When your 6-year-old emails your boss

Posted

James Werne at The Voyage

My son James absolutely loves to email.

He’s only six. He’s in Kindergarten.

You may recall he is one of those “Coaster Crazies.” He can’t get enough.

Remember Ralphie from A Christmas Story? And how when he’s describing the Red Ryder BB gun he wants for Christmas, it’s all one word?

James is the same way when he talks about The Voyage. To anyone who will listen, he announces:

DidyouknowTheVoyagewasgoingtohavetwo90-degreebankedcurvesthatgolikethis… (he demonstrates dramatically with his little hand) …butthenWilldecidedtoaddanothersonowtherewillbethree?

Most adults just nod, their eyes growing wider.

The latest thing in Kindergarten is “stretching.” The children are taught that sounding out words and spelling them phonetically is the way to go.

They’ll worry about spelling some other year.

I was skeptical at first. (Actually, the word horrified is far more appropriate.)

But I’m beginning to see the light

According to the experts, too much emphasis on spelling tends to block the tots’ creativity glands. They get so worried about i-before-e that they just don’t bother.

So we stretch.

And James emails.

The lad is quite independent. He wants to do it all by himself.

So after a bit of tutoring, he now opens the computer program, double-clicks on the appropriate name, taps out a message, and clicks “Send.”

My folks in Connecticut hear from him almost daily. Other recipients are scattered throughout nearly a dozen states.

I’d forgotten Will, my boss, was in my email address book at home. James discovered it over the weekend.

“Mom, I wrote an email to Will”

You didn’t send it yet, did you?

“Oops.”

I held my breath as I clicked on the “Sent” folder. Stretching, after all, can lead to words that don’t always mean what you intended.

Here’s what James wrote to my boss, word for stretched word:

dear Will,
hey how much
do you like
rollercoster?
cood it be u thousins
is that how much you like
rollercosters?
james the littol
giy
that
cam owt of
paulas
beley
so
by
Will
james
werne

What a relief he was able to help Will avoid any confusion by describing which James Werne he is!

I wasn’t really all that worried, as Will has three children of his own, and is genuinely a nice guy.

So nice, in fact, that he replied the very next day:

James, I really like roller coasters. I love to ride them, but I really
love to work with designers/engineers to create new ones. Like a lot of
people, I can’t wait to ride The Voyage!

– Will

Speaking of stretching, here’s a look at James stretching out on a hillside with The Voyage rising up behind him.

James Werne at The Voyage

Going to work with Mom on the weekend has its perks, after all.

Plus it gives him something to write about.
___
Would you like to receive HoliBlog notices – along with news releases and sweepstakes – by email? Sign up here and you can choose whether to receive the emails weekly or the same day the blog posts are published. Thank you!

Separated at birth?

Posted

WKRP's Arthur Carlson

Abigail's head - Gobbler Getaway

Progress on our new dark ride – Gobbler Getaway – continues.

After taking a look at the photo Sally Corporation sent us recently, showing the progress on the ride’s animatronic granny’s head, we received an email.

A fellow by the name of Jon contacted us to point out how our storyteller for Gobbler Getaway …

(her name is Abigail, by the way)

… bears a striking resemblance to the Arthur Carlson character from the wildly popular television show from the late 1970s, WKRP.

Good heavens, he’s right!

The “Big Guy’s” granny, perhaps?

Arthur Carlson from WKRP

If you’ve been around long enough, you’ll remember the famous turkey-drop fiasco episode from 1978.

In it, WKRP’s station manager, Mr. Carlson, cries out: “As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!”

Further research reveals the frightening fact that a “turkey drop” may actually have occurred back in 1946.

Sixty years ago.

The very year our park opened.
___
Would you like to receive HoliBlog notices – along with news releases and sweepstakes – by email? Sign up here and you can choose whether to receive the emails weekly or the same day the blog posts are published. Thank you!

 

So what about that other ride?

Posted

Gobbler Getaway

We haven’t forgotten about Gobbler Getaway, don’t worry.

Our dark ride is being created in sunny Florida.

Now remember, since this is a dark ride, there’s lots of black light used, so the colors look a bit extreme in natural light.

Gobbler Getaway

This is part of one of the scenes we’ll trot through as we search for the escaped turkeys.

Next, we show a portion of the “practice” area, where you can try out your turkey caller.

Autumn Falls sign

The storyteller who will explain how to play the interactive part of Gobbler Getaway is being created. Thought we’d give you the heads-up:

Storyteller head

She (oh, did I not mention the gender) … she will explain the background story to the riders. She will also encourage good behavior.

Abigail's head

There, that looks better.

And finally, a familiar looking fellow from a colorful fall field:

Scarecrow

Mr. Scarecrow is also only partially complete. He has quite a profile.

Scarecrow profile

Construction of Gobbler Getaway’s station will begin soon. It will be located to the east of the area between The Voyage’s station and the lift hill.

Don’t let on that I mentioned this, but in just a few days the “countdown clock” takes us down into double digits.

But who’s counting?
___
Would you like to receive HoliBlog notices – along with news releases and sweepstakes – by email? Sign up here and you can choose whether to receive the emails weekly or the same day the blog posts are published. Thank you!

On top of the World

Posted

Voyage construction - lift hill

It’s after lunch here, so I think it’s safe to post the next batch of Craig-on-the-lift Voyage lift hill photos.

Let’s join Craig for a glance up Voyage‘s lift hill.

This is what you’ll see when you ride The Voyage

Of course, by the time you ride our new coaster, Craig et al will have added little things, like the top layer of the track plus the all-important lift chain.

Voyage lift hill construction

Ready for a second view?

Voyage lift hill construction

Up to the top he climbs.

Then Craig takes a peek over the top for a look at the other side of The Voyage’s lift hill – a 154-foot drop at a 66-degree angle.

Voyage construction - first drop

Who’s ready to ride?
___
Would you like to receive HoliBlog notices – along with news releases and sweepstakes – by email? Sign up here and you can choose whether to receive the emails weekly or the same day the blog posts are published. Thank you!

Home for the Holidays

Posted

Holidog in Will's office

Remember that coffee commercial, in which the college lad returns home for Christmas vacation early one morning, with only little sister awake to greet him?

To prove he’s put the tuition money to good use, said college student proceeds to brew a pot of coffee that’s so strong the aroma awakens his parents.

Holidog nearly did the same thing.

Now the java, of course, but all that emotional stuff. Holidog’s voyage continued this week. 

If you’ve followed his travels, you’ll know Holidog has been visiting all sorts of big cities.

But for Christmas, his heart and home found their way back to Santa Claus, Indiana.

Holidog's home

Don’t you just love what’s he’s done with the place? There’s a portrait of Safari Sam and Holidog on the wall, just next to a graphic of The Voyage. And that’s his TV next to the Christmas tree.

The prodigal pup enjoyed himself immensely, catching up with all our full-time staff.

But the visit was not strictly social; Holidog made sure to check in with Will.

We thought we heard a whimper from Will’s office and checked that all was okay.

Holidog in Will's office

Not sure who actually did the whimpering.

The odds are pretty even, though.

It’s budget time, after all.

Next, Holidog helped out Santa and Mrs. Koch with the last few Letters from Santa. It took dogged determination on the part of all of Santa’s Elves, but they got all the letters sent out.

Mrs. Koch

After that all-too-brief paws here at home, he embarked on the next leg of Holidog’s voyage: due south.

His next update should come to us from sunny Florida. Lucky dog!

Meanwhile, anyone else in the mood for a nice cup of coffee?
___
Would you like to receive HoliBlog notices – along with news releases and sweepstakes – by email? Sign up here and you can choose whether to receive the emails weekly or the same day the blog posts are published. Thank you!