Did you miss the GMA story?

Good Morning America used our Voyage footage several times to "tease" their roller coaster feature on Friday.

The full story is available here on the ABC News website.

Water baby

Emily just loved getting soaked in the Magic Waters in Holidog's FunTown on Monday.



Emily's mom, Melanie, wrote the following:

We decided at the last minute to travel to Holiday World for a Memorial Day outing and we had a BLAST! We are already trying to plan out another trip for the end of summer where we can come and stay 2 days. The Voyage was AWESOME! This picture was taken in Holidog Park. Emily really enjoyed the rides but playing in the water was her favorite part. Thought you might enjoy the photo.

Have you found this one yet?

Here's one more chance to win tickets ... through the State of Indiana's tourism website.

Click here to enter.

The CoasterRadio guys

You know how when you add a pool to your backyard, suddenly the entire neighborhood is at your door, smelling of cocoa butter and grinning widely?

And when you get a summer cottage, all those long-lost relatives can't wait to rekindle your close familial relationship?

(For the record, I have neither. I do, however, have an imagination.)

It's sort of like that when you build a roller coaster.

Not that I'm complaining. It's wonderful when the media can't wait to talk about you.

And it's great fun to finally put a face with a name and meet the folks who have been emailing back and forth for years.

Last Saturday, three of the CoasterRadio guys showed up at our door.

Or, rather, gate.

It was time to record a podcast. Not another conference-call recording. This one was in person.

Live from Santa Claus: It's Saturday afternoon!

Mike, Mike and Eric were very nice fellows. We quickly got them set up for their recording and a curious crowd quickly gathered.

In addition to the podcast, one of the Mikes also wrote a treatise discussing the "hype" about The Voyage.

All the way from Washington, DC, Eric and the Mikes were a bit wide-eyed during their first visit to Holiday World. They commented that not only are our Hosts and Hostesses polite, our Guests are, too.

Mike couldn't get over how a teenager apologized for bumping into him:

"Oh, excuse me, sir."

Mike's young face twisted in wonder.

Sir?

Ring-a-ding-ding!

Who's calling?

Why it's GMA!

The Gospel Music Association?

Grocery Manufacturers Association?

Could it be...the Gulf of Maine Aquarium?

Heck no!

Good Morning America is producing a feature for Friday about the "biggest, baddest" new coasters.

Baddest?

Okay...why not?

We can be bad.

We can be very, very bad.

C is for Coaster...and Cute

Heard from a pal in Massachusetts this morning.

He had a cute story about his seven-year-old daughter, Ella:

She's in speech therapy (some issues with S, Th, and R sounds). Yesterday the therapist was doing a series of R words. After a bunch of relatively mundane ones, Ella piped up, very enthusiastically, with "RAVEN!" and talked about how she's tall enough to ride it now.

Golly, Dad, what better incentive to keep Ella working on letters than to bring her to a Theme park in Santa Claus to ride The Raven?

Theoretically, sounds reasonable, don't you think?

Look who's last...

It's not us!

When the Associated Press does a "round-up" story of what's new at parks around the country, it's a huge coup to be included.

Usually, the big corporate chains get top billing. Makes sense; they are, after all, larger parks and have national name recognition.

So when we're not listed last, it's an added thrill.

A bunch of corporate parks...and us

It's a happy, happy day when your new roller coaster is named a "hottest new attraction" by USA Today.

Take cover!

There are Cover Girls and then there's that stylish Cover Coaster.



Evansville Living's website gives you a sneak peek of the article. If you want your own copy of the magazine check here for a list of local newsstands (and other interesting venues, such as a coffee-and-carwash place) or contact the magazine directly.

A mother's devotion

Next time you're in the Thanksgiving section, you might want to take a look at the coaster structure over by the Pepsi Oasis.



Look right in the middle of the photo, where the steel structure comes together and there's a square piece bolted on right above a horizontal piece of wood.

See it?



A bird's nest!

Months ago, a clever mother bird decided this would be a great spot for her nest.

She no doubt saw (and heard ... and felt) the error of her ways when that first test train went out in April.

Suddenly she's in the low-rent district. Resale value just tanked.

At first it appeared the nest had already been abandoned.

It was hard not to worry a bit about unhatched eggs. Or tiny baby birds.

But then, that good mama returned with something tasty for junior.



Happy Mother's Day!

It's good to know

...on a chilly day, the high-dive team members have a warmer costume option than their little summer Speedos.



No doubt those wetsuits helped some.

Today's high temps were in the 50s.

One diver, though, took keeping warm to the extreme.



Yes, indeed, the Fire Dive is back!

Every show has one.

If you sit up close you won't only get wet, you'll also feel the heat.



Anyone in the mood for s'mores?

The coaster is 1.2 miles...and so is the Walk

The Walk to Cure Diabetes, that is.

We're hosting this walk next Saturday, May 20.

Mrs. Koch spoke at the news conference when the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation announced the details.

As she told the media, "They can send a man to the moon and back. Why can't we all pull together to fund research to finally find a cure for diabetes?"



Diabetes is not simply an inconvenience, it's a serious disease. And when a child has it, life changes for the entire family.

I asked Mrs. Koch for a few comments to share:

I love the quote from the Talmud, "All of us are responsible for one another."

I feel a sense of responsibility and gratitude that Holiday World and the Koch family will be sponsoring the Diabetes Walk to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

I have been personally affected by the disease of diabetes and know how devastating it can be for a child and for a family. Much progress has been made, but research is essential to help those who have the disease now and also to hopefully eradicate the disease. I will be walking with the group and hope that we can raise money for further research projects. It cannot happen unless all of us care for one another.

Will has donated 1,000 park tickets as an incentive for folks to raise some research funds and then come to the park to walk (and then ride) 1.2 miles at Holiday World.

For more information, or to sign up to walk, check out the JDRF website.

My spies tell me...

Gobbler Getaway...



...is now open to the public.

A ride report from an "extra"

So who exactly is that riding on our Voyage videos?

Shortly before we opened for the season, we put out a call for employees to ride for a few hours as we shot video and snapped digital photos.

One of the riders offers this as his report of the day.

Although nobody truly hates their mothers (at least not publicly), I know many children across the ages have had times when they despised their maternal parental figure. For many reasons, be it taking out the garbage, cleaning the dishes, or finishing your vegetables (that she broke her back over a hot microwave all day cooking for you).

Well, my friends and fellow coaster lovers, YOU AIN'T GOT NOTHING ON THIS!

As many of you know, Paula Werne is the director of PR at Holiday World (bless 'em), but she does have a life outside of the limelight. In her quieter, more down-to-earth home, I, John Werne reside. For any of you Paula fanatics (please let there be none), you will know I am her middle child, seldom mentioned to others for reasons we won'’t discuss.

I'm the one she comes to when she needs someone to ride something for the media. So when she tells me she needs someone to ride The Voyage for pictures and whatnot, I, of course, jump for the chance, as I do with all new coasters.

Finally, the morning comes to ride The Voyage and I'm excited. As I walk down to the new Thanksgiving section, tension and anxiety is building beyond a normal point. An indiscernible amount of time passes before we are let inside to see The Voyage station. We push and shove our way to the front (in my case, the back) of the line to get on The Voyage.

I was not able to get on the first ride, but my good friend Corey and I made it onto the second one. We waited at least 20 minutes for the photographers to move their equipment after the first run, and then we finally are let loose. I gotta tell ya, sitting and waiting in The Voyage, close to the back seat, is nerve-racking. My mom comes over a few times and I'm close to clawing my way out of the seat to grab her by the collar and force her to start the train.

FINALLY, we start off on The Voyage of a lifetime. For a timed 34 seconds (thanks to my trusty watch), Corey and I waited for the ascent to the top of what seemed like Mt. Everest to end. I could see landscape all around me and at points thought to myself, "Okay, this is how high the Raven is, this is how high the Legend is, HOW MUCH FRIGGEN HIGHER IS IT GONNA GO?" We get to the top, look down, and nearly lose all bodily functions. Then we went down it, at a speed I have never felt before. I'm screaming my head off, going crazy, and I look to Corey and see he's in worse shape than I, and laugh. Two minutes and 45 seconds later, we pull into the station, with a new love for roller coasters.

But did it stop there? OH NO, we still had another three hours to ride The Voyage. Corey and I rode The Voyage a total of 25 times by our count. After our thirteenth time riding it, we were both feeling a little queasy in the stomach. We had never been made the slightest sick by any ride ever before, and we were intrigued by it. At around the nineteenth time, we were feeling pretty bad let me tell ya, but were we gonna stop? HECK NO!

We rode it the twentieth time, and kept going 'cause they were still shooting. The twenty-fourth time, we thought would be our last, but they said one more time, so I, being the son that I am, forced my mother into riding it with me, just once before the gates of heaven closed.

Many of you may know my mother as the Raven Maven, but riding with her on The Voyage I started to wonder how the heck did she get a nickname like that screaming all through the ride. Finally, the last ride comes in to a halt, and I'm feeling quite light-headed. I go to the gate for my dad to take me home, and I tell him of how The Voyage FREAKIN ROCKS, and that I rode it 25 times and I wasn't feeling good. He just says, "Is that it? Come on John, I though you'd have a better stomach than that." Thanks for the support. . . Dad.

I get home and pretty much just sit around resting the rest of the day. It took me several hours to get the sick feeling out of my stomach. One thing I remember though, as I'm lying down to go to sleep after a long, LONG day, I lay my head on the pillow, as most do when they go to bed. As I lay my head on the pillow, I feel a rush of energy to my legs and a feel of adrenaline all over my body. I finally bring my head to the pillow, and I get the worst head rush you can imagine. I'm dizzy, I'm disoriented, everything is changing colors. As all of these sensations are going through my body I think to myself, this is what I get for being Paula Werne's son.



That's #2 son in the red shirt.

Sarcastic lad, isn't he?

Wonder where he got that...

Time to convert

News of The Voyage has made it to Canada.

Are they still teaching the metric system in grade school? Back when I was in elementary school (long ago, when the world was young) the teachers made it sound like the switch was imminent.

Still waiting, aren't we?

And does anyone really have a solid understanding of the metric system? (Other than engineers, scientists and pharmacists, of course.)

We all know what a two-liter bottle looks like, and a meter is close in length to our yardsticks.

But that's about it.

I remember more French and Latin phrases than I do those metric conversions.

What a disgrace.

That being neither here nor there, it's interesting to note the conversion of the numbers we've repeated so often over the months.

The Voyage is 1.9 kilometers long.

Its top speed is 108 kilometers an hour.

Oh, and ... Britannia est insula.

See? I really did take Latin.

How do they do it?

It's always fun to read the "trip reports" posted online by coaster enthusiasts.

Many of them have an uncanny ability to describe every square inch of a coaster after just a few rides.

Bryan from ThrillNetwork.com is one of those descriptive sorts.

Here's a snippet:

The Voyage is an unholy (or holy, depending on your view) blend of every single element you'd want from a wooden roller coaster. Tall hills, plentiful airtime, hard positive G's, a jaguar-like nimble pace, fast changes of direction, and tunnels are all blended together in a quick two minutes of thrills.

For his full report, take a look here.

Can't link to all of the reports, though, as some are ... ummm ... not exactly G-Rated for family reading. Some of us, in our excitement and enthusiasm, let our good manners slide by the wayside.

Momentarily, of course.

Negative P's

From our friend Robert in Cincy:

Been dieting, and walking.

Lost 30 lbs. so far. Yeah!!!

Took a walk last night in a local park.

The trail was 1.2 miles long.

It had lots of hills and turns.

Just started to imagine I was on Voyage.

Man that walk went quick.


I Got It BAD.....

Poultry puns

Our friend Arthur Levine is the Theme Park "Guide" at About.com.

He loves puns.

And he's really good at finding less-obvious ones.

His weekly e-newsletter arrived this morning, bemoaning that from all he'd heard about The Voyage, he wouldn't be able to call it a "turkey."

So of course I emailed him.

Me: Hope you can carve out some time to come visit us this season.

Arthur: Sage advice. Now, if I can just get my schedule un-stuffed.

My hat (yes, the one with the big buckle) is off to you, Arthur.

But wattle happen to your Top 10 List after riding?

Growing up with Holiday World

This is a sweet article, filled with memories.

"Does your city have an airport?"

Oh, dear.

The emails are flooding my Inbox.

Those who've never been to Holiday World, but want to remedy that this summer, aren't exactly familiar with the size of our "city."

The town of Santa Claus has a population of about 2,200 (including the Elves).

We can direct you to an airport in Louisville, Evansville or Owensboro, but unless you're able to rent a car, plan on a long walk to the park.

When I explain to these folks that there isn't a bus, subway, taxi or sleigh service available, I usually get another email. THIS SECOND TIME THEY EMAIL IN ALL CAPS, IN CASE I JUST DIDN'T HEAR CORRECTLY THAT FIRST TIME.

It's exciting, though, to watch how word of The Voyage is spreading far and wide. I've received links to articles in Australia, the UK, and some bona fide cities such as New York, L.A. and Chicago.

Here's a review from a coaster enthusiast who was part of our Media Preview last week. I think he had a pretty good time.

Geek Power

This email from The Gravity Group's Chad Miller today made Will and me laugh out loud:

We saw the reverse POV video. Who would have expected that four geeks like us could make women scream like THAT!?!?

Oh, what a beautiful coaster...

Look what just popped in my Inbox:

I grew up in Southern California with Disneyland at my back door (I even worked there for 10 years). I used to draw coasters, ride coasters and dream coasters. But it all slowly faded away into the past as I grew well into adulthood.

Over the course of a few decades I traveled here and there visiting some parks, riding some incredible rides but never, ever, ever in my 42 years of life have I been so excited about a new roller coaster...until now.

The two (very brave) ladies in your onride video had me squealing right along with them (yes, I'll admit I'm a grown man).

I have not laughed so hard in a long time.

Speaking of videos, the first three drops look like smooth sailing but after that tunnel it's seems as if the Voyage is manned by a drunken sailor the way it tips left and right! The coaster designers have done an incredible job and you should be proud to have the greatest roller coaster in the universe (and I've yet to ride it!).

I hope to one day head on out from my new home (in much closer) Oklahoma City and take a trip on The Voyage.

Sincerely,

Michael F.
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Will is sounding like a country song...

"Lord, it's hard to be humble..."

Ready more about it in today's Evansville Courier & Press.

There's even a place to "vote" whether you'd like to ride The Voyage.

If you missed this morning's broadcast

The folks at Channel 14 were kind enough to offer part of their coverage as streaming footage.

Thursday, we launch The Voyage

It'll be a little crazy in the Thanksgiving section on Thursday.

The British are coming!

Last July when we announced The Voyage, I got back to my office and found about 25 voicemail messages waiting for me.

One was from my old pal Andy.

Andy is the founder of the Roller Coaster Club of Great Britain.

He was stoked.

Actually, hysterical is probably the more appropriate word.

Andy was talking so fast I truly couldn't understand him -- it sounded like the message was in fast-forward mode.

So I listened to a few other messages and then went back to the crazy one.

After about five replays, I finally recognized the voice.

Andy.

He was so excited about our announcement that he wanted to know if he could bring a group over for opening day.

A group of British citizens crossing the ocean blue in search of a new...coaster?

And freedom to...ride the most brilliant wooden coaster ever built?

Not quite the pilgrims, but close enough!

Ten months later and Andy is on his way. He and his group flew into Detroit this afternoon and are currently enroute to Santa Claus. They'll be driving half the night.

...just to be among the first to ride The Voyage.

Andy and I spoke again the other day. He told me he's bringing a group of 64.

And half of them have never been to the States before.

Call me crazy, but I found that to be rather humbling.

The news media is lined up. WFIE-TV starts out with live shots around 6:00 am CDT.

WSTO will broadcast live most of the morning.

News25 is bringing up a sat truck for live reports over the noon hour.

Thursday evening, some lucky contest winners will get to Ride with Ron.

And Channel 6 from Indy is coming, too. Others, no doubt, who will show up throughout the day.

Sorry we couldn't invite everyone to join us for the Launch. We'll be sure to post links to the articles and videos that are produced.

And you might even find a surprise or two waiting for you on our website Thursday morning.

A Mother's prerogative

...is to be really rotten once in a while.

Yesterday evening, James and I headed down to The Voyage. I had to check on a few things in preparation for media coverage on Opening Day.

Then I saw it.

That sign.

The "Are You Tall Enough To Ride?" sign.

Now James has always assumed that he's tall enough to ride The Voyage. After all, he was tall enough last summer to conquer The Raven and The Legend. But we'd never really talked about the height limit for The Voyage.

Until we saw the sign.

"James! There's the height sign for The Voyage... Quick! You'd better make sure you're tall enough!"

He dashed over...



Whew!

Truth be told, the height limit is 48 inches (with shoes on), the same as The Raven and The Legend.

So the poor lad needn't have been concerned.

Suddenly I'm awash in guilt.

Seal of approval

The good news is:



The State of Indiana has sealed The Voyage. (That means it passed inspection and will open to the public on Saturday!)

This photo was taken as the train had just come out of the turnaround and was heading into the fabulous underground triple-down section of the ride (my favorite element thus far).

The not-so-good news is that Gobbler Getaway is not quite ready for its inspection. At this point, we feel fairly optimistic our new dark ride will open on Saturday, May 13. We'll be sure to post updates here as we get closer.

Meanwhile, the flags are going up on The Voyage. Check out our webcam, and you might even see a train go by!