Podcast: Season 5, Episode 1: The One with the Commons Ground

Posted February 10, 2023

Thank you to everyone who took the time to take our survey!

We already implemented some of the great feedback by sharing interviews from our team.
Listen to the podcast here or anywhere that podcasts are found:

First, we had Andrew B. our Director of Projects and Planning and Lauren C. who makes
many of the design and color choices for our buildings and are part of the “Pretty Committee”.

They share about their new process of how they worked together to create a building that is both functional and
welcoming for our Team Members to call home for the summer.

Here are some updated photos of their progress:

Next up we had Shelley B. our Director of Human Resources chat with Leah about the operational impact
that Compass Commons will have on our company, upcoming hiring events, and what’s new for our
Team Members in 2023!

Here is our beautiful new hiring website where you can learn about seasonal and full-time opportunities: https://www.holidayworld.com/jobs/
Those who’ve applied may be part of our virtual hiring events on Friday, February 24, 3:30-7:30 pm and Saturday, February 25, 8am-4 pm.

Below we have Cooper celebrating his second birthday, notice that Matt E. didn’t jump
in the birthday boy’s photo!

What did you think of our new game and format?
Share your feedback, reach out here:
Email us: podcast@holidayworld.com
Leave a voicemail: Phone (812)-937-4401 Ext. 8081
Reach out on social media: @holidayworld using #HoWoPo

Subscribe Links:

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Sweepstakes: Countdown to Opening Day!

Posted May 5, 2022

Summer is just around the corner, and we’re only a short couple of days until we open for the season.

In anticipation of the upcoming fun, we’re giving away six tickets to Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari, as well as two overnights in a Rudolph’s Christmas Cabin at Sun Outdoors Lake Rudolph, (valid April 29 – June 23, 2022 ONLY).

Sweepstakes is open until 7pm Central Time on Sunday, May 15, 2022.

But first, 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 12 months.
Employees of Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari, Koch Development Corporation, Sun Outdoors Lake Rudolph, 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 and tweeting about this contest. You can also follow us on Pinterest, and visit us on our Facebook page.
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.
If you win our Countdown to Opening Day Sweepstakes, please note you must be at least 21 to phone in your two-night Rudolph’s Christmas Cabin reservation at Lake Rudolph. *Here are the dates the cottage will be available: April 29 – June 23, 2022 ONLY.

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2023 Extra Passholder Deals & Discounts

Posted April 7, 2022

Mammoth | The World's Longest Water Coaster

With just a few weeks until we open for the 2023 season, things couldn’t look brighter.

And we’re not just saying that because Holidays in the Sky will light up the sky above the Holiday World skyline nightly from June 17 to July 30.
In 2024, 400 drones will take to the sky over the German American Bank Plaza. Each show will end with a firework finale!

Our Passholders are invited to visit the park early again this season, with an exclusive Platinum Passholder date on Saturday, May 6, and a Passholder day for all Season Pass types on Sunday, May 7.

Platinum Passholders also get the first opportunity to see Holidays in the Sky with a preview night on Friday, June 17!

In addition to all the great perks that a Season Pass entitles you to all season long, we’ve loaded a few extra perks onto your Pass that can be used once in 2022. Each Season Passholder and Platinum Season Passholder can take advantage of these.

Extra Passholder Deals & Discounts Include:

$1 Off Deep Fried Oreos at Funnel Cake Factory or Christmas Cupboard
$1 Off a Float at Sweet Stuff
10 Balls for $5 at Milk Cans
$5 “Fedora Full o’ Rings” at The Raven’s Ring Toss
5 Balls for $3 at Wacky Cats
“Duck for a Buck” ($1 add-on w/ game purchase at Duck Pond)

*Item subject to change based on availability.

To claim each deal, just mention it to the cashier and present your Season Pass to be scanned.

Each deal is available once for each Passholder this year.

And don’t forget about our Daily Deals that are available each day that we’re open during the season. The discounts on those apply automatically! Plus, Platinum Passholders get a monthly $1 Deal Foods Special.

If you haven’t purchased a 2023 Season Pass, don’t wait. You can see the full list of Passholder benefits for each Pass type now to see which one is best for you. If you already have your Pass and want to upgrade, you can do so for $30 for each level. Passes can be upgraded at the park by visiting Guest Relations or by calling 1-800-467-2682.

Plus, join the Holiday World community online. We have two Facebook groups: our Official Season Passholder Group and our Holiday World Fan Group.

We look forward to seeing you all back in the park this season!

These deals are available once per passholder per season and are subject to change. We’ll keep this post updated with any permanent changes to these offers.

We need your votes!

Posted March 29, 2022

It’s time to vote for America’s First Theme Park!

USA Today has launched its “Readers’ Choice” campaign and we’re thrilled to be nominated in three categories:

Best Theme Park: Holiday World

Best Outdoor Water Park: Splashin’ Safari

Best Rollercoaster: The Voyage

If you’d like Holiday World, Splashin’ Safari, and The Voyage to take top honors, please click on each link, above, and click “Vote.”

USA Today’s travel experts chose twenty parks or attractions were chosen in contests covering food, lodging, destinations, and more.
There’s no need to sign up or create an account, all it takes is one click for each vote!

We’ll try to remind you through our social channels, but we’ll keep this page available if you
want to save it in your tabs.

Thank you for voting!

Podcast: Season 4, Episode 3 – The One With Goodbye Nell, Part 1

Posted February 23, 2022

You could say that drones were on the brain during Episode 3 of our 4th Season,
but before we jump to that, as the title implies, we are saying “see you later” to Nell.

Nell has been our Museum Director, podcast regular, our town historian and SO MUCH MORE.
We will miss having her on her team, but we are so excited for her family and their next chapter.

As promised here are the videos we mention in the episode!
First off, we are very excited that Holidays in the Sky will be premiering in the park from June 18-July 31!

You can watch the video below or click here to learn more!

The firework and drone show brought up memories from Holiday Worlds’ very early
years in drone photography. Like the time Eric attempted to add drone footage to the Ice Bucket Challenge video.

Next, we move on to Matt B’s drone footage contribution!

It’s safe to say we’ll leave the high-power drone action to the professionals like Stephen
and our friends at Coasting Thunder! We brag about them in the podcast episode,
but you have to check out the incredible footage they captured in the Fall of 2021!

Have something to share with us or feedback, reach out here:
Email us: podcast@holidayworld.com
Leave a voicemail: Phone (812)-937-4401 Ext. 8081
Reach out on social media: @holidayworld using #HoWoPo

Subscribe Links:

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Sweepstakes: Last Splash Family Getaway

Posted August 19, 2021

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

Posted August 12, 2021

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!

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:

iTunes: http://bit.ly/HWPitunes
Spotify: http://bit.ly/HWPspotify
Amazon: http://bit.ly/HWP_amzn
Stitcher: http://bit.ly/HWPstitcher
Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/HWP_gp
YouTube: http://bit.ly/HWP_u2be
iHeartRadio: http://bit.ly/HWP_ihr
TuneIn: http://bit.ly/HWPtunein
RSS Feed: http://bit.ly/HWP
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Is it national irony day yet?

Posted July 22, 2021

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.

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!

Santa Claus Land Sunday – 1946 Newspaper Articles

Posted July 4, 2021

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 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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Sweepstakes: Memorial Day Getaway

Posted May 19, 2021

Our prize has been claimed! Congratulations to Crystal of Louisville, KY!

Memorial Day is the official kick-off for summer for many, but it’s also a day to remember. To all individuals who serve this country, and their families who sacrifice and serve as well: thank you. We offer a Military Discount as a token of our enormous gratitude.

It’s already time to kick off summer!

Still haven’t found your perfect Memorial Day Weekend plans yet? We’ve got just the short and sweet sweepstakes for you!