Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari hit a major milestone this week.
The park celebrated 75 years on Tuesday with a special party full of fun, music, dancing, and mascots.
But getting to where they are today wasn’t always a jolly good time. One of the first challenges the Koch Family faced when creating the park was town size. The town of Santa Claus had a little over 80 people when the park vision started coming alive. Director of Communications and 4th Generation Owner, Leah Koch, explains how they overcame this.
“My grandfather [William Koch] created Christmas Lake Village, a housing development that houses most of the people who live in Santa Claus. He realized that we needed to grow the town in order to grow the park, which was really smart,” she says.
This was only the beginning of what would be one of the most popular amusement parks in America. When looking back through the years, Koch says it’s hard to pinpoint the highlights because there are so many.
“One our biggest things was Frightful Falls, which we added in 1984,” Koch says.
This ride served as a turning point to the park. Soon after this, the park changed names: from Santa Claus Land to Holiday World. Once they added park on, Splashin Safari was added to the name.
“In 1993, we added Splashin’ Safari, which has grown to become the #1 waterpark in the nation,” she says.
A few years later, Koch says they a rollercoaster.
“In 1995, we added The Raven, which was our first wooden rollercoaster and a really big deal at the time. It has since been named a National Coaster Landmark by the American Coaster Enthusiasts,” Koch says.
These 75 years have not just been about family fun. As part of celebrating this milestone, the park has announced a new partnership with Isaiah 117 House Spencer-Perry County to help foster kids in the immediate area.
For the rest of the season, every guest who enters the promo code “FOSTER” when purchasing their tickets online will receive $5 off their ticket price. $1 of each purchase will go towards the local Isaiah 117 House Chapter.
Isaiah 117 is a non-profit organization that works to provide physical and emotional support in a safe and loving home for children awaiting foster care placement.
To learn more about the organization, visit isaiah117house.com.
