A connection with community

Mrs. Koch was the humbled recipient of an award this morning. It was a surprise. Her younger daughter, Natalie, somehow finagled getting Mrs. Koch away from the front gate this…

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Gate gifts

It's so sweet to see Mrs. Koch empty her pockets after spending the morning at our front gate, greeting Guests. There's always something interesting … Some of the smaller visitors…

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Life is like a box of …

I’ve teased Mrs. Koch that she’s a bit of a Forrest Gump. No, she hasn’t suddenly become a ping-pong fanatic, but she’s taken part in a few moments of national…

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“Carry the church around the village”

When Nathan started posting photos of the town's 132-year-old church moving to its new home one-half mile away on the Santa Claus Museum's Facebook page, Sabine from Germany commented, "……

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A chilly perspective

Dan’s like a kid in a candy shop when he stops by the Mammoth construction site. He just can’t help himself. This morning, he dragged his mom along with him….

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Pasta perfect

Bill Koch meeting the creator of Fettuccine Alfredo

When a family-owned business has been around for 65 years, there are always new discoveries. By that I mean … we’re forever finding precious old photos and mementos tucked away…

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A cast of thousands

Mrs. Koch was chuckling over this encounter from the other day. Man in park: How many of you are there? Mrs. Koch: Oh, gosh…I think we have hired about 1,700…

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Cooking with Mrs. Koch

During the summer months, Mrs. Koch … well, she really doesn’t cook. She helps out a lot in our restaurants, though. The other day, right before her 80th birthday, she…

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The Claus that refreshes

Not that we like keeping secrets, but sometimes we just have to… For example, last fall we were contacted by folks representing a soft-drink giant. They were contacting communities all…

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Joking in the boys room

On Saturday, Mrs. Koch was conducting a site inspection to make sure everything was ready for the next new-hires Orientation session. Nathan happened by, heard her voice, and stood poised,…

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