Maybe we need a warning sign

Lynn is a grandma who visited the park recently and plans to come back again soon. She and I have exchanged emails several times over the past week.

Apparently we're now close enough buddies that she felt comfortable sharing this proud family story:

I have a teen grandson, Logan. When he was around four, we took him to the park and bought him one of those blue ice creams. He really got into that thing! Had a blue face all day long. Ha!

But the next day, I was at his house watching him, and he went into the bathroom and was in there for a little bit, and came out of there screaming and crying in a panic that his "poop" was blue! The kiddo thought something was wrong with him! Ha ha ha! I like to died laughing! Ha ha!

Every time we talk Holiday World, I kid him about the "blue poop" and the panic he went into!

Don't worry, Logan, if Grandma Lynn emails me any baby pictures of you in the tub or on one of those bear rugs, I'll send the files back unopened.

There are some lines we just won't cross.

Whistle while you work?

Is that the message Mrs. Koch is trying to convey here?



Mrs. Koch was in Texas over the weekend for the Golden Ticket Awards ceremony.

She had a ball.

Visiting other parks is always fun.

Interesting, too.

When the ticket taker at one park was leaning over her station, holding her head, Mrs. Koch (a stickler for posture...my spine is straightening even as I type) couldn't help herself:

Having a bad day?

"Oh, yes. I'm not feeling well. My head hurts. I guess I should have eaten breakfast."

Yes, a good breakfast is important. Hope you feel better -- and have a great day!

Saturday afternoon, The Travel Channel asked Mrs. Koch for an interview. Never shy, our matriarch stepped up to the plate.



We don't know yet when the show will air, but it's expected to be next spring or summer.

Congratulations to all the other parks who "brought home the Lucite" as Will calls it.

And our thanks Gary, Tim, Sammy, Janice and everyone else at Amusement Today.

Did I hear a rumor that for next year a new "Best Park Blog" category will be added?

...guess not.

Envelope, please...

Today's the day ... the announcement of the 2005 Golden Ticket Awards.

We've been honored with several awards over the years. It's gotten so we include the Golden Ticket logo on our brochure.



One fellow made our Call Center ladies smile a month ago; he was charmingly confused about those golden tickets.

Apparently a particular movie remake this summer got him to thinking he needed to consume a massive amount of candy bars before visiting us.

He wasn't completely wrong, though ... the Golden Tickets are definitely, well, sweet!

We received two of the top honors this year:

...Friendliest (for the 8th year in a row)and

...Cleanest (for the 6th consecutive year).

Splashin' Safari was named the #2 water park again, and our coasters and water rides received high rankings as well.

Mrs. Koch was on hand in San Antonio, Texas, this afternoon to accept the awards and to announce that the 2006 Awards Ceremony will be hosted by her family's park in Santa Claus, Indiana.

Our news release, with all the particulars, is posted in our News Room, if you'd like to take a peek.

And to see how all the parks did, click on over to the Amusement Today website.

Thanks to all who voted for us!

Most of all, thanks to all of our Hosts and Hostesses who earned these awards day after day, all season long.

Who dumped this stuff?

...and does Mrs. Koch know what a mess they made?

The grassy area to the south of our employee parking lot is full of very large, shiny, cylindrical objects.

When I went up close to take this photo, I got dizzy (how embarrassing):



These two, together, looked like a huge pair of binoculars.

Alien binoculars, perchance?

They're each seven feet in diameter, by the way.

Any idea what they are?



A quick call to Will and we have the answer.

Culverts.

They'll go under the new walkway that, in 2006, will connect The Wave to the new Bahari River.

They'll also be used in the area going upstream to Bahari.



After studying the above photo I must admit I'm not convinced space aliens aren't involved.

Very messy aliens.

Where exactly *is* The Voyage?

I know a lot of you got out of the habit of checking our webcam regularly this summer during its extended "rehab"...so here's a reminder.

With the webcam's new location, we weren't sure exactly what its coverage would be.

Imagine our delight to see that the construction site is well within its view.

The current view is framed rather awkwardly, but we wanted to help everyone watching to get their bearings as they take a look at the under-construction coaster. The Wave is there in the bottom left corner, with The Voyage heading into and out-of the forest.

(As a disclaimer...if you click on the above link and see something other than what has just been described, please realize that I'm not the only one here who can change the view of the webcam. So please don't assume I'm off my rocker! Somehow, though, I can't imagine we won't have a huge and constant focus in the direction of The Voyage's construction site in the coming months.)

Taking a chance, far from home

Tom is a brand new college student.

He's far, far from home. But I bet he'll do great.

Tom took the time to send us such a dear email -- and agreed that we could share it.

I would simply like to thank you for creating the Holiblog.

I am from central Indiana and have visited Holiday World a few times over the years.

If I look hard enough in my parents'’ attic I can probably find the child'’s size t-shirt featuring the Santa Claus Land logo from my first visit.

My most recent visit was in 2004 and it was everything I remembered and more.

It may be awhile until my next visit though as I have recently moved to Las Vegas to earn a degree in Hospitality Administration at UNLV. (Might there be any job openings in the park in a couple of years?)

Even though the adjustments in culture and climate have not been too strenuous, the Holiblog has made things easier. I religiously check it to see what is happening with the park. The stories about the park and community have kept me connected with my home state and have helped ease some of the home sickness.

So again thank you for keeping me connected to my roots with the Holiblog and of course I would like to thank everyone associated with the Holiday World for making such a wonderful place.

Oh, by the way, if Holidog's travels ever bring him out west he is always welcome to stop by.

Thank you,

Tom S.
Las Vegas, Nevada

P.S. I am a stock holder in Six Flags. (I would love to own some shares of Holiday World but as I understand it is not publicly traded.) Anyway, I try to keep up on news of my investments. I was going to tell you that the park has been Fooled again but a quick check of the Holiblog reveals that you already know. I guess nothing gets by you folks.

One bit of advice for the next four years, Tom: When the chips are down -- get the heck out of the casino!

Construction update and an Affair to remember

The Voyage is right on course.

Smooth sailing.

Here's a look at the coming-and-going structure that's located down between The Wave and our employee parking lot.



Nice to see all the trees so close to the structure, isn't it? We've found with The Raven and The Legend that the ride experience is enhanced by the forest. Makes you feel you're traveling even faster, plus it prevents the rider from seeing what's up ahead.

Quothe Will: Surprises are good.



A question...Do you find your heart racing when you look at these photos?

Then you might be a coaster enthusiast.

Do your arms automatically fly in the air when you watch the virtual Voyage ride?

...then you might be a coaster enthusiast.

I remember back when The Raven was under construction during the fall and winter of 1994-95. We took a magazine writer on a construction tour and some coaster enthusiasts came along (for color commentary, so I learned).

I must admit to initially thinking those people were nuts.

By just looking at the positioning of the footers and the beginnings of the structure, they already knew what kind of ride we were all in for the next spring.

"Look at that!" one cried out, pointing down into the woods. "The G-forces there will be incredible!"

Another gasped: "Laterals!" (I caught him wiping away a bit of drool and quickly looked the other way.)

What were we getting ourselves into?

Happily, those folks gradually grew on us.

Many of them really do know a lot about coasters--the history, the engineering, the physics.

And their gushing (minus the escaping saliva) really is contagious.

Over the years, I been asked repeatedly if I'm a coaster enthusiast.

My response has always been the same: I'm really more of an "enthusiast enthusiast."

Does that make sense?

I really get a kick out of these folks. (Well, most of them, anyway.)

They have endless questions, boundless enthusiasm, and countless recommendations.

Most of their conversations with us start with the following: "Do you know what would be really cool?"

The first "special event" we hosted for enthusiasts was held on May 19, 1995. (I remember the date simply because it was my birthday. How old was I? A decade younger than now; let's leave it at that, shall we?)

The event was coordinated by the folks with the American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) and included a little gift for me: Richard Schlessinger and a crew from 48 Hours.

The CBS show was focusing on thrill seekers, and they found more than a few riding The Raven that day.

My favorite moment was taking Mr. Schlessinger for a walk out in the woods so he could see The Raven's wild layout close up. (We never did get him to ride it.)

Mrs. Koch was back in the station, helping the ride ops dispatch trainload after trainload of deliriously happy ACEers. She was on the microphone, joking around with them.

We could hear her jovial banter through the trees.

And I could tell he was listening.

So I hushed up.

Our esteemed network reporter, who had finally loosened his tie and was now even carrying his tailored suitjacket, at long last cracked a smile and murmured, almost to himself:

"This is fun."

YES, Richard, yes!

It's FUN!

You get it!

(Don't worry; I was still in "hush" mode at this point. Didn't yell at the nice reporter.)



(That's The Voyage again, of course. Didn't want to go too long in this post without another picture.)

The 48 Hours segment didn't air until that August. In fact, it almost didn't air at all. As I recall there was a dreadful hurricane that threatened the Eastern Seaboard that week.

We were nearly pre-empted.

But it did air. And then made its way over to cable. I caught it on The Learning Channel a few times.

Ever since that first event for enthusiasts, we've looked forward to their happy gatherings.

There's one coming up on October 1.

If you think you might be an enthusiast, you'll want to consider signing up for the upcoming CoasterBuzz Club Fall Affair.

Because, if you've made it to the end of this tome ... you just might be an enthusiast.

And if you wish you could go along with Rachel when she takes photos such as this:



...you might want to give one of these events a try.

The CoasterBuzz Club Fall Affair includes a construction tour; all-day admission; our traditional event-meal-menu of pizza, chips and fudge; plus several hours of in-the-dark Exclusive Ride Time (ERT) on The Raven and The Legend after the park closes for the day.

If you've ever considered trying out one of these events and rubbing shoulders with the coaster crazies, you won't go wrong with the CoasterBuzz bunch.

And during The Voyage construction tour, we can all be goofy and holler "Ahoy!" at these guys:



The deadline to sign up is listed on the registration form.

By the way, after all these years I still think they're all a little nuts.

Want to make Dee Ann blush?

...pay for your party's admission in cash.

And use all $1 bills.

This is Dee Ann's second year as Director of Admissions, and she is never short of a good story.

A few weeks ago, during our weekly directors' meeting, she mentioned the stack of "ones" she had to count one morning over the weekend. In telling us, her face was already taking in a pink glow.

...there were three young men at my window; they purchased three one-day admission tickets together and handed me a pile of dollar bills. I counted them, and then they handed over another stack. And then another.

Trying to make friendly conversation, I asked without thinking, "Oh, my ... where did you get all of these?"

Without missing a beat, Bobby Beefcake replied, "We're exotic dancers."

Bobby and his buddies, Alan Absamighty and Steven Sikzpak, burst out laughing. Dee Ann, concentrating mightily, continued counting those bills.

At the completion of the transaction, she looked back up and told them with a smile, "Well I must say ... this is a first!"

Dee Ann may never have to buy blush again; those three pranksters have had a lasting effect!

Fooling around (again)

Remember The Motley Fool? Rick made us blush back in June.

It's feeling warm in here again.

Rick just posted a column on their wildly popular investment website, this time lecturing a very large corporate-park chain with "Six Tips."

And my, my ... we're mentioned in Tip #4.

Rick encourages the chain to "embrace the power of your website."

Gee, Rick. Thanks for the hug.

"My man ... Will Koch!"

I don't know that I've ever heard that phrase before.

But I just did.

And you can, too, if you dial up this week's CoasterRadio.com show.

It's a 50-minute "podcast" you may stream or download. This week's topic is Independent Parks. Their guest is "My man ... Will Koch!"

I've been trying to stream it for two days, but my phone keeps ringing. After my call is over, I start it over and listen to the beginning again.

And again.

So if any of you get to hear the entire 'cast, would you send me an email to let me know how Will (aka "My man!") did?

Pilgrim's progress

It's really starting to look like a coaster.

Just ask Craig...



This next shot (thanks, Rachel) is where, on The Voyage, you'll fly down the first drop and charge up the second hill.



This next photo shows part of the structure where we're on our way back to the station.

Breathless.

Just look at the angle of the ledgers. (You do remember what a ledger is, don't you?)



And here's the view of The Voyage (coming and going) from Raging Rapids in our 4th of July section:



By the way, we got a quick note from Holidog, who made the most out of the park being closed yesterday and today. We'll have more about his travels next week.

Can you stand one more?

Here's another article about our 2006 expansion project.

Kelly is an ACE member from Nashville, Tennessee.

If memory serves, he's a firefighter.

Either way, he's all fired up about The Voyage.

A catty email

We receive all kinds of emails.

Most of them are remarkably nice.

And thanks to Joe and our spamfilter, the majority are clean.

But once in a while, there's a message that gives us pause.

"dffff"

Pardon me, what's that?

Dffff?

What does that mean?

Is it code?

Or some of that instant-message lingo?

Happily, the sender quickly followed with a second email:

Sorry about previous email cat hit the send button.

Yes, of course.

Since there were no further instructions from the sender, I forwarded the email on to the appropriate staff member.

Holidog.

Gratitude from a past employee

Every once in a while, we get an email from a past employee. It's always nice to hear from the old timers.

One memorable email was from a few years ago. We heard from a college student who was staying up half the night, trying to remember the last of our four cornerstones (she had three of them nailed).

This week, we heard from a recent alumna, Macy...

This message is for everyone who works with the awesome Holiday World Employees. I was on the Lifeguard staff there several years ago. At the beginning of 2005 I was lucky enough to continue my already rewarding advertising sales career by moving from Evansville to a larger market, Dayton, Ohio.

This past weekend we had our annual country concert. We had three national recording artists perform and around 40,000 listeners in a local park for the day. It was a 12-hour day including set up and tear down and temperatures reached 96 degrees. I was in a soda sales booth and with the temperatures the way they were, we had a line all day. We ran out of bottled water twice. Needless to say, it was a very stressful situation.

I have forwarded you a message from the General Manager of our radio station. I have Holiday World to thank for all of the "people skills" I used and the patience required to keep a positive attitude on Saturday. This isn't the first time I've noticed the work ethic and integrity I gained in my job at Holiday World helping me in my career. Please know that all of the time you spend training your employees lasts much longer than just a summer or two and your employees are truly lucky to be working at Holiday World.

Keep up the Exceptional Work!

Macy K.
Dayton, Ohio

...and here's the email from her General Manager:

Macy,

You were great Saturday. The first Day in the Country can be so overwhelming - and you were in one of the most stressful areas. However, every time I saw you, you had a smile on your face - even during teardown.

Were you on drugs?

Thank you so much for your hard work and your attitude - I appreciate it.

Donna


...and finally, Macy's postscript to us:


P.S. No, I was not on drugs!

The Travel Channel cometh

...on Saturday!

A crew from the Travel Channel will be here at the park with yours truly, shooting interviews and park footage all the live-long day.

Will you be here on Saturday?

And it's always been your dream to appear on national television?

...if only for a fleeting moment?

This may be your chance.

Your one moment in time.

Just in case, let's take a moment to review some helpful tips:

1. The wild-eyed wave into the camera lens, accompanied by, "Hi, Mom!" at the top of your lungs is appreciated by exactly one person. And she's not producing the show.

2. Continuing on the theme from #1, don't ever look directly into the camera lens unless you're specifically told to do so by the TV crew.

3. Saluting with any number of fingers is not appreciated. Nor are bunny ears behind the person being interviewed (especially when it's my boss).

4. Usually the people who vigorously demand to be interviewed ("Talk to me! I wanna be on TV! Awww, come on!") aren't chosen. It's an incredible coincidence.

5. If you are asked to be interviewed (and you're interested in doing it), just take a deep breath, look at the person who is asking the questions, and talk normally. Remember, this is not live TV, so if you need to think a bit or want to start over, that's fine.

6. Don't forget to give the microphone back. Especially if you're heading to the restroom next.

7. Don't worry about spinach in your teeth or that smear of ketchup on your cheek. I'll let you know before the camera starts recording. (I hope you don't mind me asking, but exactly how old is that spinach? We don't serve spinach at any of our restaurants.)

8. If they ask you to walk and talk at the same time, don't freak out. You can do it. Just think of all the empty-headed stars who've done it with Baba Wawa over the years. Piece of cake. Just don't cry, okay?

9. Don't bother asking for a free Shrek doll. However, you can probably talk me out of a complementary soft drink. And I'll validate your parking.

10. I don't know what the show will be called or when it will air. Take a look at the news release to find out exactly how much I know.

Okay, I know a little more. But not much.

Wood is good

Rachel donned her hard hat and headed down to The Voyage's construction site this morning.

Here's what she found:



Ah...wood!

Those are ledgers.

And what's a ledger?

According to Chad at The Gravity Group: A ledger is the wood cross-beam at the top of each bent that supports the track. The ledger is installed at the appropriate bank angle for the track at that particular part of the ride.

And those ledgers are in place from Bent #814 to Bent #849.

(You do remember what a bent is, don't you?)

Here's another angle:



More explanation from Chad: There are 1062 ledgers on this ride. Sometimes there is just one ledger per bent. Other times there are two ledgers per bent. As it stands right now, there are going to be 907 bents.

As you may have figured out from the bent numbers, these photos are of the end of the ride, as the train is approaching its return to the coaster station.

I must admit... looking at the angle of the ledgers, I got a bit dizzy.



Of course there are still plenty of footers to pour and bents to go up.

The building in the background of the following photo is Employee Services, which is located to the south of our Employee Parking Lot.



According to Chad: It's difficult to quantify the number of footers because, while some footers provide foundation for a single post, another footer may serve 4 or 5 or more posts. The better question might be how many anchor straps (or points where a post meets a footer). Our most recent estimate indicates that there may be as many as 2,400 anchor straps.



As The Voyage progresses, we'll bring you more photos, facts and musings.

Meanwhile, if you can't wait for May, go take another ride.

And in case you're wondering, Rachel did not spend the rest of the day suffering from hard-hat-hair; her copper locks flipped right back into place.

You see, miracles do happen.

Back-to-school blues

I have a serious question.

Has there ever been a documented case of a parent having a nervous breakdown while in the middle of back-to-school shopping?

I come pretty close each year.

There's something about standing in a crowded discount store with a long list of items to buy.

And they're all crammed in two narrow aisles, along with many, many harried parents and their frenetic offspring.

The heaviest items are, of course, placed on the highest shelves.

And it's impossible to purchase just one highlighter. They now come in packs of eight.

Why do we have to buy a new protractor each year? (You'd think by now, I'd review the list ahead of time and we could locate last year's protractor. I'll bet we have a dozen or so stuck in the back of desk drawers throughout the house.)

How many protractors does one family really need?

If you don't get that shopping done early (as in two days after school ends in the spring) all of the "good stuff" is pretty well picked over.

"Look, John!" I loudly called to my eighth-grade son. "These folders have My Pretty Pony on them -- aren't they cute?"

That's how I cling to my sanity in times like these -- I humiliate my children.

Today, the local school system begins the 2005/2006 year.

My James was so excited about his first day of Kindergarten, he could hardly sleep.

John, on the other hand, didn't eat breakfast due to a stomach ache. He's mourning the ending of summer, poor lad.

Here at the park, we're swiftly approaching our final day of "daily operation."

It's Wednesday, August 17. Two days away.

We try our best to get the word out through our brochure, website, and other means. Maybe this will help, too.

We're not open on Thursday. Or Friday. Or next Monday ... well, you get the picture.

The good news is we're done with the "extremely busy" weekends. From here on in, we have three excellent weekends to visit. After Labor Day, we don't open to the public again until October 1.

For the complete schedule and hours, please take a look here on our website.

Well, I'm off to take James to his first day of school. He packed his Spider-Man backpack yesterday with his Spider-Man folder and Spider-Man notepad.

The children also needed a box of ziplock bags. Wonder what that's for?

Maybe to hold all their older siblings' protractors.

It's alive!

The long wait is over.

Our webcam is back in business.

Many thanks to WFIE-TV in Evansville, for providing the cam.

And of course, our IT department for putting all the pieces together as our webcam settles in at its new home on top of our new water tower.

(On a side note, I just used our new Google Search tool to find all of the HoliBlog posts that mention our new water tower. Good grief! There are two pages of listings! The search tool is mighty handy to use, especially as the HoliBlog archives grow. It's located near the top of the page, on the right.)

Getting closer

It's been amazing how much our webcam has been missed.

The emails asking "when will it be back up?" and "WHEN WILL IT BE BACK UP???!!!" have dwindled, yet our monthly website report shows our webcam page is still one of the most heavily visited on our site.

The other day, the phone company finally ran the requisite line.

...and I just heard an echo-y transmission on my two-way from our IT guys -- they're inside the water tower!

(No, not going for a swim ... they're getting the webcam in place and ready to go.)

I did just check the webcam page and the good news is the date on the cam-frame is now current (it was March something-or-other for five months).

Thanks for hanging in there.

Whoa! Surfer Dude gets a geography lesson

Vanessa had great fun decorating her new shop in Splashin' Safari back in the spring.

Actually, it would be more accurate to call it the new-and-improved Trader Nick's.

The original shop--which opened in 1993--expanded this year, as the adjacent Potato Patch was removed. (Don't worry, those spiral-cut chips are still available at Bahari Snacks.)



In keeping with the Splashin' Safari theme, Vanessa decided to use actual surf boards as shelves.

She turned to eBay to make her clever idea a reality.

A few quick bids later, and a couple of nice surf boards were hers.

In email correspondence to arrange for the delivery of Vanessa's soon-to-be-shelves, the Surfer-Dude Seller was curious about his beloved boards' new home.



Vanessa explained they were to be shipped to Santa Claus, Indiana.

He emailed back: "So, what kind of surf do you get out there in Indiana?"

Ten of the World's Best...

...you'll have to look here in the New York Post to find out.

Kusadasi, Turkey ... Dubai, United Arab Emirates ... Edmonton, Alberta, Canada ... Phoenix Seagaia Resort, Japan ... Santa Claus, Indiana ...

That's quite a list!

Overheard 10 minutes before closing

Honey, we have enough time to go on one more ride before Holiday World closes. What do you want to ride?

"I really want to ride The Voyage."

Was it this hot?

...back before we had Splashin' Safari?

It's just hard to believe, isn't it?

What did people do before water parks?

Before wave pools and fountains?

Before air conditioning?

How did they keep cool?

Santa had the right idea:



Best I can tell, Santa Jim is sitting on a thin pillow to keep from sticking to his ice-block throne. I'm guessing the photo was taken in the '50s, as it's in black and white.

Even back then, Santa was one cool fellow.

Overheard in a queue

Let's make one thing perfectly clear: I don't try to listen in to other people's conversations.

Especially when I'm at work, but not working.

You know what I mean!

James and I were in line yesterday, waiting to take a spin in one of the Lewis & Clark cars. (I love yelling, "You're a maniac!" while he's driving. He howls with laughter. And I comfort myself in the knowledge that we have more than a decade to improve his skills.)

While in the queue, a gentleman was regaling his party with his story:

Well, I just told my boss, "It's Holiday World and my family that come first with me!"

When a friend asked him how his boss reacted to that declaration, I must admit I did have to lean in to hear the rest.

He told me it was okay just this once. But next time I call in sick, I'd better really be sick!

Plane talk

Our web designer recently returned from two weeks of vacation on the west coast.

Rick just told me that on the plane ride out, he sat next to a 16-year-old fellow who was on his way home to California after visiting his grandparents in Indianapolis.

The teen saw Rick working on his laptop and asked him what he did for a living.

Rick switched over to our website and gave the lad a tour. The grand finale, of course, was the virtual ride on The Voyage.

Before long, the young traveler had a pen out and scrawled down the length of his forearm: holidayworld.com.

Apparently his travel plans for '06 are now set in ink.

Construction continues

Footers and more footers for the lifthill and first drop of The Voyage.

From this vantage point, we're looking back toward the park. To the upper left, you can see the back side of the "Boulder Canyon" town, which is part of Raging Rapids.

To the right, past the trees, is Splashin' Safari.



More bents have been erected, with plenty more to come. Apparently a much-needed truckload of steel has arrived at long last, so soon we'll have a lot more lifthill structure to show you.



And here's another angle. Thanks to Rachel for taking these photos.

"Best of Indiana"

If you receive your electricity through an Indiana rural electric cooperative, you already know about the Electric Consumer.

It's a state-wide publication that provides a variety of information and feature stories on a monthly basis.

Three years ago, the Electric Consumer started their own Readers' Choice Awards. Approximately a quarter-million families receive the publication; they were invited to give their opinions back in April.

We're very honored to be tied for first place in the Best Vacation Spot category.

To find out the other top-ranked Hoosier destination, here's the full article.

Lawdy, Miss Scarlett!

We've been asked to add a "birthing room" to our park.

Could you imagine?

Free unlimited boiling water?

Holidog to pant along as your breathing coach?

A miniature height-measurement stick to get the official length of your tiny bundle?

Would it be in the Labor Day section?

We've come to the conclusion that the intended suggestion was a "nursing room," which, by the way, we have. It's right next to First Aid.

When I was pregnant back in the summer of 1999, I alerted the EMTs to that fact.

Jeanie, in particular, seemed all too eager to host my baby's birth in First Aid.

"We'll be ready for you," she cheerily informed me. "Stop by anytime!"

Much to Jeanie's dismay, I opted to give birth in a hospital.

And sweet baby James turns six on Friday.

Can you guess where the little redhead wants to spend his birthday?

Attention all Holiday World Hostesses!

Getting tired of wearing those khaki shorts day after day?

Don't quite like the fashion statement those white tennies make?

And that blue shirt -- not a good color on you?

Well, get a load of these Santa Claus Land uniforms:



Thanks to Christina from Texas who sent this photo, taken about 30 years ago.

Christina remembers

Now that we're looking down the lane toward our 60th Anniversary Season, we're not only going to look ahead to the opening of The Voyage, we'll also take a look back at some of your memories from over the decades.

Christina, from Texas, emailed the other day. It didn't take much prompting for her to send us some pictures. She believes the family photos are from 1976-78.

Here she is:



...with her baby brother (who now stands 6'5" tall) and her grandfather from Fairfield, Illinois.

And here's her story:

I visited Santa Claus Land frequently as a girl in the 1970s.



We passed through again in the early eighties and then a winter around the turn of the century. Ah, what a journey! This past weekend, I was showing off my new computer by introducing my parents to the Holiday World Web site. They grew up in Southern Illinois and are both impressed and astonished.

My husband and I are taking our three-year-old son in August to enjoy a family reunion and then spend some time in Holiday World. I've been anticipating this visit since a few years ago when I saw a PBS documentary on amusement parks and roller coasters and discovered the park of my youth had completely revitalized!



(Paula's note: This classic children's ride is still in operation, Christina. You may notice, however, that the pirana-like teeth were extracted since your last visit.)

I grew up in Florida and attended the Disney parks, then moved to Texas and visited Six Flags. There was a Fiesta Texas in San Antonio -- a self-made venture like yours -- but when it was taken over by the Six Flags establishment, it quickly began to deteriorate. I no longer enjoy going to those parks because of the lines, crowds, EXPENSIVE drinks, and a general lack of class (well, Disney will always maintain that high touch).



Just from what I've seen so far and what I remember, I think my family is going to have the best vacation ever - until we are able to travel up there again.

Welcome back, Christina!

Features from travel writers

Remember all those travel writers who visited back in June?

Do we ever hear back from them?

Sure do...

Let's start with Barbara David, who visited with her husband and five children. Here's the charming article she wrote for Cincinnati Family Magazine.

And Kathy Witt put together a "Christmas in July" feature for The Tennessean.

And a reporter from the Lexington Herald-Leader visited with her family recently.

We've already got some exciting national coverage in the works for next year. Stay tuned!

The apple doesn't fall far...and is well fertilized

You never forget your child's first job.

Or his first day of work.

Especially when he works where you work.

When my John filled out his Holiday World job application, there was a place to list past employment. The instructions even encouraged writing down such career accelerators as mowing lawns and babysitting.

So John listed his other job: Werne Dairy Farm.

Truth be told, John's been a tremendous help to his dad this summer.

And his position at this job? Assistant Manager.

Me: John!

John: Well, Dad's the Manager. It's just the two of us, so I'm the Assistant Manager.

The next line asked for Reason For Leaving.

John quickly scribbled: I didn't want to smell like Cow Poo anymore.

So when he decided to apply for a position in Games, it seemed like a good fit.

John's never met a stranger and he's good with children (as long as it's not his little brother, I'm sure he'd want me to add).

Sunday was Orientation.

So Sunday evening was a home-schooled pop quiz.

Me: So John, where are the ATM machines? The pay phones? What number do you call in an emergency?

John: Leave me alone.

Me: I can give you demerits, you know.

John: Go away.

Me: So what did you learn today?

John: We learned The Four Cobblestones.

Me: Cobblestones?

John: Sure...The Four Cobblestones: Safety, Service, Cleanliness, Friendliness.

Me: Cornerstones, dear.

John: Whatever.

Me: Hey!

John: Cornerstones, cobblestones ... same thing.

Me: Not really...the four cornerstones hold up a building; they're part of the foundation.

John: Yes, but cobblestones all fit together to create a path. They create the path to righteousness.

(Maybe I should see if we have an opening in PR ... all that shoveling manure rubbed off on him in more ways than one!)

At this very moment, John is working his second shift down in Merlin's Castle.

If you happen to stop by Merlin's and see my middle child, be sure to ask him to recite The Four Cobblestones.

And be sure to tell him -- he's been HoliBlogged!

Tunnel vision

You may have noticed that Will loves tunnels.

Frightful Falls has one. So does Raging Rapids.

The Raven has one. And The Legend has four.

There's something about a tunnel that adds to the ride experience. Not just going from light to dark and then back out in the sunshine.

It's the sound.

That roar and rumble.

The Voyage will have all kinds of tunnels.

Hard to count, actually.

Several are "double-wides" so you'll speed through them a-comin' and a-goin'.

It's no surprise that we've received several emails asking for more details about the tunnels planned for The Voyage.

Once again, our buddy Chad at The Gravity Group comes up with the numbers:

Here are some numbers on the tunnels. The first number is the total enclosed length (some of which may be above grade). The number in parentheses is the portion of the tunnel that resides underground.

Tunnel #1 1st pass: 150' (95')
Tunnel #2 1st pass: 108' (53')
Tunnel #3 1st pass: 108' (53')
Tunnel #3 2nd pass: 108' (53')
Tunnel #2 and #1 (combined) 2nd pass: 335' (148')
Tunnel #4: 82' (49')
Tunnel #5: 87' (60')

Total: 978' (511')

All of these numbers are subject to change (especially #4 and #5).

So when do we get to see an under-construction tunnel?

Here's a start:



Here's another construction statistic: last week, our Voyagers poured foundations totaling 237 yards of concrete.

Happy birthday to...us!

It was 59 years ago today that Louis J. Koch opened the world's first theme park, Santa Claus Land.

Fifty-nine years later, LJK's grandson Will keeps up the family tradition along with his mom and two of his daughters...plus hundreds of us who feel as if we're part of the family.

Often, August 3 is such a busy day that we don't take a moment to celebrate. (Where's the cake?)

Here's the one ride that's been here all these years:



A while back, we received a lovely email from a gentleman who wanted to tell us how he remembered riding The Freedom Train with his grandfather many years ago. And the day before he sent us that email, he'd ridden that little train with his granddaughter.

It may be 95 degrees outside, but that thought always gives me a chill.

Vertical Voyage

One "bent" down (or, actually, up)...



...just 899 to go!

(A bent, by the way, is a civil engineering term for a horizontal cross section of a structure.)

And isn't there a famous saying that goes something like: Each great Voyage begins with a single bent.

Something like that...