Walking down the aisles of auction items with Kris from Channel 13, the questions were rapid-fire.

What is this?

And what's that? Why would you have that at a theme park?

More...

Will is a happy guy.

He's in Las Vegas at the IAAPA Expo, where a sample Timberliner car just happens to be on display.

Looks pretty comfortable, doesn't he?

Front row, from left: Lori Koch (Will's better half), Will, brother Dan and mom, Pat. The back row, from left: Chad Miller and Larry Bill from The Gravity Group.

Well, Riley and crew can fix just about anything.

All except the weather.

We're drying off (and warming up) after a rainy two-hour tour of the various sites for this seven-day shoot for National Geographic Channel's World's Toughest Fixes.

Molly is the director, Peter is associate producer, Eric's on camera, David is soundman. And Sean Riley (who goes by "Riley"), is the host.

If you're not already following us on Twitter, you're welcome to do so. We'll pass along stories all week long.

The old chestnut "One man's trash is another man's treasure" comes to mind as we prepare for a "surplus auction" on Saturday. What's sort of funny is that our staff keeps sneaking out to the auction site and saying, "Oh, man..." when they see something good.

I mean, who knew we had a dozen ancient license plates? Treasures, indeed!

Rather than me picking through the list of goodies, here's the full listing.

HOLIDAY WORLD SURPLUS AUCTION

Saturday, November 21 – 10 am CST

Lakeside Shelter House (Use Main Parking Lot) Santa Claus, Ind.

Unusual Items: Two Bumper Boats; Boxes of New & Used Parts for Bumper Boats; Several Electric Scooters; Sections of Playground Crawl Through Tunnels - Lookout Pieces  & Connectors; Bucket Conveyor; Two -Adult Character Costumes & Other Play Type Costumes; 12 Aluminum Patio Table Umbrellas; Approx. 25 Fiberglass 4’ Table Tops; Canvas Tops for Kiddie Rides; Several Heavy Canvas Bags / Tarps.

Tools & Miscellaneous: Electric 2 Ton Hoist; Kohler Magnum 10 Motor; Baldor 125 HP Electric Motor; Two –DeWalt Cordless Drills; Two –DeWalt Cordless Sawzalls; Makita Chop Saw; (Plastic tanks were used for Bleach) One – 1,500 Gal Plastic Tank; Four – 160 Gal. Plastic Tanks; One -300 Gal. Plastic Tank; Large Plastic Tank (cut in half); Oblong Water Trough; 12+ Buoys; Four Bobcat Tires 12/16 ½ ; Pull Scoop; Assortment of Doors Several Sliding Glass Doors – Interior Doors & Frames; Mirror; Some Rhino Deck Boards Approx 36”; Assorted Size Formica Counter Tops; Misc. Vinyl Flooring; Large Exhaust Fan w/Louvers; Large Bug Zapper; Wall Mount Fan; Assortment of Heaters & Window Air Conditioners; LIGHTING FIXTURES: Twelve 420 Watt 1.1 Amp Parking Lot Lights; Approx. 15 Pendant Can Lights; Crouse Hinds Profile Light…

Collectibles & Decorative Items: Marble Statue of Mother & Child 4’ Tall; Marble Bench; Assortment of Handpainted Backdrop Sections; Few Old Flat Top Trunks bought years ago from Traveling Circus; Several Multicolor Glass Ball Floaters; Marble Statue Mother & Child Over 4’H; Iron Dinner Bells; Ships Wheel Other Nautical Decorations; Wrought Iron Plant Stand; Three Iron Dinner Bells; Well Pump; One Man Saw; Vintage RED BRAND FENCE Adv. Double Sided Sign; Approx. 12 Older License Plates one from 1959; Old Teeter Totter; Wooden Column; Ox Yoke; Heavy Lamp Chain; Small Table Top Scale; Old Potato Plow w/Extra Point; Push Plow; Thatching For Cabana Roofs; Primitive Wooden Ladder; Craps Table; Poker Table; Large Handpainted Mask; Break Room Sofa & Chair…Assortment of Fashionable Sunglasses.

LOTS OF CHRISTMAS GARLAND & DECORATIONS

Restaurant & Equipment: Stainless Steel Sinks One – 4 Compartment; One – 2 Compartment; One – Scalding Sink Deep for Pots; One – Small Hand Sink; Nieco Automatic Broiler (used last season); Upright Stainless Veggie Steamer (needs new broiler); Two Wells 2-Section Deep Fryers; Taylor Ice Cream Machine; Rolling Ice Cream Freezer Vendor Cart; Large Deep Fryer Unit; Several Deep Fry Baskets;  2 -Lincoln Redco Lettuce King Shredder Choppers; Lincoln Tomato Slicer?; Tomato Dicer; Nemco Fruit Sectioner Mod# N5550; Nemco Juicer; Large Amount of Wire Shelving; Large Plastic Condiment Cart w/Umbrella; Waterless Food Warming Table; Standard Hotpoint Electric Stove; Range Hood Vent; Commercial Coffee Maker; Coffee Warmers; Rolling Drink Coolers;  Nine – “Follett” Ice Carts w/Extra Ice Buckets; 20 + Cash Registers (many have manuals & keys); 30+ Cash Drawers; Wooden Shelving; AUDIO EQUIPMENT: Several Amps, Receivers Mixers & Etc… ITEMS CONTINUE TO BE ADDED, CHECK WEBSITE FOR UPDATES.

Terms: All items must be settled for day of sale. Statements made day of sale take precedence over all previous materials. Listing subject to change. All quantities listed are approximate. 

DIXON & DIXON AUCTIONEERS

Scott Dixon (AU09000065)   Phone 812-547-3721    www.dixonsauctions.com

...this Saturday is also the first weekend of the Santa Claus Christmas Celebration, so you might want to stick around and enjoy the food and fun planned for the rest of the day.

Nearly screamed when I saw this Wildebeest construction photo.

Lori, our water park director, snapped it on her iPhone and dinged it over to me.

Gah!

But wait. Look closer.

 That's right, look at the background.

The horizon is, uh ... skewed.

Whew.

Here's another view.

We saved a few key pieces so that Riley from National Geographic Channel's World's Toughest Fixes can jump in and help next week.

Expect lots of tweeting from the field starting Tuesday. Seven days of shooting should produce lots of great stories (don't worry, we won't give away the ending -- you'll have to watch it for yourself in June.)

This is so "hot off the presses."

When we heard from the engineers who designed The Voyage that they wanted to also design coaster trains, we were intrigued.

As you may remember, we provided The Gravity Group with a testing ground for their Timberliner prototype last spring.

And today we announce that indeed we will have the first set of Timberline trains on The Voyage in time for the start of the 2010 season.

Here's the news release:

‘VOYAGE’ ENGINEERS DESIGN NEW COASTER TRAINS

SANTA CLAUS, IN-----The #1 Wooden Roller Coaster in the World will feel faster and a lot smoother in 2010, thanks to a new set of trains, engineered by the same team who designed the record-breaking coaster.

“When the engineers at The Gravity Group told us they designed Timberliner trains with The Voyage in mind, they definitely got our attention” says Holiday World & Splashin' Safari president Will Koch. “The Voyage is extreme and we want to keep it that way season after season. These new trains will help a lot.”

Koch says the Timberliner’s wheels are engineered to steer through curves as they move along the coaster track, creating a smoother ride and less wear and tear on the track. The seats are ergonomically designed for greater comfort, including an exclusive seat-suspension design. The padded seats will also accommodate wider-hipped and longer-legged riders.

“Since the trains will ‘track’ better, riders will experience a much smoother Voyage,” says Koch. “That also means there will be less ‘rolling friction,’ so the ride will quite possibly be even faster when it reopens in May.” The Gravity Group’s engineers tested a prototype Timberliner at Holiday World last spring.

The Voyage is 1.2 miles long and provides a record 24.2 seconds of “air time.” This steel-structure wooden coaster, ranked the #1 Wooden Coaster in the World by Amusement Today for three years running, includes a record five underground tunnels (some are double, creating eight “underground moments”), a series of dramatic drops (including a 66-degree angle of descent on the first drop), three 90-degree banked turns, and multiple track crossovers.

The Voyage’s two new trains, which will each seat 28 riders, will be manufactured in Indianapolis. The Gravity Group is headquartered in Cincinnati.

Why not?

I'm working late and feeling a bit giddy and light-headed. Let's do it!

Let's give our HoliBlog readers a sneak peek at what's going to the news media before sun-up on Thursday.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL TO FEATURE RIDE CONSTRUCTION

SANTA CLAUS, IN-----When construction crews for the Wildebeest water coaster hoist a huge piece of rounded fiberglass four stories in the air to “top the lifthill” in a few weeks, a crew from the National Geographic Channel will be on hand to capture the moment.

“We just got word that Wildebeest construction will be the focus of a one-hour episode of the show World’s Toughest Fixes,” says Holiday World’s president, Will Koch. “We’ve been talking to their producers for two months and it’s tremendously exciting to get the thumbs up.”

World’s Toughest Fixes is a host-driven show, with “engineering enthusiast” professional rigger Sean Riley taking part in the task at hand. While on location at Holiday World, Riley will help top Wildebeest’s lifthill and also place the final piece of the water coaster’s fiberglass.

"We’re told Riley is game for just about anything, especially at great heights,” says Koch. “We’re talking about sending him to the top of The Voyage’s 163-foot lifthill and the summit of Pilgrims Plunge’s 135-foot elevator tower.” The host will return to Holiday World in the spring to ride Wildebeest, the world's longest water coaster. The episode is scheduled to air in June.

World’s Toughest Fixes is one of National Geographic Channel’s most-watched shows, second only to The Dog Whisperer. The popular channel is available in more than 140 countries, seen in over 160 million homes and in 25 languages.

Holiday World & Splashin' Safari are closed for the season following a record 63rd year. Holiday World will open for the season on May 1, 2010; Splashin’ Safari’s opening day, with the premiere of Wildebeest water coaster, is May 14. For more information, visit www.holidayworld.com or call 1-877-Go-Family.

Mrs. Koch loves being known as "Santa's Daughter."

She grew up helping her dad answer children's Letters to Santa each year. Merry jingle bells were always handy in their home.

So when "Santa Baby" played during a recent photo shoot, she burst into peals of laughter.

This photo shoot was for our new online store.

The HoliShop will be up and operating very soon. ...just in time for Santa's Daughter to send you some great Christmas presents, from ornaments to snowglobes to hoodies to fudge.

Another post about food. Hmmmm...must be lunchtime. And nearly Thanksgiving time.

Our Food & Beverage Director is performing his annual tweaks to our menus, as we look toward the 2010 season.

The question has come up about the "sides" we offer with our Pizza Family Meal Deal.

A certain pizza lover (who also loves cookies) is a fan of pairing pizza with fries.

He couldn't imagine separating the two.

Why, that would be like Santa without Rudolph, Lucy without Desi, Kirk without Spock, Homer without Marge...

Meanwhile, Jason wants to introduce bread sticks as a side. The above-mentioned pizza lover is willing to try this pairing, but just isn't sure it's a match made in heaven.

Sounds like a poll in the making. What's your pick?

It should come as no surprise.

When I tweeted from home last night that I was making a batch of "Voyage Extreme Brownies" and asked if anyone wanted the recipe, the response was as fast and furious as the ride itself.

So here, sweet-toothed readers, it is:

Voyage Extreme Brownies

These brownies are every bit as extreme as Holiday World’s #1-ranked Voyage roller coaster!

Ingredients:
3 sticks of butter, melted (none of that fake nasty margarine stuff)
3 cups sugar
1 Tbs. vanilla (use real vanilla, don’t cheap out and use the colored water most of us buy; and yes, this calls for a full tablespoon!)
5 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cocoa
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt, optional

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Butter 9” by 13” pan.
3. In large bowl, stir together butter, sugar and vanilla. Taste.
4. Add eggs, stir until well blended. Taste.
5. Stir in flour, cocoa, powder and salt. Blend well. Taste.
6. Spread remaining batter evenly in pan and bake 50-55 minutes, or until brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Makes about 36 brownies. (Be sure to cut at a 90-degree angle!)

Okay, now that we've sweetened you up, would you mind clicking here to vote for the HoliBlog in this poll? They're searching for Indiana's top blogs and we're hoping to make the cut. Thanks!