FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 2009 Season
MEDIA CONTACT: Paula Werne, 812-937-5209; fun@holidayworld.com

From SANTA CLAUS LAND to HOLIDAY WORLD 63 YEARS OF FAMILY FUN

SANTA CLAUS, IN-----The history of the nation's first theme park is the story of a family which has, for three generations, dedicated itself to providing millions of guests with good, old-fashioned family fun.

Evansville, Indiana, industrialist Louis J. Koch created the nation's first theme park as a retirement project. He was troubled that the tiny hamlet of Santa Claus, Ind., was visited by children who were ultimately disappointed when they found out Santa was not there. With nine children of his own, Koch loved children, holidays and celebrations.

Santa Claus Land opened on August 3, 1946; the theme park included a toy shop, toy displays, themed children's rides, a restaurant, and, of course, Santa.

When Koch's son Bill returned from World War II, he was curious to see his father's project. After overcoming doubts about the park's viability, Bill soon became the head of Santa Claus Land. In 1960, Bill married "Santa's daughter," Patricia Yellig; he remained active in the family business until his death in 2001. Bill and Pat had five children; the eldest, Will, is the president of Holiday World & Splashin' Safari.

Over the decades, Santa Claus Land flourished. Children from across the country came to sit on the real Santa's knee and talk glowingly about their Christmas wishes. Guests included Ronald Reagan, who stopped by in 1955.

As the park expanded, the Koch family knew that Christmas was not the only theming possibility for the park. In 1984, Santa Claus Land grew to include Halloween and 4th of July sections, and the park's name was changed to Holiday World. Larger rides were added; in all, Holiday World features 100 acres of rides, shows, games, and attractions.

In 1993, Splashin' Safari Water Park was added; it now includes 23 acres and features two wave pools, two action rivers, family raft rides, numerous water slides, plus several interactive family-waterplay complexes. The park also offers free sunscreen and free use of inner tubes.

Holiday World introduced The Raven wooden roller coaster in 1995. Located in the Halloween section, The Raven doesn't break any height or speed records, yet has been voted one of the world's top wooden coasters each year since it opened. The Legend wooden roller coaster, added in 2000, has been voted a top-ten wooden coaster ever since. The same year, Holiday World became the first park in the world to provide free, unlimited soft drinks.

In 2004, the highly-coveted international Applause Award was presented to Holiday World & Splashin' Safari, the smallest park to ever receive the award, which honors "foresight, originality and creativity, plus sound business development and profitability."

In 2006, the park celebrated its 60th Anniversary Season with the addition of a new holiday. The Thanksgiving section included a recording-breaking new wooden coaster, The Voyage, which helped catapult the park's seasonal attendance past the one-million mark for the first time ever. In 2007 and '08 the readers of Amusement Today voted Voyage the #1 Wooden Coaster in the World; the parks, which now cover 120 acres, were also named the World's Friendliest for the 11th year in a row and the World's Cleanest for the ninth straight year.

In 2007, Consumers Digest named Holiday World the nation's "Top Value Park." In 2009, the World's Tallest Water Ride, Pilgrims Plunge, debuts. The shoot-the-chute ride takes riders 13 stories up in an open-air elevator then down a record 131-foot drop in 10-passenger boats, creating a big splash.

Throughout its existence, Holiday World has set high standards for the theme park industry, with a steadfast adherence to the values established in the company's cornerstones: safety, service, cleanliness and friendliness.

Updated 4/29/2009