Happy Halloween Weekends Preview & Bat Marshmallow Pop Recipe!

Does the fall chill in the air have you ready for some thrills?

Happy Halloween Weekends are back from September 24 through October 30!

Click here to learn more about Happy Halloween Weekends, our family-friendly event
that includes the rides you love at Holiday World, plus lots of Halloween-themed shows and fun!

Check out this spooky sweet marshmallow pop treat recipe!
You’ll be able to find these at Candy Cane Confectionary during Happy Halloween Weekends!

 

Ingredients:

  • Edible Googly Eyes
  • Chocolate Cream Cookies
  • Marshmallows
  • Paper straws (cut in half)
  • Chocolate bark 

Instructions:

  1. Following the melting instructions on the package, melt chocolate bark.
    Warm it up slowly, if you overheat the bark it will become stiff. Times may vary by microwave.
  2. Poke paper straw in marshmallow.
  3. Dip in melting chocolate.
  4. Shake off excess chocolate.
  5. Break a single chocolate cream cookie into quarters.
  6. Stick cookie pieces to the back to make wings.
  7. Decorate with fun faces!
  8. Enjoy!

We hope to see you soon!!

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Happy Birthday to us… Part 2!

75th Dedication Plaque

We (I) recently discovered from IAAPA historian Jim Futrell (shameless plug listen to our interview with him here) that Santa Claus Land kind of has two opening days, so we get to celebrate 75 years twice! 

Just kidding, we’re an amusement park–everyone knows we celebrate our birthdays EVERY day of our birthday year, and some parks take several years to celebrate one birthday.  

There’s August 3, 1946, the one we celebrated our 75th Birthday with free reproduced park maps…

image of reproduced park maps handed out

…Recreated Santa Claus Land cookies…

Santa Claus Land Cookies Created for August 3

…and a new plaque for celebrating the past three generations? 

75th Dedication Plaque

You know. The day that one of our Fourth-Generation Owners got a little choked up at the sheer impressiveness of what the previous three generations had accomplished and how wonderful and overwhelming it was to be in the midst of a true community centered around this wonderful place that’s made happy memories for literally millions of families? 

 

Yes. That August 3. 

August 3 is the day we’ve always celebrated. That’s birthday #1. 

But we held a Grand Opening on September 1. 

Read about it here:

Grand OpeningGrand Opening 31 Aug 1946, Sat Princeton Daily Clarion (Princeton, Indiana) Newspapers.com

You know what? I like August 3, but I think we’ll keep celebrating today, and for the rest of the season. 

Happy 75 Years to every one of our team who has helped get us here. And thank you to the Guests who visit year after year.  And thank you to the three generations who have gone before. May we continue to bring happy memories to families for years to come. 

_________

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Sweepstakes: Last Splash Family Getaway

As schools start back up, it may feel like summer is coming to an end, but we’re not finished yet! Splashin’ Safari’s last scheduled day for the season is September 19, and there’s still tons of fun waiting for families with Kids World weekends August 21-September 19 and Happy Halloween Weekends September 25-October 31. 

And next door to us, Lake Rudolph has a cabin ready for one lucky family during their first Halloween Weekend: September 17-18. 

Three young girls making silly faces on Liberty Launch

Here’s what you’ll win:

  • Four tickets to Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari in 2021 [ARV $220]
  • Two overnights in a Holiday Cottage* at Lake Rudolph Campground & RV Resort [ARV $428] Valid September 17-18 ONLY

But first, please read through these instructions and rules:

  • You must be at least 21 years old to enter and you must not have won tickets from Holiday World in the past 12 months.
  • Employees of Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari, Koch Development Corporation, 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 tweeting about this contest. You can also follow us on Pinterest, and visit us on our Facebook page. (We’d love it if you’d leave us a Facebook Recommendation while you’re there!)
  • If you win our Last Splash Sweepstakes, please note you must be at least 21 to phone in your two-night Holiday Cottage reservation at Lake Rudolph. *Here are the dates the cottage will be available: September 17-18, 2021 ONLY.
  • All prizes are non-transferable and not for re-sale. Each winner is solely responsible for reporting and paying any and all applicable taxes related to the prize(s). Tickets to Holiday World must be picked up at Holiday World. 

Ready to enter?

Be sure to enter by Friday September 3, at 10:00am CDT, when we’ll choose a winner at random.

Good luck to all!
___
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Podcast: Season 3, Episode 15: The One With the Amusing Historian

Young girl posing while Kitty Claws is in the background

In honor of our 75th, it’s time for a REAL historian.

Enjoy our interview with IAAPA historian Jim Futrell about the early days of Santa Claus Land.

Stick around, because he answers who America’s First Theme Park really is,
and grab your calendar because we’ve got some holidays for you.

Do you have a favorite holiday this month?
Roller Coaster day and black cat appreciation rank pretty highly for us!

Young girl posing while Kitty Claws is in the background

 

 

We hope you enjoy the podcast and love it when you share your memories with us on social media!
Be sure to tag Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari on your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube posts.

We LOVE to hear back from our podcast listeners, you can submit questions and feedback in the following ways:
Email us: podcast@holidayworld.com
Leave a voicemail: Phone (812)-937-4401 Ext. 8081
Reach out on social media: @holidayworld using #HoWoPo

Subscribe to the HoWoPo from any of these Links:

Kids World Sneak Peek with New Recipe!

Two young girls with happy, surprised faces

August marks the start of school for many, but we are excited about
the return of Kid’s World, Where Kids Rule the World!

Three young girls making silly faces on Liberty Launch

What is Kids World?

It’s everything you love about Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari plus a Magic Show, jugglers,
Fun Zones, Bubble show and more! 

All your favorite attractions will remain open, and we’ll have special food items chosen just for kids! 

Kids World Entertainment

The Hoosier Celebration Theater stage will be alive all day with performances of the
Wild & Wacky Magic Show and Jeff Boyer’s Big Bubble Bonanza.
Visit holidayworld.com/today for showtimes on the day of your visit!

Don’t miss Safari Sam’s Beach Bash at Muziki Bay!

Children walking through the park with a bubble blower

Themed Zones

Holidog’s Fun Town will be the home of the Bubble Zone with multiple bubble machines, large bubble wands,
and Holiday World Team Members will be there to help facilitate the fun!

Make some noise in the Percussion Zone in Pilgrims Plaza, just across from Mayflower.
It’s a howling good time with tons of instruments you can play!

Scavenger Hunt

Trek through Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari to locate balloons with special images
on them to complete your quest. Place the sticker that matches what you see on the balloon
on your map to mark your progress! You can purchase your Scavenger Hunt kit ($5.99 plus tax)
– and pick up your prize – at St. Nick’s or Safari Outpost.

Maps don’t have to be completed to pick up your prize, every map is a winner right from the start!

Two young girls with happy, surprised faces

Kids World Treats

From Mermaid Sundaes to Unicorn Flurries, Wacky Worm Fudge to Sour Patch Kids Dippin’ Dots,
our menus are overflowing with new options just for Kids World!
Check out our online menus to see everything.

Kids World runs weekends through September 19!

Both parks will be overflowing with bubbles and balloons over the next few weekends,
but we’ll still have all your favorite rides and attractions. The party’s just getting started!

Now that you’re all set for Kids World, check out this finn-tastic marshmallow pop treat recipe!
You’ll be able to find these at Candy Cane Confectionary during Kids World!

Ingredients:

  • Rainbow Nerds
  • Aquarium Fish
  • Marshmallows
  • Paper straws (cut in half)
  • White chocolate bark
  • Blue food coloring 

Instructions:

  1. Following the melting instructions on the package, melt white chocolate bark.
    Warm it up slowly, if you overheat the bark it will become stiff. Times may vary by microwave.
  2. Add in blue food coloring.
  3. Stir them together.
  4. Poke paper straw in marshmallow.
  5. Dip in melting chocolate.
  6. Shake off excess chocolate.
  7. Sprinkle on rainbow nerds along the base of the marshmallow.
  8. Place on parchment paper.
  9. Let dry for one minute.
    They may need to dry longer depending on the consistency of your chocolate due to the weight of the fish. 
  10. Place three fish on each marshmallow.
    If chocolate over dries you can add chocolate to the back of your fish to help it stay.
  11. Enjoy!

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Podcast: Season 3, Episode 14: The One With 75 Years of Vision

How does a small, Christmas-themed park in
Santa Claus, Indiana become a viral sensation?

We’re diving deep into the vision of the first three generations of the Koch Family and how they shaped Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari into what we are today.

We kick off discussing a post that went viral!
Shoutout again to Natalie, the post is currently sitting at 73,000 shares and 18,000 comments!
Are you a trip planner or wing it?

Make plans to be in the park on our birthday, August 3, we’ll be celebrating all day long!
Leah drops hints during the podcast about what we have up our sleeve.

What do you think was Holiday World’s biggest move toward getting us where we are today?
Share in the comments!

We hope you enjoy the podcast and love it when you share your memories with us on social media!
Be sure to tag Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari on your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube posts.

We LOVE to hear back from our podcast listeners, you can submit questions and feedback in the following ways:
Email us: podcast@holidayworld.com
Leave a voicemail: Phone (812)-937-4401 Ext. 8081
Reach out on social media: @holidayworld using #HoWoPo

Subscribe to the HoWoPo from any of these Links:

Is it national irony day yet?

National Water Coaster Day

Warning: This blog post contains some inside jokes from The Official Holiday World Podcast. I’ll do my best to explain, but I make no promises. 

Hi, I’m Director of Communications and Fourth-Generation Owner Leah Koch. I have previously taken strong stances on silly or made-up holidays, and I still stand by that. There are too many overly-specific days dedicated to cats and dogs. 

And I’m here to confess that I created a holiday.National Water Coaster Day

Actually technically I’ve done it twice before today. When “Make up Your Own Holiday Day” came up early in the podcast, I declared that my made-up holiday would be “National Remove a Holiday Day.” The year after, I declared it would be “National Consolidate Holidays Day.” 

But today isn’t “Make up Your Own Holiday Day” and I declared a silly holiday: National Water Coaster Day

Here’s the backstory: 

Right after we announced Cheetah Chase, and that adding the new attraction would make us the Water Coaster Capital of the World, I started trying to think of something fun we could do to celebrate that. 

When the idea of creating a holiday for water coasters hit me, I was filled with immediate joy and dread. I went to tell our creative team about the idea… praying they would tell me it wasn’t worth our time, or that it was just flat-out bad. 

Instead, they LOVED it. 

So it was determined that the first-ever National Water Coaster Day would be sometime in 2020. And those plans quickly changed last year, so I gleefully declared National Water Coaster Day wouldn’t happen last year.

But it came back up this spring. And I ran out of reasons not to declare it. And Wildebeest was going to hit 1,000,000 cycles. 

Look. Nobody dislikes me for creating this holiday more than I.

Today, we celebrated Wildebeest’s millionth boat, and I was there to announce National Water Coaster Day. 

And it was a little bit fun.

We took photos with the family on the millionth boat, gave them small signs to remember the day, and gave them Quick Access Passes to skip the line at more water coasters throughout the day. And it just so happened to be Carter’s birthday–which made it even more special. I had a GREAT TIME making a big event out of something small.

Maybe I’ll keep my mouth shut next year on “Make up Your Own Holiday Day.” 

In the meantime, Happy National Water Coaster Day!

Podcast Season 3, Episode 13: The One with the Historical Feedback

Squad reassembled for Season 3, Episode 13!

Leah, Lauren, Nell, Matt and Sabrina talk about the early years of Santa Claus Land, feedback, and holidays!

 

Ever wonder how Santa Claus Land morphed from a retirement project to the park we love today?
For example, did you know the park went up for sale once? 

We hope you enjoy the podcast and love it when you share your memories with us on social media!
Be sure to tag Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari on your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube posts.

Here is some of our recent feedback that came up on this episode.
You’ll have to listen to the podcast to fully appreciate them!

We LOVE to hear back from our podcast listeners, you can submit questions and feedback in the following ways:
Email us: podcast@holidayworld.com
Leave a voicemail: Phone (812)-937-4401 Ext. 8081
Reach out on social media: @holidayworld using #HoWoPo

Subscribe to the HoWoPo from any of these Links:

Santa Claus Land Sunday – 1946 Newspaper Articles

Happy Fourth of July! In addition to celebrating our nation’s independence today, we’re kicking off Santa Claus Land Sundays. From now until our 75th Birthday on August 3, we’ll do our best to share another piece of Santa Claus Land history.

This week, we’re starting off with an early report of America’s First Theme Park from just two months after it opened.

04 Oct 1946, Fri The Times-Mail (Bedford, Indiana) Newspapers.com

It makes me smile to think of how expectations for theme parks and amusement parks have changed through the years. According to the article, Santa Claus Land consisted of a “Toy and gift shop and soda fountain,” along with a miniature train. The Mother Goose Land Trail and children’s park didn’t open until about a month after the park opened. The Santa Claus Land Railroad (also known as the “Mother Goose Land Train” or the “Freedom Train” was not quite ready for Guests yet but was in the works.  

In this article from the Indianapolis news from Christmas Day in 1946, the project was to be completed within the year. 

Toy Town growing full articleToy Town growing full article 25 Dec 1946, Wed The Indianapolis News (Indianapolis, Indiana) Newspapers.com 

If you look closely, the caption says that part of the picture on the right was completed–that building became what is now Santa’s Merry Marketplace and Kringle’s Banquet Hall, where group events are held. 

Today, we have the best-ranked trio of wooden coasters in the world. The Voyage is ranked #2 in the world. Thunderbird is America’s First Launched Wing Coaster. Splashin’ Safari is the Water Coaster Capital of the World with Wildebeest – the #1 water park ride in the world for more than a decade, Mammoth – which holds the Guinness World Record for longest water coaster, and Cheetah Chase – The World’s First Launched Water Coaster. 

But it warms my heart to think that while our town has grown, and the name of the park has changed, and 75 years of progress have made the park bigger and more important than ever, I like to think of what’s the same. The Koch family is still here, operating the park a little more behind-the-scenes than previous generations, but we’re still pouring our hearts and passion into this place. 

Santa is still here–he may be virtual this season, but he’s still here.

And the magic is still here. From the wonder of the small town that believed in Christmas 75 years ago to today. The magic may be bigger, and different, but it’s here. 

And that’s a reason to celebrate. 

_________

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Podcast: Season 3, Episode 12: The One With Tips for a Better Visit

The PodSquad reassembled for Season 3, Episode 12!

It’s a tough task during daily operations, but Leah, Lauren, Nell, and Sabrina were back
in the studio to dish out their favorite tips and tricks to get the most out of your day!
But first, they turn on Momma Lauren with rapid-fire questions about the newest show at Muziki Bay and more!

 

This episode is perfect timing for many guests who will be making their first visit of the 2021 Season in July!
You’ll have to listen to the podcast to hear all of our tips, but we did want to share the links we discuss here:
Digital Photo Pass
Cabana and Cheetah Chase Loungers
Special events coming soon!

Planning out your day is a breeze with our “Today at a Glance” tool on our website.
Click the day you intend to come to the park on our calendar to see “Today at a Glance.”
From there you’ll be able to see daily deals, show schedules,  menus and so much more!

It looks like this:

We hope you enjoy the podcast and love it when you share your memories with us on social media!
Be sure to tag Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari on your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube posts.

We LOVE to hear back from our podcast listeners, you can submit questions and feedback in the following ways:
Email us: podcast@holidayworld.com
Leave a voicemail: Phone (812)-937-4401 Ext. 8081
Reach out on social media: @holidayworld using #HoWoPo

Subscribe to the HoWoPo from any of these Links:

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Sign up here and you can choose whether to receive the emails weekly or the same day the blog posts are published