September 2009
Looking Back... September 2009
22 September 2009 - 4:26pm
Minding Nemo
So...what happens when you win big at Holiday World?
So big that you can't fit the prize in your car?
Happened this weekend. After quickly assessing the options ("Either we take the kids and leave Nemo, or..."), they headed back to Guest Relations.
Enter Eric.
Would Eric make arranges for Nemo to swim home?
Well, of course. To the Indy area? No problem...
How much could it possibly cost to ship a fish? What would we have to pay ... scale?
Well, Eric may have tipped the scale trying to weigh the gill-den fishy.
Next, he appealed to our staff with the following email:
Are you going to Indianapolis in the next week? If yes, read on. If not, feel free to stop here and click delete.
I’m trying to find a way to get an oversized package to a family just south of Indianapolis. The family won a large Nemo fish at a game, but was unable to fit it in their vehicle. The family thinks it’s a keeper, though. We (Guest Relations) promised to ship them the fish if they will pay for the costs, but it looks as though it will cost upwards of $100 due to the size. Sounds a little overboard if you ask me. It must have broken their scales. If you or someone you know is planning to cruise up to Indianapolis soon and might have space available in your vessel for a ridiculously sized fish, please let me know by the end of today.
Hakuna MaTuna, Eric
Eric is happy to finish his fish tale: he hooked a driver quickly and Nemo's transport to points north will no doubt go swimmingly.
18 September 2009 - 6:42pm
Wildebeest workforce
It's one extreme or the other around here: moon dust or mud.
This week, it's dusty as all get-out up at the Wildebeest construction site. Next week (if the long-range forecast proves true), the mud'll suck the boots right off your feet.
But for now the sun is shining and the concrete is flowing.
This is the Wildebeest control building. Or will be.
It'll house the "brains" of the operation. (No, I'm not moving my office down there, but thanks for the thought.) According to GM Mike, the control building will contain the main electrical power system, the ride's computers, the conveyor control system, and controls for the ride's sound system.
Meanwhile, a crew from ProSlide is pre-assembling the slide pieces. If you drive to the park this weekend, you can see the humongous yellow-and-red tubes from Highway 162. (Be sure to have a designated driver watching the road; it's easy to get distracted when interesting stuff is going on during construction season.)
Somehow, we've come to the final weekend of the season for Splashin' Safari. Already.
Should be a great weekend to grab enough rides on Bakuli, Zinga and ZOOMbabwe to hold you through the long, cold winter. May -- and Wildebeest -- can come soon enough.
Here's our calendar for the rest of the season; Holiday World stays open during the beautiful fall weekends through October 11.
4 September 2009 - 3:57pm
The first of many
The first of many deliveries from up north just arrived.
They were hauling 'glass.
Fiberglass, that is...
For Wildebeest.
As you can see on our Wildebeest animation, most of the ride is yellow, with red accents.
Here's another view of the delivery.
Our IT team has already moved the "PlungeCam" over and re-named it the Wildebeest ConstructionCam so we can watch this 'beest grow in the coming months.
1 September 2009 - 1:48pm
A family photo
Most families, when they take a photo of multiple generations, are sitting on a comfy sofa at grandma's house
...or maybe in front of the old oak tree in the backyard of the family's homestead.
But not Ruth's family.
When she sits still long enough to have her picture taken with her daughter Becky and grandson Caleb, her son-in-law had better be quick on the trigger with his camera.
That's Ruth in the middle.
Her son-in-law is Tony, our director of maintenance. That's his wife, Becky, on the right; the third generation is their son Caleb.
Tony told us at staff meeting yesterday that Ruth rode The Voyage a few years ago and the family decided she should only ride the milder rides (or, milder still, just watch the shows) this year, since she's turned 78.
She promised to behave.
All told, Ruth rode 11 rides. She had a blast.
She never did sneak on Voyage, but she did manage to try out our new ride before calling it a day. (That's Ruth and her friend Janet waving at us from the very back.)
So...what do you think? Will we see Ruth riding Wildebeest in May?
