Podcast: The one with the Conqueror

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It’s podcast day!

As always, here are some illustrations from our hour or so of silliness:

First of all, to celebrate our thirteenth episode, we snacked on some new treats that will appear on the SmokeHouse menu for Happy Halloween Weekends: Fried Apple Pie Bites and …

Bread Pudding Bites

… Bread Pudding Bites (above). Needless to say, they were consumed with great gusto.

Here are the Bert the Conqueror photos from the “Midwest Mud Fest” episode shoot (which premieres on The Travel Channel on August 2 at 1pm CDT).

To start off, Bert loves Tervis Tumblers with a passion previously unknown to mankind. He scoured our shops to find a different one for each member of his crew. And a Tervis Tumbler managed to photobomb just about every scene shot here over those two days, much to the chagrin of the field producer.

Bert the Conqueror and Tervis Tumblers

Here’s Bert interviewing Leah and Lauren.

When he discovered he and Lauren share not only an alma mater – but also the school’s “extended program” – they bonded for life.

Bert, Leah and Lauren

What did Bert say to get Leah going like this?

Leah, Bert, Lauren and the extras

And finally, Bert and his new pals:

Bert, Lauren and Leah

’nuff said.

As we headed into #HoWoPo Feedback, we chatted about Gourdon the Talking Pumpkin and his love of really bad Halloween jokes:

And … The Foot.

And yes, we have another contest:

    • You must be at least 18 years old to enter this giveaway.
    • Employees of Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari (and our immediate family members) are not eligible to enter.
    • During this podcast episode (#013), you will hear this question toward the end: Name Lauren’s alma mater (which was also Bert the Conqueror’s) – and email the answer to us here: contest@holidayworld.com by 2:30pm CDT on August 10, 2016 and we’ll announce the winner during our next podcast episode. One entry per email address, please. The winner will be chosen at random from all the correct entries and will receive two one-day tickets to the park.
    • By entering our contest, you agree to be added to our e-newsletter list. You may unsubscribe at any time by following the directions in your email.
    • Did you know you can subscribe to our HoliBlog so that you receive all of our posts (including contests) by email? If you’re using a desktop computer or tablet, look for the “Subscribe to Blog” sidebar at the top-right corner of this page. On a smartphone? Just scroll down a tiny bit more to find it.

Good luck to all!

And finally, one more photo of Bert, proudly waving the ear of corn he pilfered from our corn maze for Happy Halloween Weekends:

Bert conquers the corn field

Center square for the win

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Local radio personality Ty Hunter posted this on Instagram – and all this Baby Boomer’s heart could do was beat a little faster, remembering the glory days of the TV game show Hollywood Squares.

HoliWood Squares?

Can’t take him anywhere. #weirdo

A photo posted by Ty Hunter (@tylerhunter007) on

The many faces Ty’s son makes are eerily reminiscent of the greats: Paul Lynde, Wally Cox, Rose Marie, Charley Weaver (in the bottom-left corner, of course), Vincent Price … who else remembers?

And which attraction is he riding? That’s Reindeer Games in Rudolph’s Reindeer Ranch

A wave of gratitude

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After two perfect-score safety audits in a row, we just had to give a big shout-out to our lifeguards and slide attendants:

The safety audits are a “secret shopper” test of our team’s skills by a third-party consultant.

They’re sort of like Santa:

   He sees you when you’re sleeping
   He knows when you’re awake
   He knows when you’ve been bad or good
   So be good for goodness’ sake

… only the auditors have a lot more than candy canes in mind (Happy Christmas in July, by the way); they’re all about safety.

Thank you to our crews and management, who never stop training and never stop watching. And guarding.

 

‘Christmas in July’ Sweepstakes

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Congratulations to our winner, Julie C. from Eureka, Illinois! Thanks to all who entered.
——-
Where did July go?

Santa's Photo Time

While those two fellows try to figure it out, let’s launch a sweepstakes!

What’s the prize for our Christmas in July Sweepstakes? One person – selected at random – will win four one-day admission tickets to Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari and two nights next door at Lake Rudolph Campground & RV Resort, in one of their Rudolph’s Christmas Cabins.

Before you enter, please read through these instructions and rules:

  • You must be at least 18 years old to enter and you must not have won tickets from Holiday World in the past six months.
  • Employees of Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari, Lake Rudolph Campground & RV Resort, Sun Communities, and Sun RV Resort (and the immediate family members of employees) are not eligible to enter.
  • By entering, you agree to be added to our e-newsletter list (you may unsubscribe at any time by following the directions in your email).
  • Use the widget, below, to enter daily. There are lots of options, so you can earn extra entries by posting here on our HoliBlog, tweeting about this sweepstakes, following us on Pinterest, and visiting us on our Facebook page. If you win, please note you must be at least 21 to phone in your Rudolph’s Christmas Cabin reservation at Lake Rudolph; also, the dates the cabin may be reserved for are Sundays through Thursdays between July 25 and August 11, 2016.
  • For the “post a comment on the blog” entry option, simply tell us what you are wishing for this Christmas in July. (Our comments are moderated, so as long as the content is HoliFriendly, it will appear soon.)
  • Did you know you can subscribe to our HoliBlog so that you receive all of our posts (including contests) by email? If you’re using a desktop computer or tablet, look for the “Subscribe to Blog” sidebar at the top-right corner of this page. On a smartphone? Just scroll down a tiny bit more to find it.

Ready to enter? Of course you are: Simply enter our sweepstakes here from a mobile device; or if you’re using an immobile device, enter by using the widget, below. And not just today – enter daily through Monday, July 25, 2016 at 2:30pm CDT.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Merry Christmas in July to all!

Tubes of fun

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Visiting Splashin’ Safari with my family during my childhood, one of our favorite things to do together was float around the lazy river. My favorite part about the river – blue tubes!

Boy with New Green Inner Tube

I still remember the excitement of stepping into the river for the first time and discovering there was a tube that was just my size.

It didn’t get much cooler than that at age five.

Flashing forward to today, we have added a new addition to the fleet of free inner tubes – and they’re green!

We had our smaller swimmers in mind when adding these tubes, which are 24 inches in diameter.

And don’t worry, Moms and Dads – we still have sizes for the rest of the family, too! Check out the entire selection here:

Inner tubes

If you have toddlers who aren’t quite ready for their own tube – don’t fret – they can sit on your lap and ride with you.

We hope your family enjoys these “tubes of fun” and making memories together while relaxing on our Bahari River.

Podcast: Lost & Found Lady

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Lauren with Pokemon

What a week!

Guest Services Manager Angie is not only featured in an About.com article this month, she was also our Guest on today’s podcast episode.

Angie (1280x1140)

… because Angie has some great stories.

Not only about Lost & Found but also the Holidog Inn.

Here are a few photos to help illustrate this episode.

Starting with cool, calm and collected Carrie, from WTHR-TV in Indianapolis, taking a spin on Thunderbird with Matt:

Carrie Cline WTHR

Carrie and Lauren’s gluten-free “tea party” in our 70th Birthday Plaza:

 

And Leah readies Carrie and Russ for a ride on Mammoth, the world’s longest water coaster: WTHR Mammoth

Next, we talk through Pokemon GO or Pokemon NO (guess which the majority decided – you could win two tickets!) and how to play safely in the park.

Pokemon Gyms

Here’s more about that contest:

    • You must be at least 18 years old to enter this giveaway.
    • Employees of Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari (and our immediate family members) are not eligible to enter.
    • During this podcast episode (#012), you will hear a question toward the end. Email the answer to us here: contest@holidayworld.com by 2:30pm CDT on July 27, 2016 and we’ll announce the winner during our next podcast episode. One entry per email address, please. The winner will be chosen at random from all the correct entries and will receive two one-day tickets to the park.
    • By entering our contest, you agree to be added to our e-newsletter list. You may unsubscribe at any time by following the directions in your email.
    • Did you know you can subscribe to our HoliBlog so that you receive all of our posts (including contests) by email? If you’re using a desktop computer or tablet, look for the “Subscribe to Blog” sidebar at the top-right corner of this page. On a smartphone? Just scroll down a tiny bit more to find it.

Also in this episode, we mention our “66 Days at Sea” campaign, which wrapped up nearly two years ago. Want to revisit the Mayflower mama’s journal? She turned out to be quite the tease, as we all now know.

Feedback is always fun, especially those of a graphic nature:


And for new listeners, this is … The Foot:

 

And … who doesn’t love a big ol’ pair of swim goggles:

Thanks for listening – and don’t forget to enter our contest!

What to know about Pokemon Go

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Pokemon Go at Admissions

As Holiday World’s resident geezer, I clearly remember when Pokemon first made an appearance in popular culture. Somewhere in the back of a closet shelf at home we no doubt still have piles of Pokemon collector cards and battery-drained Game Boys.

Memories of cherished days with youngsters growing up.

Gotta catch ’em all

“Pokey-what? Do you mean Gumby’s friend?” That only took me so far, but it was fun to learn all about this game from eager sons and their friends.

And just when you thought it was safe to put Pikachu in the Goodwill bin … he’s back!

Are you one of the zillions who’s downloaded the new Pokemon Go app to see what the fuss is all about?

I broached the subject yesterday at our Directors Meeting.

And the room erupted.

It turns out these critters have not only invaded our park but our offices as well:

That’s Lauren, our Events & Entertainment Director, batting away one of the more forward creatures.

You don’t need to storm Lauren’s office to catch a Zubat.

They hang out around the Christmas bat-rooms as well:

Zubat in Holiday World

Ba-da-bum.

Later, Angie from Guest Services had a Pokemon perch on her knee during a meeting in my office:


The little Squirtle kept hopping around, from my desk to Angie and back.

And we’ve discovered our park is host to three Pokemon Gyms.

Pokemon Gyms

We hope those of you who play this game while visiting us will enjoy yourselves, but keep in mind that all park rules still apply:

1. Stay on the public paths. Absolutely no going behind the scenes or in any non-public places. This is serious and non-negotiable.

2. Watch where you’re going! Bumping into other Guests or even stumbling and scraping up your knees is simply not worth it.

3. Do not take your phone or any type of camera on rides – ever. Even if it’s in your pocket, a phone could fall out and hurt someone. The phone itself will most likely get damaged beyond repair.

Exhibit A:

Broken Smartphone

The above is a phone that came out of someone’s pocket while riding Thunderbird. This is why we have the no cameras/no phones rule on our rides (the only exceptions are Holidog Express, Doggone Trail, Star Spangled Carousel, and Prancer’s Merry-Go-Round).

Please don’t ignore our safety rules – they apply to everyone and are there to keep everyone safe.

Meanwhile, this fellow awaits:

Is it cheating if we tell you where they are? #PokemonGo #HolidayWorld #HoWoPoGo #gottacatchemall

A photo posted by Holiday World (@holidayworld) on

 

About Angie

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Journalist Marcia Frost (love her last name!) visited us last month and one of her questions was, “What’s it like to live in a town called Santa Claus?”

She was on assignment with About.com and her mission was to interview someone who could answer that question.

Angie, our Guest Services Manager, sat down with Marcia for a chat, and here is their story.

Enter our Rock the World giveaway

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Can you believe Rock the World is just six weeks away?

Neither can we!

Here’s a look at our main-stage artists:

It’s time for us to give away one last pair of tickets. Be sure to enter our sweepstakes, below, if you’d like to join us for Rock the World on Saturday, August 20. You can enter several ways – and you can enter daily through July 14 at 2:30pm CDT.

Ready?

First, please read through these instructions and rules:

Rock the World logo

  • You must be at least 18 years old to enter and you must not have won tickets from Holiday World in the past six months.
  • Employees of Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari (and the immediate family members of employees) are not eligible to enter.
  • By entering, you agree to be added to our Rock the World e-newsletter list (you may unsubscribe at any time by following the directions in your email).
  • Use the widget, below, to enter daily. There are lots of options, so you can earn extra entries by posting here on our HoliBlog, tweeting about this sweepstakes, following us on Pinterest, and visiting us on our Facebook page.
  • One winner – chosen at random – will receive two tickets and two wristbands to Rock the World (including all-day admission to Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari). Please note: This prize is only valid on Saturday, August 20, 2016.
  • For the “post a comment on the blog” entry option, simply tell us why you’d like to help us Rock the World. (Our comments are moderated, so as long as the content is HoliFriendly, it will appear soon.)
  • Did you know you can subscribe to our HoliBlog so that you receive all of our posts (including contests) by email? If you’re using a desktop computer or tablet, look for the “Subscribe to Blog” sidebar at the top-right corner of this page. On a smartphone? Just scroll down a tiny bit more to find it.

Enter our sweepstakes here from a mobile device; or if you’re using a desktop computer, enter by using the widget, below. And not just today – enter daily through Thursday, July 14, 2016 at 2:30pm CDT.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck to all! And if you’d like to save $5 on Rock the World tickets, please be sure to order them online by July 16.

Together, we’ll Rock the World!

Indiana wants me*

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*So now I’ve got that song stuck in my head.

If you’ve listened to our latest podcast episode, you already know about this:

It’s always a thrill to get coverage on The Today Show, but when they relocated us to Orlando in their story about TripAdvisor’s top water parks, it was a head-smacker. After emailing them and filling out a survey about their website (to no avail), we poked at them a bit on Twitter. Still nothing. Tried a different email address today and hit the jackpot:  

The #TyposHappen, admittedly, was a bit of a kiss up … no sense making enemies, after all.

Have you not listened to our latest podcast episode yet? Well now’s as good a time as any to listen – and don’t miss the ticket giveaway and promo code!