March 2008
29 March 2008 - 7:38pm
"Reading through the archives, again"
Okay, so what's not to love about this fellow?
I come from a family of readers. I married a reader. Gave birth to three readers. Indeed, at home we even removed a bathtub from one of our bathrooms and replaced it with bookshelves (not to worry, we still have a tub plus three showers; remember, my husband's a farmer).
So when young Josh emailed and asked for a photo to illustrate a post from three years ago (because he was re-reading the HoliBlog), there was just no saying "no." (Plus, I see I promised in the post to someday post a photo. Oops. I guess today's the day.)
Here's his email request:
I'm 11 years old and make a yearly pilgrimage to Holiday World every year from Columbia, Illinois. My name is Josh and as I was reading through the archives again, on May 26, 2005, you said something about a very long street sign reading Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire. Could you please post that picture my friends and I are all very curious to see it!
Your Friend, Josh
Here you go, Josh -- keep reading!
29 March 2008 - 6:07pm
Translation covered
Thank you to the four HoliBlog readers who were kind enough to translate the cover blurbs we posted the other day.
This translation comes from a nice woman who grew up in Portugal:
Garantia de emocoes fortes = Guaranteed Rush
Montanhas Russas = Roller Coasters (Literally translated, it means Russian Mountains; that's their term for roller coasters)
Rapidas = Quick Ones
Altas = Tall/High Ones
Vellozes = High Velocity Ones
Conheca As Melhores = Get to know the Best
27 March 2008 - 2:12pm
When the going gets tough...
...the tough wear their jammies to work.
Oh, Ryan.
When our Human Resources staff reached out to other departments asking who wanted to pull an "all nighter" to get a record amount of new-hire paperwork processed, they didn't mention dress code.
I guess Ryan equated an all-nighter with a pajama party and felt he arrived suitably attired.
He's a nut.
He's started to introduce me as his "second mom." I'm not sure whether to feel complimented or a little bit frightened.
The work started at 4 pm and wrapped up around 11:30 pm, bless them.
Meanwhile, we took advantage of this being spring break by holding several Orientations.
As the new Hosts and Hostesses learn about our Four Cornerstones (Safety, Service, Friendliness and Cleanliness) they get some hands-on experience.
Kind of gross hands-on experience, actually. Poor Derek didn't know what he was volunteering for when he raised his hand.
That's fake vomit in the container. It's nasty enough to make a bit of the real stuff start stirring around in one's gut.
The challenge is to learn to safely remove the gloves without getting any of the revolting goop on your hands. Eric, our Director of Admissions, is walking him through the process. (Eric was once our Marketing Intern -- see Ryan, there's hope!)
In past years, we've simply done the glove-removal demonstration. It's nice to see we've made it more interactive and colorful, if a bit nauseating.
Just goes to prove that all sorts of things come up during Orientation.
26 March 2008 - 5:05pm
Anyone speak Portuguese?
Or, maybe just know how to read it?

Tim, with the American Coaster Enthusiasts, was kind enough to send me this publication. He's so tickled that one of his photos made it on the cover of a magazine.
Our Voyage. On the cover of a magazine in Portugal. Written in Portuguese.
Just wish we knew what the article was all about...
But Tim's from Texas, so he's not much help.
26 March 2008 - 4:44pm
A horse of a different color
Today's smiling face from Star Spangled Carousel has a slightly less threatening set of choppers than yesterday's big grin.





