FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 29 April, 2009
MEDIA CONTACT: Paula Werne, 812-937-5209; fun@holidayworld.com

'WORLD'S TALLEST WATER RIDE' OPENS MAY 2

SANTA CLAUS, IN-----When Holiday World opens for the 63rd season on May 2, all attention will be on the record-breaking new ride, Pilgrims Plunge. Competing with The Voyage roller coaster as the tallest ride in the park, Pilgrims Plunge sets a new world record for Tallest Water Ride with its 131-foot drop.

Pilgrims Plunge, a classic "shoot the chute" ride, utilizes an open elevator to swiftly lift boats filled with riders 135 feet in the air. The boats pause briefly and then rapidly descend a world-record 131 feet at a 45-degree angle, creating a big splash.

"We've dreamed about adding a shoot-the-chute ride for years," says Will Koch, the president of Holiday World & Splashin' Safari. "When we saw the opportunity to break the world's record and to use an open-air elevator in the design, we couldn't resist! This is a high-capacity, classic family ride with a modern twist."

Pilgrims Plunge's maximum speed tops 50 miles per hour. The water ride will be accessible from both the Thanksgiving section in Holiday World and via a pathway from Splashin' Safari, with riders allowed to board in their swimsuits if they prefer.

This is the second largest expansion project in the park's 63-year history. Koch says the price tag for Pilgrims Plunge is more than half of the $8.4 million being invested in his family's parks for 2009. Other additions include more shade structures in Splashin' Safari plus improvements to the Legend Parking Lot, including an access road and traffic signal at the junction of State Roads 162 and 245 to the east of the park.

Holiday World opens for the season on May 2 with the premiere of Pilgrims Plunge, the world's tallest water ride; Splashin' Safari opens May 15. For more information, visit the parks' website at www.HolidayWorld.com or call 1-877-463-2645.