Sabrina's Brochure Spotlight: Holiday World 2006

When I first saw the news about the untimely passing of Holiday World's Will Koch, I was absolutely floored. As a matter of fact, I'm still having a hard time believing it. While I never had the pleasure of meeting Will, I doubt that anyone who follows the industry does not feel some kind of connection with this man. 'Tis the Holiday World way to make all of its past, present, and potential future visitors feel like family, and Will certainly excelled at that. This week I decided to honor his legacy in my own small way by selecting a brochure that showcases one of the defining moments of his career at Holiday World: the debut of The Voyage.

Did you know that Will Koch is formally considered to be one of The Voyage's designers? Sure, he didn't engineer it. That task fell into the very capable hands of the gentlemen at The Gravity Group. But it was Will's vision that drove the project from conception until completion. No Will = no Voyage. Perish the thought!!

No one can accuse Holiday World of not supporting local businesses! Their brochures could double as lodging guides. International Applause Award-winning parks tend to attract more than just local visitors, and they're going to need somewhere to sleep.

Holiday World's new mega-woodie would open as the anchor ride for an entirely new themed area: Thanksgiving. I'll tell you right now that I was giving thanks for a LONG time after I finally had a chance to ride this coaster in 2008! Just a few of The Voyage's impressive stats are mentioned here, and you can bet your bottom dollar that Will played a critical role in selecting many of them.

But The Voyage did not stand alone. Gobbler Getaway, an interactive dark ride, also opened with this section of the park in 2006. That's one heck of a 60th anniversary celebration!

...And it ain't over yet. Splashin' Safari got its share of the anniversary pie in the form of Bahari River, billed as "an adventure river ride".

As I'm sure you've noticed, this spread is littered with Golden Ticket Awards. Holiday World just can't seem to stop winning them, so why not flaunt them? Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that the park already laid claim to the #5 (Raven) and #7 (Legend) ranked wooden coasters in the world when they unveiled The Voyage. It's truly a rarity to find that many great wooden coasters in a single park. Couple that with fantastic theming, a highly regarded water park, and the friendly, personalized service of the Koch family and you've got yourself a must-visit attraction.

If there were a Golden Ticket Award for most colorful driving map in a brochure, Holiday World would win that one every year as well. Perhaps one for most detailed visitor information, too.

Although Holiday World has suffered a tremendous loss this month, I have no doubt that it will persevere and continue to deliver the same superior guest experience that first put it on the map. Will's presence and influence will be sorely missed, but The Voyage's legions of loyal fans (myself included) will continue to silently thank him for many, many years to come.