10 Things I learned in My First Week

Posted on April 26, 2016

“Give me six hours to chop a down a tree and I will spend the first hour sharpening my ax.”  -Abraham Lincoln

Such wise words, Mr. Lincoln! When I came across this quote, I was astonished at how applicable it is to my life right now. My name is Kristin Truelove (yes, that really is my last name) and I’m the new marketing coordinator for the Spencer County Visitors Bureau! As I look back on my first week, I essentially spent the majority of my time doing what Abe might refer to as "sharpening my ax," so I could better prepare myself for my new role. Although I was already pretty familiar with Spencer County, spending time immersing myself in this unique area proved to be invaluable. I’ve compiled a list of some of the most interesting things I learned in my first week:

1. I discovered Holiday World is the nation’s first theme park, with Disneyland actually coming in second! I believe that’s an all-too-common misconception and I’m proud to know that I’ll be teaming up with a well-respected theme park that has so much history and national recognition.
2. While touring the Santa Claus Museum & Village, I found out the majority of pieces on display had actually been personal belongings of Mrs. Koch. She is so strongly in favor of preserving the history of Santa Claus that she simply donated the items for the pleasure of others’ viewing.
3. On my tour through the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial, I learned that when Lincoln and his family came to live in Spencer County in 1816, it was known as the "year without a summer." Mount Tambora in Indonesia erupted throughout 1815 and into the next three years. It caused global climate change that resulted in the 1816 "year without a summer" and failed crops all over the world. The Lincolns would have struggled with a new farm in the planting season, but proved their resilience and hard work ethic.
4. Originally, Holiday World was actually known as Santa Claus Land and the town of Santa Claus was known as Santa Fe, Indiana. Moreover, Splashin’ Safari wasn’t introduced to Holiday World until 1993, only a year after I was born! I have photos of my mom and I in the water park in 1993 and I had no idea I got to experience its opening season.
5. On that note, I think it’s also very interesting how the town of Santa Claus got its new name. From what I have learned and according to the legend, it was a cold December night when the townspeople gathered together in small church to choose a new town name. A gust of wind blew open the church doors and the sound of sleigh bells could be heard. A child exclaimed that it must be Santa Claus and the townspeople decided the town would be called Santa Claus, Indiana. The name was officially accepted by the United States Post Office Department in 1856.
6. The Santa Claus Post Office is the only post office in the world with Santa’s name and it receives thousands of letters to Santa from children all over the world. Every year, a group of local volunteers called “Santa’s Elves” respond to all of the letters. It is a tradition that dates back all the way to the 1920s.
7. Although the exact number is unknown, there are over 20 different Santa Claus statues in the area.
8. Lincoln State Park consists of 2,026 acres, which includes six different hiking trails, an interactive nature center, camping, and Lake Lincoln where you can catch some rays on the beach, rent a paddle boat, fish, and more.
9. Lake Rudolph Campground & RV Resort is also quite deceptive from the outside of the campground. I would never have guessed there are over 270 rental RVs and cabins, over 230 RV and tent sites, and two lakes. TravelChannel.com named Lake Rudolph one of the 2015 top 10 best campgrounds for families in the country, which was easy to understand once I toured through every inch of its beautiful and remarkable grounds via golf cart.
10. Although I have many more restaurants to visit and food to taste test, The Chateau was the first restaurant in the area to hit my taste buds. I was very impressed with their version of a chicken wrap and their beer-battered fries. But it’s not your typical grilled chicken wrap; it’s filled with sautéed bell peppers, onions, cheese, and is baked in the oven before serving, making the wrap delectably crispy.

I’m excited to see what else I will discover in this intriguing and charming area.