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Let’s see if time could be better spent elsewhere. I made my way to Fourth of July and headed for the Lewis and Clark Trail (Antiques) – the line was a bit scary, but it was under lots of shade. I got in line just long enough to note the large
signs stating you must have at least 2 per car. WHY!!!?!!!!!
I back out of that ride, and head next to the Firecracker. The Firecracker is a Calypso, in fact it is the same one that ran at Lesourdsville Lake back home. SO I have a nostalgia connection to the ride. Except everything about it has changed. The sign,
the scenery panel, the paint job of the deck, the paint job of the cars , the lighting package, even the direction of travel of the cars. Still they are filling all the cars, and it is running better than last year. And the line was only a couple
cycles. In fact I seemed to have hit this part of the park at exactly the right time.

I next got in line for Rough Riders, or I was about to get in line for Rough Riders (Dodgems) when II met up with fellow local friend, beer friend, game friend, coaster fiend, John. We both rode Rough Riders, and I think its fair to say there was one
target on that arena floor and everybody else on the ride was just collateral damage. Then it was another Firecracker ride, then a ride on the Pioneer Train. The Pioneer Train ride itself is pretty short, just a circle tour around Holidogs Fun Town,
but the train route is lined with tableaux from your favorite nursery rhymes. In years past the ride came with a narration of the rhymes by the operator, spoken at break neck speed to keep up with the pace of the ride. This year nothing, I could hear
some mumbling from the coach ahead of us, so I’m not sure if the narration is gone, or if the train sound system is so bad you can’t hear it. Without the narration, it really takes away the soul of that ride. But hey you can visit the original
train engine before the CP Huntington, as they have put the original in front of the Liberty Bell Shoppe.

At this point the trademark Holiday World Hazy, Hot and Humid began to beat down on us. With no interest from John in the Revolution (Zero Gravity) and a scary looking line for Eagles Flight (Flying Skooters), we headed down into Thanskgiving to get
the bad news.

Wait – Voyage is open!
“You're out of the woods
You're out of the dark
You're out of the night
Step into the sun
Step into the light
Keep straight ahead for the most glorious place
On the face of the earth or the sky
Hold onto your breath
Hold onto your heart
Hold onto your hope
March up to the gate and bid it open”

We did join the queue for an open Voyage, when we realized the basement queue area, affectionately known as Steerage, and sometimes compared with something much much darker in our history, was packed to gills full, and knowing just how unpleasant it is
down there, we bolted that line. We ducked into the Voyage gift shop to have a look and noted the A/C could not keep up. It could keep up in Gobbler Getaway and that is where we went for a few rides. I mentioned we are game friends, so anything even
remotely resembling a game, its WAR baby. I should have bought the on ride photo, imagine if you will, two grown men, in “If looks could kill” death stares, concentrating way too hard, you have the idea.

“You realize, this means War!”

Speaking of Competetive, next was the Turkey Twirl, it was meant to be one ride. First ride we rode together, and it was a Tilt But No Whirl. We noted the car number, we got in separate cars, neither of them was the car. I got a fine ride, John got
another dud. You can see where this is going, we rode until John finally got both Tilt and Whirl.

We headed out of Thanksgiving, cutting through the water park to try to flatten the curve getting up to Legend. We take rides on Legend and Raven, and then check out the front gate gift shops. They have a nice variety of 75th anniversary merch, and a
nice premium you can get.

At this point we decide to take a break from Hazy Hot and Humid, we get our wrists stamped, and head out to Legend lot. John is parked just on the other side of the restroom building, but owing th the disused parking tram circle – still a bit of a
walk.

Our next stop, Yard Goat in Huntingsborg, IN. (Or something like that) – It’s a craft brewery in a real neat old school downtown building. We enjoy a beer tasting of Yard Goats beers. They just opened in October, and are showing great promise both
in their beers, and their home made pizza and pretzels. Everything was excellent, the staff was super friendly, we learned what a Yard Goat is, its not an animal, but instead the hardest working engine on a train yard, and accordingly the brewery has a
railroad theme. Our bartender did comment that she had seen an unusal number of roller coaster shirts on customers that day.

After Yard Goat, we looked around the main street, and wandered through an Antique “Mall” where by Mall I mean consignment shop with several small booths and one central cashier handling the business end for all. Not usually my thing, but when in
Rome,

From there we went to a monastery, St. Benedicts in Ferdinand, IN. No, we didn’t suddenly need a religious moment, but rather we were there to sample the wares of St. Benedicts Brew Works. Yes, in the fine Belgian tradition, this monastery brews beer,
and yes that does include some Belgian style beers. Another beer tasting was had, as were some Spicy Cheese Curds, as in they must have warned us like three times “They are going to be really spicy” – Yes, they must be made with some pepper jack
cheese or something. Not painfully hot, just hotter than the average. Recall, this is in the same area where the amusement park taco stand offers taco sauce in Mild, Mild, and Mild. So, here on coaster event weekend, I’m sitting in a church
fellowship hall doing a beer tasting. Then again, I start to notice the other people in the fellowship hall, ruby red wristbands and coaster shirts.

We then make our way back to the park, we go back to Legend, and we would sure hate to see the park if the back of Legend lot ever fills up. We re-enter the park. With our ruby red wristbands they don’t even look for the handstamps.

We enter the park and I realize I still have a $15 gift card from Coasting for Kids, I’m not really interested in food, but since it’s a Holibucks card, I take it to the Liberty Bell Shoppe. I am just about to enter the Liberty Bell Shoppe when I
hear a male voice behind me “Can you walk a straight line” – Not to worry it’s just Dave, who knew exactly how I had been spending my day. I do go into to Libery Bell Shoppe and I pick out some stuff, and yes they did allow me to use my 15
Holibucks towards merchandise. Of course, I had to do this now because the gift shop won’t be open after ERT, which means yet another “Trek out to car to return stuff you won’t need” We also stop for some Deep Fried Oreos at the snack bar by
the front gate.

It was time for dinner, yep another meal, hey I didn’t go to Saturdays light snack, which I found out was the same tater tot/ pull pork/ taco bar smash up from last year. So that’s probably an event staple now. A Firecracker ride was taken, and by
the time we got around to Revolution and Eagles Flight the rides were closed for the night. We headed into the picnic grove, and given knowledge gained from the prior night, bypassed the red and blue shelter houses entirely, and went all the way to the
bottom of the grove. Yes, there was a buffet line setup down here. And unlike in the red and blue shelters, no line for it. Time to feast on burgers, chicken, pull pork, mac and cheese, baked beans, cookies and possibly stuff I didn’t take, John
and I found a table in the shelter that had the auction going on. The one that Leah mentioned when “I hear in some parts of the grove I’m blasting your eardrums out” Along with the auction announcements, there were announcements that the Maiden
Voyage is back this year, followed by something about anybody that graduated this year can have a priority first ride on Voyage. So let’s see all females and all graduates – priority on Voyage. To a crowd that has been Voyage ERT deprived. What
can go wrong?

What can go wrong was a huge mob formed at the picnic grove exit long before the park was ready for the group to assemble to leave dinner. The park repeatedly implored people to return to their tables, to have seconds and enjoy that free Pepsi. Sit and
talk amongst yourselves. Every 5 minutes or so, “We are not ready for you, please be seated and enjoy the buffet and Pepsis”

Then the mob started crowding in tighter, and started chanting stuff. John and I looked at the lack of obeying a simple request, and the obnoxious chanting as a “We’re getting too old, and we don’t want to even be associated with this group”

We agreed that when the park opens we are going to remain seated until the crowd has dispersed, and then knowing everybody will be running to Voyage, head to Legend. Then the park broke the news that the upper picnic grove exit would not open (Despite
Howler and Firecracker being open) , which means the crowd at the top exit had to join the mob at the bottom exit.
Dinner did let out, and as planned we let the more energetic types leave, then we headed to Legend, Our first Legend ride, the line was just out onto the stairs from the station , Much better. Some Legend, and then some Raven. Raven was so uncrowded
it was a walk on, and we even managed a double ride or two. Just as we planned, people had their fill of Legend and Raven the night before. Also as planned, when we got to Thanksgiving the Voyage line was completely through Steerage and the outdoor
queu maze and starting up the path out of Thanksgiving. We also noted some tables in the area where they had brought down the cookies and more sheet cakes, just like last night. Makes me wonder if last nights sheet cakes were meant to be desert with
Voyage, We rode some more Gobbler Getaway and Turkey Twirl, and finally something reached out and slapped us. If we don’t get into line for Voyage real soon, This is going to be a Voyage Free HWN. And that my friends would be a disgrace.

My hate for Steerage is 10X more so. Recall I don’t often get claustrophobia, I mean yeah touring the USS Torsk in Baltimore (a submarine) did it, I could hardly take one hour aboard her, I can’t imagine a multi month tour of duty. I was in corner
three of the lower level maze, stuck one queue rail from the corner so deep into the maze on the side away from the stairs, when there was a prolonged operational delay. I’ve got people crowding me on all sides, and panic almost set in. Panic to the
point where I was eyeing that emergency door in that corner. All told I bet it was 45 minutes to an hour in line, During ERT. Folks, this event has outgrown its own good. Last year I was willing to give them a pass due to limited capacity and other
COVID restrictions, and being the only major event all season. I mean all the rides at Holiday World were running in fine form, they have mostly emerged from COVID so the park experience was much more normal. It just seems that now a better experience
could be had just by going their on a random weekday. Then again last time I tried that Will came up to me and said "Hello guys, you have decided to come on the busiest weekday of our whole season!"


So we did finally get our Voyage ride, wonderful! Airtime all the way out and back, the turnaround as insane as ever, no trims meant the triple down was sheer heaven, and of course the kick you while you are down finale. It’s still the greatest wood
coaster ever built! And if you want to be instantly depressed, remember the ride is 15 years old. 15 years we have been coming here for Voyage. When we left Voyage as I had feared the line had been cut.

Listening, Friday night they played an assortment of Wizard of Oz songs that seemed to be perpetually stuck on Munchkinland, while other great songs from the movie didn’t seem to come up. Tonight, the normal park music. I took some time on Bench The
Ride, which allowed me to meet up with my actual travel party and not just who I was sharing the day with. First Tony, then we went to Daves last known where abouts, which was a surprise, I’m just glad he is okay. Then we met up with Dave and April.
Rode us some Legend and Raven to close out the night. I think we failed to be the very last out of the park, but we did get the event pin on the way out.

We loaded up the car and headed well, Tony had run out of cigarettes, and we must have tried every filling station between the park and Huntingborg. There is nothing open after midnight. Oh sure at some you could get gas with a credit card, but none
of the stores were open.

We finally make it back to our cabin, where we celebrate Dave;s birthday. Happy Birthday Dave, that special food item was a chocolate cake, to which we added ice cream from the store. Nobody lingered too long then it was showers, and bed.

Tune in to a future trip report to find out what happened Sunday. I’ll give you a hint now, we fulfilled our promise not to go back to Kentucky Kingdom after the horrible time we had there a month ago.

April H was doing Keys to the Kingdom, and figured she needed to be on the road at 6AM to get to the park by 8AM. So she had left Holiday World early and she would be up and out before we knew what hit us.

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