Holiday World's Pat Koch in the news

Wanted to give everyone the heads-up that Fox News Channel (that's the network, baby!) was here in Santa Claus yesterday to interview Holiday World's Matriarch Pat Koch. The news feature is expected to air tomorrow (Thursday, 12/13) -- but that's as specific as they got. In additional to being on their national news, they will also make the story available to their local affiliates. So if you think you see her on the news -- chances are, it was Mrs Koch.

Here's the national Associated Press story that got the whole thing started:

Wednesday December 5 3:19 PM ET

Anthrax Won't Halt Santa's Letters
By REX W. HUPPKE, Associated Press Writer

SANTA CLAUS, Ind. (AP) - Pat Koch stood before a neighborhood garden club, making her annual plea for volunteers to help answer the thousands of letters to Santa that pour into this little town's post office each holiday season.

But this year, Koch asked whether anyone was afraid to open letters because of the anthrax scare.

What happened next was perhaps the kind of bravery few would expect from a garden club.

``There wasn't one single person who raised their hand,'' Koch said triumphantly. ``In fact, I think more people signed up this year than ever before.''

As it is in Santa Claus, Ind., so it seems to be around the country, from New York City to the North Pole. The anthrax-by-mail attacks are not stopping volunteers and postal employees from opening and responding to kids' crayon-scrawled letters to St. Nick.

``I am not going to let terrorism stand in the way of helping these kids,'' said Phil Piccolo, a manager of consumer affairs at the Postal Service in Hartford, Conn. ``No gloves or masks here. We're just doing it.''

And they are doing it even though the threat of anthrax has hit close to home, with the death of a 94-year-old Oxford, Conn., woman. The same is true in New York City, where members of Operation Santa Claus are again making sure that tens of thousands of letter-writing kids have their faith in Father Christmas confirmed.

Diane Todd, a Postal Service spokeswoman in New York, said this year's letters are being irradiated against anthrax at a mail installation in New Jersey as a precaution, but the volunteers who help delve into the letters have not been squeamish.

``You think about the kids,'' she said, ``and you don't want the kids to be victimized.''

This is a time of year when mail carriers usually grin at the sight of envelopes marked in awkward, red and green block letters, some without stamps and some with no more of an address than this: Santa Claus. Some contain cookies, dollar bills (to buy food for the reindeer) and in some cases hay, to feed directly to the reindeer.

Unfortunately, said Mark Saunders, spokesman for the Postal Service in Washington, such letters can raise suspicions. But he said there is no national Postal Service protocol for handling letters to Santa; the agency just recommends a ``common-sense approach.''

The Postal Service is encouraging children to continue writing letters to Santa but is asking that they follow a few steps to avoid raising handlers' suspicions: Youngsters should include their return address, and enclose only letter-size paper, not bulky objects.

In Fairbanks, Alaska, a mere 14-mile sleigh ride from the town of North Pole, Nancy Schmitt and her fellow postal workers are as busy as ever responding to letters from children around the world.

People take time during their lunch hour to write letters, they take them home and work on them around the kitchen table, and older school children volunteer to help out. Schmitt has single-handedly answered as many as 100 letters in one year, a small fraction of the 60,000 that deluge the Fairbanks post office.

Schmitt said she did not think twice when she sat down this year to open letters to Santa.

``How awful it would be to have your letter to Santa returned, or not answered,'' she said. ``Nobody's going to make me live in fear.''

Back in Santa Claus, Ind., 65-year-old volunteer Jack Hauser pointed out that the letters often contain an innocent wisdom that humanity might benefit from these days. Children ask for parents to get along, for people to stop fighting, for bad things to stop happening in the world.

``If more adults would just listen to them ...,'' Hauser said, his voice trailing off.

``You know, these kids expect a reply from Santa Claus,'' he said. ``Someone has to do it.''

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The aforementioned Jack Hauser, btw, works in admissions at Holiday World. A really nice guy.

Sorry if this is sort of off topic, but I thought many of you would want to know.

Happy holidays!

Paula

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Paula Werne
Director of Public Relations
Holiday World & Splashin' Safari
Santa Claus, Ind.
JPWerne@holidayworld.com

We could use more "off-topic" messages like this one.  Thank you!
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--Greg
"Beat the rush, sign up for your post-Mean Streak MRI now..."
My page  My other page  And my coaster page

Greg, the Koch family could NEVER be off-topic...LOL.  Thanks for posting Paula, and we'll keep Mrs. Koch, the volunteers, and the kids they serve in our thoughts and prayers. 

P.S.  You guys seem to get more good press...could your PR dept. really be THAT good...j/k!

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PoTP acolyte - remove fear to reply
Son of Drop Zone - PKI CoasterCamp I Champions!!!

Just beautiful, the kind of thing we need to hear more of right now.
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"Time flies...Whether you're having fun or not". -Mary Engelbreit.

Any idea what time it will air?
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CP! Still the coaster capital of the world in 2002!
My fellow Americans; Let's Roll!
WoodenCoaster.com

What a great story! This is exactly what we need to hear this time of year. Needless to say I'll have the TV on all day tomorrow! :)
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