Holiday World’s most “shared” photos in 2013

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A few days ago, we shared our Top Five “Liked” Photos of 2013 list. Today, we’ll take a look at the Top Five “Shared” Photos from our Facebook page in 2013.

Only two of the five appeared in both lists. Let’s take a look:

#5 was shared back in July, when Splashin’ Safari was calling everyone’s names:

Post by Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari.

#4 was taken in late April, as Hyena Falls construction was nearing an end:

Post by Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari.

#3 was shared back in November; we’d just closed for the season, but wanted to share one more leave-a-blazing photos:

Post by Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari.

#2 makes me smile every time I see it; Play Day is such a wonderful day for us all:

Post by Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari.

Our #1 most shared photo in 2013? Our great friend Mick Foley:

Post by Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari.

Do you have photos from over the years you’d like to share with our fans? You’re welcome to post them on our Facebook page for all to see and enjoy.

Happy New Year to all – we look forward to sharing fun with you and your family in 2014!

Holiday World’s most “liked” photos from 2013

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It's that time of the year when we look back and remember special moments from the year.

Here are the five most "liked" photos from our Facebook page in 2013.

#5 is perfect for this time of year. It reminds us to appreciate the "little things" in life:
 

Post by Holiday World & Splashin' Safari.

#4 was posted in June, when everyone was in the mood for a little Raging Rapids:
 

Post by Holiday World & Splashin' Safari.

#3 is my personal favorite, from Play Day – our special day for children with disabilities – back in May:
 

Post by Holiday World & Splashin' Safari.

#2 was posted back in January; a beautiful sunset:
 

Post by Holiday World & Splashin' Safari.

And #1 is another beauty shot, from just a few months ago.
 

Post by Holiday World & Splashin' Safari.

Do you have a favorite Holiday World photo from 2013? You're welcome to post it on our Facebook page for all to see – we'll be sure to "like" them, too!

Happy New Year to all!

Christmas wrapping

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Is your house filled with brightly wrapped gifts, some labeled with "Don't Open Until Christmas" stickers?

Mine, too.

Whether you use home-made or store-bought wrapping paper or holiday bags, the gifts' wrapping certainly adds to the excitement and festivity.

And so …

Mrs. Klaus's Kitchen

For 2014, Mrs. Klaus' Kitchen gets new "wrapping," with all the bells and whistles (not sure that's literally, but a few jingle bells wouldn't surprise me a bit!).

And what's new on the inside? We'll open the door and show you the plans for inside … but not till after Christmas!

Happy holidays to one and all!

A bridge to 2014

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If you've ridden our wooden roller coasters, Frightful Falls and Raging Rapids, you know we love tunnels.

With 2014 comes another form of tunnel – the covered bridge.

We're adding two for next year, the first is for the Holidog Express train ride.

Covered bridge construction

When I first glanced at this photo, I thought, "what are those kids doing in the park – they're too close to our construction work!"

Half a second later, I recognized the little scamps as part of our Mother Goose Land figures. Oh, yes. Of course.

New covered bridge for Holidog Express

 Holidog Express will be choo-chooing around the track again starting in May.

Holidog Express

And where is the second covered bridge? We don't have any photos to show yet, but we can tell you it will be hard to miss in our Thanksgiving section.

Watch our HoliBlog for updates on all the construction projects going on this winter – we've got you covered!

“I wish we had a hundred Frankies!”

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We add a new blogger to our ranks this week; Lauren R. is our new Communications Coordinator.

Here's her first post:

“Make sure you don’t clock-in until you take that nail polish off!”

I recognized the voice coming through the HoliMarket window. And yes, I'd forgotten to take off the aqua blue nail polish I'd worn during my vacation to Florida.

Frankie already had the nail polish remover waiting for me on the counter. She sweetly reassured me that as long as I removed the blue polish before clocking-in, I would be just fine.

Whew.

Mathew and FrankieThis was not Frankie's first uniform "crisis" of the day, and it certainly wasn’t her last.

This tiny lady does not hesitate to enforce our rules, even when the Host or Hostess is almost twice her size (such as Mathew from Admissions, left). And Frankie does so calmly and with great wit.

She could make even the most rule-conscious 14-year-old crack a smile when dealing with a uniform issue. And no matter what the situation, the conversation ends with a cheery, "Thank you!"

Today is Frankie's 86th birthday, and it is our turn to thank her for all the hard work and dedication she has given to Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari.

Since she started here alongside her husband in 1996, she has worked in lots of departments throughout the park including the Print Shop, Rides, Food & Beverage, and even as a Slide Attendant in Splashin’ Safari. Over those nearly two decades, she found her home in what is now called the HoliMarket, where she has assisted countless Hosts and Hostesses with their uniforms (and washed her fair share of mop heads) all while ensuring our Employee Services lobby looks spic and span.

It seems anyone who has ever encountered Frankie over the years has a wonderful story about how she has helped them in some way or provided them with a good laugh. Andrea, our Print Shop Manager, loves to tell how Frankie "built" boxes for a coupon mailing. Andrea told Frankie she could assemble as many as would fit in the available area.

After some time had passed, Andrea turned around from her work to discover Frankie's interpretation of "available area" included … up.

Frankie's pyramid   

We're still not sure exactly how she stacked the boxes that high!

Although the HoliMarket is now Frankie's home-away-from-home, some departments "borrow" her when an extra set of hands is needed. Lori, who heads up Splashin' Safari, is a big fan: “Frankie is one of those cheerful, dependable people who is always willing to help out. I wish we had a hundred Frankies!”

Matt, our president, breaks into a grin when our birthday girl's name comes up. “Frankie is truly an ‘icon’ here at the park. I have so much admiration for her spunk and fierce love of Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari. I always know that when I need something from Frankie, she will do so with a smile, and I will walk away laughing because of her quick wit.”

Thank you, Frankie, for taking care of so many potential uniform crises season after season and touching the lives of thousands of Hosts and Hostesses (plus our full time staff) over your years with us.

Happy Birthday – and many, many happy returns!

Silly HoliStaff Tricks

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What's the scariest phrase ever uttered here during the off-season?

"Okay, we need a few volunteers …"

Let me be a bit more precise: What's the scariest phrase ever uttered here at a staff luncheon during the off-season?

Yes, that's it. No good ever comes from volunteering at a staff luncheon. Especially in December.

… because a bit of embarrassment in front of your peers is no doubt just around the corner.

Christmas game

Here's a look at four of our volunteers for this rather silly Christmas game.

That's Josh, our HR director, on the left. He's not a bit competitive. No, not at all. That's obvious.

Tori, our Theme Park Attractions director is next; she's getting a stretch in before the competition starts. Warm ups are important for her department.

Next is Jennifer, our Marketing director. It's easy to see she's working out a brilliant strategy and is writing a creative brief in her head. Because that's what marketing directors do.

And on the right, Lori, our Water Park Attractions director is about to helplessly laugh her antlers off – it was just that silly.

These four – and several others who managed to dodge the camera – were charged with being the first to achieve RNS (that stands for Red-Nose Status).

Their instructions? Get your nose to stick first and you win.

How to stick?

Petroleum jelly.

Ewww. I know.

The start buzzer rang and … go, Rudolph, go!

Silly HoliStaff Trick

Good air-time there, Josh!

At this point, Lori's wondering how to escape the madness …

HoliParty

Nice nose goo there, Lori. Ewww.

Meanwhile, look to the left. Josh the Red-Nosed Victor has already declared himself the winner.

During his victory dance, Josh's nose popped back off, but no one seemed to mind. We were too busy laughing at the absurdity of it all.

Josh wins

Josh won a cool prize, plus a supply of free, unlimited tissues to scrape the goo off his face.

And – most importantly – the admiration of his red-nosed peers.

Red-nosed winners

Merry Christmas to you and your family from all of us here at Holiday World & Splashin' Safari. We hope you take time during this holiday season for a bit of silly fun.

An Elf off her shelf

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Gotta love Barbie.

She is the most cheerful, sassiest elf ever.

As she was packing up her car with packages to make her afternoon mail run on this chilly day, she didn't complain.

"Hey – it gets me out of my office, right?"

An elf off her shelf, as it were.

Barbie the elfBarbie may need to hire a truck by the end of the week, as last-minute orders from our online HoliShop keep dinging in at all hours.

What's "hot" this year?

HoliCash Gift Cards are very popular as are our HoliShop-exclusive "Keep Calm and Ride Voyage" shirts. (We have versions for Raven and Legend, too.)

Many cuddly Kitty Claws and Holidog plush animals are heading to happy homes, too, along with other Holidog souvenirs: Window clings, a puzzle, ornaments, and even a luggage tag!

Our $5 grab-bag shirts have been grabbed a lot, too. Supplies are limited, but as long as we have them, we'll keep sending them out through the end of the year!

Season Passes make great gifts, too, as do our new Summer Fun Cards. There's no mailing involved for these last two, since they're available as Print@Home purchases.

As Christmas creeps closer, our wish to you is a peaceful and loving holiday with your family and friends.

Don’t fog on our parade!

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Can't remember ever worrying about a Christmas Parade being cancelled due to fog before …

But this morning it was rainy and foggy. The good news is the roads are clear of snow and ice – and our town's annual parade went off without a hitch!

Santa Claus Christmas parade

Is anyone else diggin' Holidog's sneakers?