“You made Jake feel special”

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My family visited Holiday World in June. We had a wonderful time.

My kids love Holiday World.

My son felt very special that day because of the time your staff took to meet his needs. Jake is 7 years old and has a life threatening peanut allergy. We ate in Splashin' Safari, the Holidog FunTown, and near the front entrance and each time your staff was very willing to do what we needed to keep him safe. Sometimes just bringing a box so I can read the ingredients means so much. I appreciate that they were prepared to do that. So, often when you ask for information or to see a label people are rude because they do not understand the seriousness of the situation. Your staff helped us to feel comfortable and have a great day at Holiday World.

Thank you to you and your staff,

Heather R. & Family

“Ingredient list? Sure, no problem!”

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My family visited your park a few weekends ago.

Our four year old daughter, Nichole, has life threatening food allergies to egg and nuts. We were so thrilled to find that any time we had a question about food ingredients your staff simply pulled out an ingredient list and let us read it.

You turned a potentially stressful day into a great experience!

Thank You-

Tricia H.
Evansville, Indiana

Stretching the limit

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We subscribe to a wonderful (free!) service that distributes media leads three times a day.

What this means is, those who are looking for people to interview get hooked up with those who have something to say.

It's great.

We've gotten some excellent "hits" from the service, plus even if we're not a "fit," it's always fun to read through the list of needs from all sorts of reporters, editors and bloggers around the country.

The one hard-and-fast rule is to respond to leads only if you are truly a fit.

A solid fit. Or you're blocked from the system.

For example, if the request is for interviews with dude ranch owners, I'd get the royal boot if my response was, "Our pretty horses are well behaved; they go round and round and up and down. Would you like to interview our owner?"

But this one national-magazine lead, I must admit, is mighty tempting to stretch a bit:

I need to hear from a man who has recently practiced Laughter Yoga, breathing exercises in which you chant Ho Ho Ho Ha and other "laughter" sounds for improved health.

Hmmmm.

This fellow is pretty healthy.

Santa Claus

…and he's been doing that "ho, ho, ho" thing for years.

Could it be he'd been holding out on us?

Nah. Santa's totally into sharing. I really think if he'd discovered this Laughter Yoga thing, he'd have told about about it years ago.

Come to think of it, maybe Mrs. Koch is a follower of this lifestyle. I've worked with her for nearly two decades and have always noticed when things get a bit stressful around here, she's at her funniest.

Mrs. Koch

…after all, she is Santa's daughter.

Ben there, done that

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This is Ben:

Ben in 2008

This little fellow, from Berea, Kentucky, just enjoyed his first visit to Holiday World.

His mom, Missy, was just a little bit older than Ben when she rode the same ride back in 1982, when we were still Santa Claus Land.

Missy in 1982

We just love these generation-to-generation photos. Does anyone have a three-generation set?

What the … ?

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How could this be?

High diver

A giantess perched on top of the lift hill at The Legend!

And her mouth is wide open — is she going to devour the next train of riders?

High dive

Oh.

Mini-She

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We get requests all the time asking for help with school projects (and, no, we won't write your paper for you, so quit asking!)….but this was a new one.

A young lady named Shelbi contacted us early in the spring for help in preparing her school project.

It seems the fourth graders at Resurrection School were preparing a wax museum. Shelbi

Each student chose a famous person to research. They wrote and memorized a paragraph of information about their subject.

The day finally came for the school to tour the wax museum, and Shelbi was ready.

Whenever someone walked up and tapped her on the shoulder, she had plenty to say. "Hi, I'm Pat Koch! …Our park has been awarded cleanest and most friendliest park, thanks to me and my employees…"

Couldn't you just melt?

Who’s your favorite HoliDazzle?

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Okay, if you aren't in the toddler/preschool set you may not know what we're talking about.

But all the cool kids know about the HoliDazzles and most likely have a favorite character.

HoliDazzles

There's a HoliDazzle for each holiday in the park (Berry, Leif, Boo and Sparkle) plus Maji, who is from Splashin' Safari. They perform three times a day in the Holiday Theater in our Christmas section.

The incredible non-sweating reporter

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Got a new (to me) car a few months ago and on Sunday saw the little "outside temp" go to three digits for the first time.

And it stayed there.

Michael from the Fox affiliate in Evansville called and asked about coming up to do a "gosh, it's hot!" story for the news.

Who am I to discourage an eager reporter?

When Michael and Curtis showed up mid-afternoon, it was obvious one of them was a bit over-dressed. Bless him, Michael was in a navy blazer with a button-up shirt and snugly tied tie.

Despite gentle encouragement to loosen his tie and leave his jacket in the car, Michael stayed professional.

Incredibly so.

He didn't sweat.

Not even a trickle.

Curtis, the cameraman, and I were … well … dripping. When Will joined us by Kima Bay he, too, was glowing. Profusely.

But Michael was cool as a cucumber. After the interview, we took advantage of the nearby Pepsi Oasis.

All except Michael. "I'm fine," he assured me. "I have a high tolerance."

A reporter from another TV station was here at the park this afternoon to interview Will. She mentioned she happened to be in the park as a guest on Sunday and saw Michael recording his "stand up" at Bakuli.

She, too, was stunned. "I was in my swimsuit and in the water and I was sweating!"

We shook our heads and mopped our brows.

"Is he even human?" we wondered.

Perspiring minds want to know.