In case you missed it back in 2006, our town was featured as part of The Colbert Report’s “Blitzkrieg on Grinchitude” series. We have the video to prove it! Colbert set up a Lincoln-versus-Santa debate, with two representatives from our county. The show’s producers chose Will to be the “Santa Guy.” Local historian Jerry Sanders…
Read More »November is IAAPA Expo time around here. Several of us head to Orlando as speakers, committee chairs, or buyers. It’s an incredible trade show. Here’s a series of HoliBlog posts from November 2007’s trip to the International Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions Expo: Destination: Orlando. The night before I left, I told my youngest…
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Back in 1994, it was such a thrill to take part in naming our first big roller coaster. We knew it was going to be built in our Halloween section, so there were nearly endless theming ideas. It turned out to be a rather creepy experience. The first shivery chill occurred on a very hot…
Read More »Years ago, we were hosting a Discovery Channel crew, here to shoot footage of coaster enthusiasts riding The Legend roller coaster. The field producer had a very specific request: "Find me riders with good coaster hair for the front seat." ….uh … excuse me? That was the first time I’d heard the term. But not…
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Today, we introduce our PR intern, Leah, as a guest HoliBlogger. Leah will be a junior this fall at Indiana University; she’s majoring in journalism. … she has an interesting “sister” to tell you about: Mom used to joke that this park was “the other woman” when it came to my dad. Being Will Koch,…
Read More »She was independent and hard-working. She was smart and she was funny. And she lived to be 100. But sadly, our beloved "flower lady," Frieda Foertsch, passed away yesterday. From 1954 until 2009, Frieda graced us with her formidable presence. Whether working the front gate, helping in the kitchen, sewing a new red suit for…
Read More »One of those funny little coincidences in life — when I gave Will a plaque bearing that Abraham Lincoln quote for Christmas a few years ago, I had no idea it was his favorite. Will was such a fan of our 16th president. In fact, he was a bit fanatical. I'll never forget the year…
Read More »Last week, Mrs. Koch and Dan accompanied our marketing director to the Statehouse for some meetings with elected officials. When they peeked in to see the goings-on in the House, our local Representative, Sue Ellspermann, asked Mrs. Koch to say a few words. Since it was off-the-cuff, there was no script. (Not even a few…
Read More »… so let’s take a minute to say Happy Birthday to a very special man. Bill Koch was born in Evansville on January 10, 1915. He graduated from Reitz High School in 1932 and Purdue University in 1937. Then it was off to Annapolis for post-graduate work at the U.S. Naval Academy and ship reconstruction…
Read More »When our dear friend Will Koch passed away unexpectedly in June, the outpouring of love and support was amazing. "He was the next Walt Disney" we heard over and over. Indeed, Will's wife, Lori, had long ago given him a wonderful portrait of Walt Disney (with a shadow of Mickey) which hung in his office…
Read More »Will Koch just loved Beatles music. And any pun involving Beatles lyrics–well, that was a home run. So for this, our 64th season, the tune "When I'm 64" was hummed more than once. This weekend John Lennon would have turned 70. And today, Will would have come on the 2-way at closing and thanked everyone…
Read More »The World Waterpark Association is meeting for its annual convention these next few days. This morning, Lori Koch had the bittersweet honor of receiving an award as her late husband, Will, was inducted into the WWA Hall of Fame. We’re so proud of all Will accomplished; we miss him every day.
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