

I have a feeling it should have a “Do not open until '06” sticker on it.



Hey! Let's all plan to eat plenty of Holiday World pizza this summer -- looks like the sauce is loaded with iron!