Holiday Hollow

03/05/2019

03/05/2019

02/01/2018

After 25 years of joy entertaining thousands of families, Holiday Hollow is now closed. Our thanks to everyone who came to visit us. May your lives be filled with joy and magic! – The Walker Family and Holiday Hollow’s Cast and Crew, January, 2018.

BUT – Holiday Hollow’s sister business, Yorkshire Hall, is STILL OPEN for weddings, showers, dinner theater, meetings, and special events. Please click the link below to reach Yorkshire Hall’s website.

yorkshirehall.com

10/29/2017

HUMOR HEALS

Humor binds people together, even if only for awhile.
Humor tells us the truth, without inflicting pain.
Humor releases our bodies’ natural elements
to keep the good feelings flowing
even after the laughter has subsided.

Surely, humor is one of God’s greatest creations!

From a young child’s giggle to an old man’s guffaw
humor is the world’s most contagious music.

THANK YOU
for tolerating our humble attempts to bring you
some of that very magical music these past 25 years.

10/29/2017

MOST OF ALL, we will miss the children. Their happy smiles, their boundless energy, the willingness to trust us to entertain them, their quick and uninhibited laughter, their eagerness to learn and explore and just have fun so we can all remember that life should include times dedicated to nothing more than simple FUN. We thank all their parents for bringing them to us.

In a world too often sad, cruel, profane, scary and especially for today's children -- challenging, we wanted to give them and their families a happy place, a safe time, and a reminder that there can be moments of joy in every life. If we succeeded for even some of them, then our 25 years have, from our perspective, been a great success.

-- Love, George and Barbara Walker and all the cast and crew of Holiday Hollow.

10/29/2017

HOLIDAY HOLLOW TRIVIA: In addition to someone getting stuck with Sadie Belch (and thus having to sing a song at our nightly cast meeting) we also end each cast meeting by singing the "Holiday Hollow Song." We sing it for you! Here, for posterity, are the lyrics:

"Here's to the smiles that we bring each day;
Here's to the sound of the laughter;
Here's to the memories we give away
And the 'happiness ever after.'

Holiday Hollow, CHEERS to you
CHEERS to the players who played here,
CHEERS to the friends who have seen us through,
CHEERS for the magic that's made here.

You may travel to fame somewhere
I may have fortunes to follow
But no other place will 'ere compare
With the magic of Holiday Hollow."

Thank you to all of you, for giving us some wonderful, wonderful guests to sing about and in abstentia, to sing TO at the close of every Holiday Hollow day! We will always remember you!

10/29/2017

What is everyone's favorite show this year? We've asked before and we will DEFINITELY do it again!

10/29/2017

WEATHER UPDATE for Holiday Hollow's last day EVER: Mother Nature gave us some GREAT weekends for our farewell season but today apparently she just ran out of energy. Looks like drizzle all day long. BUT: that means this is your chance to see Holiday Hollow's warm, cozy, luxurious INDOOR THEATER. The pirates, the gypsies, the the Wacky Witch, the March Hare and Mad Hatter will all be here. The Puppet Theater and Haunted Parlor will be open. The face painter and caricature artist will be at work and hot dogs and other snacks will be available. PLUS: 25th guest group to arrive wins a $25 prize to celebrate our 25th and final season. So come on out. YOUR VERY LAST CHANCE to experience the magic that has been Holiday Hollow for the past quarter century!

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.9929459,-78.3874064,2a,60y,53.18h,88.6t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s7Bf7TkQwJQIAAAQvOsiYnw!2e0!7i10000!8i5000

10/28/2017

Attention! Attention! There is a missing phone that has been left at Holiday Hollow! If you know who it belongs to privately message us please!

10/28/2017

WEATHER UPDATE, Saturday, October 28th: Here in Corfu, Accuweather is saying the rain won't be here until 4:00 p.m. https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/corfu-ny/14036/hourly-weather-forecast/2102132
The National Weather Service sees it coming a little earlier. If it does, we'll move most of our shows indoors. However, we suggest that you arrive early for your best chance of seeing all shows. (The Witches Coven show, for example, only performs on its massive outdoor stage, weather permitting.) So dress for cooler weather and come on out. This is our last Saturday EVER! 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Get the Corfu hour-by-hour weather forecast including temperature, RealFeel and chance of precipitation for Corfu, NY 14036 from AccuWeather.com

10/27/2017

HOLIDAY HOLLOW TRIVIA - Did you know that our caricature artist Lo Floral (aka Laura Bonaquisti - which we probably spelled wrong) was a caricature artist at Disney World. She'll be here on the last two days (EVER) of Holiday Hollow -- this Saturday and Sunday, and you'll pay a lot less for her caricature of you than you would pay at Disney World -- a LOT less! BUT . . . . last chance, this weekend!

10/27/2017

IT LOOKS QUIET NOW, BUT . . . tomorrow and Sunday it will spring to life for its last weekend EVER! Last chance to see Holiday Hollow or to see it one more time. 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. We'll be waiting for you! 😊

10/26/2017

HOLIDAY HOLLOW TRIVIA: OK, not EVERY cast member is a Walker or a Foppes. Nick Harding is your eerie host at the Haunted Parlor and also Papa in the Gypsy Show. Emma Gutowski (pictured with Nick) is in the Gypsy Show and runs Cricket Cottage Gift Shop. Rob Reiss is the Mad Hatter and Mr. Smee. Tiffany Fye is Holiday Hollow's official Fairy Godmother.

10/26/2017

HOLIDAY HOLLOW TRIVIA In addition to Sadie Belch, something ELSE is going on as you spend your day at Holiday Hollow. Yes, in addition to Sadie songs, we DO discuss serious business at our nightly cast meetings -- what went right, what went wrong, how we can improve, etc. We're ALWAYS on our toes, because we're being constantly, secretly, invisibly watched by our nemesis, the one who KNOWS when we mess up a line or don't pick up litter when we pass it. He is. . . (dum dad DUMMMM!). . . the dreaded "GREAT ROTTEN PUMPKIN!" The GRP reports to owners George and Barbara Walker each night, just before cast meeting. The cast members, divided into competitive teams, hear the bad news AND, granted, also the good news and praise for exceptional cast efforts. Positive and negative points are posted on a scoreboard each night and at the end of each season, the highest scoring cast team wins a prize. And since this is Holiday Hollow, you know that THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS WERE not SPENT ON THE PRIZE!

We have never, ever shown our guests the Great Rotten Pumpkin, or even talked about him. But since this is our last season (cover the eyes of small children!) we thought we'd let you see him before he moves to Washington DC. He's always been fond of swamps.

The Great Rotten Pumpkin:

10/26/2017

Thursday Question of the Day: What's your favorite show at Holiday Hollow this season?

10/26/2017

HOLIDAY HOLLOW TRIVIA: We bet you didn't know about the SECRET ACTIVITIES going on all through every day at Holiday Hollow. Even as they greet guests and perform, the cast is secretly passing "Sadie Belch" from one cast member to another. It's just an orange washer, but with such power! Cast members can slip it in another cast member's pocket or slide it into a hat band - who knows? But at the end of the day, whoever ends up with Sadie has to sing a song at our nightly cast meeting! Here, for the first time ever, is the "Sadie Belch Rules" slide from our Cast Member Training PowerPoint.

10/25/2017

HOLIDAY HOLLOW TRIVIA - When Zach Walker married his co-star Audrey Foppes at Yorkshire Hall in 2016, it was the formal union of two Holiday Hollow families. See the pictures of the Foppes family on our earlier "Meet the Cast" post. In addition to Audrey and her mom Janet (our "Rock at the Front of the House, pictured here), brother Alden and twin sisters Shiloh and Amber all are performing or have performed at Holiday Hollow. Peter, their Dad, says he's the only one not involved. On the contrary, he is constantly providing "Talent Transport!"

10/25/2017

COUNTDOWN TO HOLIDAY HOLLOW'S LAST WEEKEND EVER. . . and something's brewing! A $25.00 prize to our 25th guest (or family or group) on each of our final two days -- THIS Saturday & Sunday (10/28/17 & 10/29/17.) If you've never been, last chance! If you've been here before come on out so we can thank you and say farewell! 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

10/25/2017

Holiday Hollow Trivia: When we talk about the Walker Family and three generations of Walkers, we're talking about our daughter Kelley, her husband David Zanghi, and their three wonderful children. Kelley and David run Admiral Portley's refreshments -- and this year David's Mom, Patti Zanghi his the head chef (flatteringly nicknnamed "Dog," because of all the hot dogs Admiral Portley cooks. Dave and Kelley also run the gift shop with the help of daughter Lexie's best friend Emma (see our "Meet the Cast" post, and Face Painting. Kelley and Lexie are witches in our new Weird Witches' Coven show; daughters Lexie and Lindsey are in the Gypsy Show and Lexie also spins a mean "Learn Your Pirate Name" wheel; Henry is a Talking Pumpkins Puppeteer with his grandmother Barb Walker and is also Pirate Pete the popcorn maker, and tech support for the Wacky Witch Show. Lindsey also helps with popcorn and is Itch the Youngest Witch in the Wacky Witch Show in addition to her Gypsy duties.

10/24/2017

HOLIDAY HOLLOW'S LAST WEEKEND EVER -- ONE LAST CONTEST! This Saturday & Sunday, Oct. 28th & 29th, in celebration of its 25th Anniversary and Farewell Season, Holiday Hollow will present a $25.00 prize to the 25th family or group (or individual) to enter on each of our last two days EVER! LAST CHANCE is this weekend, before the Ditzy Gypsies start their new jobs; the Wacky Witch and the Talking Pumpkins finally retire; the Weird Witches cast their spells elsewhere; the Mad Tea Party finally takes a coffee break (What?!?); and our iconic Captain Hook & Mr. Smee (& the Evil Captain Bluebeard) sail into history. 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday and then with a tear and a smile, that's it!

10/24/2017

1. Name: Tiffany Fye
2. Years Worked at Holiday Hollow: 11
3. Characters Portrayed (All time and currently): Swashy, Queen of Hearts, Fairy Godmother
4. Favorite Halloween Movie: Tower of Terror
5. Favorite Holiday Hollow Show: The Gypsy Seance Show
6. Job outside of Holiday Hollow: Substitute Teacher for Batavia City Schools
7. Best Memory: Meeting the love of my life, Parker Stone Schoonover
8. What you will miss most: EVERYTHING!!!
9. Favorite Candy: Whatcha macall it
10. Favorite Holiday: Halloween
11. Relation to George and Barb Walker: Family Friend

10/24/2017

COUNTDOWN TO HOLIDAY HOLLOW'S FINAL WEEKEND/TRIVIA 2: Son Joshua Walker is the guy in the foreground in our classic "Where it all began" photo, as we built Cricket Cottage Gift Shop before we opened. He and his cousin Stuart Walker sold hot dogs out of the back of the Puppet Theater at the same time the Talking Pumpkins Show was going on, before we built "Admiral Portley's. Josh became an attorney but also continued in the entertainment field as Sr. VP of HBO. Hence the "Game of Thrones" photo. Josh will be here this Saturday and Sunday (Oct. 28 & 29) to help us celebrate Holiday Hollow's final season ever. We hope you can join us!

10/24/2017

COUNTDOWN TO FINAL WEEKEND/HOLIDAY HOLLOW TRIVIA 1: A driving force behind so much of Holiday Hollow in its early years was our eldest son, George Walker IV. He's the one who kept pushing us to build more, create more, add new shows. He wrote the original Hook show and he and his mother (Barb) built our iconic 40 foot pirate ship set. He went on to become a theme park designer and Sr. VP of Dynamic Attractions (www.dynamicattractions.com) and travels the world in the theme park design business. One Dynamic Attractions subcontractor in England has done so much business with his company that they had to add a new fabricating building, and they named it after him. He'll be back at Holiday Hollow on Saturday and Sunday, October 28th and 29th for this, our final weekend.

Every hour of every day, thousands of theme park guests ride an attraction designed and built by Dynamic Attractions. We’re the secret name behind the most popular rides in North America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

10/22/2017

Time for those pictures from this weekend, ready, set, post!

10/22/2017

Sunday, October 22nd, 2017: Just 3 days left until Holiday Hollow sails into history. We can't guarantee all 3 of those days will be glorious, but TODAY will be! 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Hope to see you soon!

10/19/2017

MEMO TO HOLIDAY HOLLOW FROM MOTHER NATURE: "OK, Holiday Hollow, for a quarter of a century I have tried to keep you humble. Yes, those years when I made it rain 7 days out of the 9 you were open; the "October Surprise" lake effect snow storm in 2006; dire weather predictions on Thursdays that didn't come true on the weekend, but scared people away anyway; etc., etc.! You learned to respect me; built your indoor theater; even PRAYED to me. And now it's your final season. So I've decided that on October 21st and 22nd, your second last weekend EVER, I will grant you another two days of SPECTACULAR WEATHER! Enjoy, and I hope lots of people come to enjoy it with you. Love, M.N."

10/17/2017

Holiday Hollow History Lane - Memory #5: DO pay attention to that lady behind the curtain. You'll rarely see her -- the Wizard of Oz, er, we mean Holiday Hollow. She's just about the only one in the family who's not a ham, and she's also camera shy. But SHE'S the one who designed most of the buildings, supervises the construction, makes the costumes, builds the sets and scenery, paints the signs, cleans the costumes, helps with the scripts, is head puppeteer (with grandson Henry Zanghi) and unofficial Holiday Hollow nurse, pays our actors and keeps financial and legal records, and on and on we could go. If you should happen to catch her outside the puppet theater (a rare sighting, most busy days), be sure to say thank you!

10/16/2017

We are humbled and blown away yet again. A huge front page "Farewell" story in our local Daily News with 5 photos (6 in the online story.) http://www.thedailynewsonline.com/bdn01/fond-farewell-families-sad-to-see-holiday-hollow-close-20171016

Two weekends to go, with the long range forecast for our October 21st & 22nd weekend looking GREAT! THANK YOU to everyone who came this past weekend, setting an all-time record attendance both for Saturday and for the Saturday-Sunday combination. Wow! Thank you, thank you!❤️

CORFU — Cars filled the gravel parking lot, families pour in from all over to the small little hollow in Corfu to give their final good-byes.

10/15/2017

Make sure to keep those pictures from your time here on Facebook! We will post our favorite ones at the end of the season.... and maybe even a prize might be rewarded to the top favorites??

10/15/2017

Corfu Weather update Sunday, Oct. 15th. We have checked multiple weather sites and they all say 0% CHANCE OF RAIN 'til mid-afternoon. So come early if you can. We'll start outside and adjust our schedule so you can see most of the shows outdoors. Some sites say "PM rain" or late afternoon rain so we may be outdoors ALL our open hours. If not, we'll shift into beautiful Yorkshire Hall for our late afternoon shows. It's a Bills bye week and breezy and warm most of the day. Don't forget: it's our Farewell Season. So come on out!

10/14/2017

Today is a BEAUTIFUL day for you, and your pets to come to Holiday Hollow! Pets are always welcome here! Sunny and warm, what a perfect day!

10/12/2017

Corfu weather update: The Wacky Witch has conjured up a gorgeous day for this Saturday (Oct. 14th), sunny and in the 70's! Sunday's prediction is cloudy with rain not coming until late afternoon, so lots of time for fun if you get here early. Besides, if rain does arrive, we move most of our shows indoors to our beautiful indoor theater! Only 3 weekends left to celebrate Holiday Hollow's 25th Anniversary and Farewell Season! Details and coupon at www.HolidayHollow.com.

10/10/2017

Have you ever wondered what the cast is like when they are NOT in costume and at Holiday Hollow? Well, now is your chance! To celebrate our final season, here is... Get To Know the cast! They all answered questions, and their answers are under their pictures! Have fun reading them, and tell us what you think in the comment section! (If you are wondering what "Dog" is, it is the person who sells food!)

1. Name: Tiffany Fye
2. Years Worked at Holiday Hollow: 11
3. Characters Portrayed (All time and currently): Swashy, Queen of Hearts, Fairy Godmother
4. Favorite Halloween Movie: Tower of Terror
5. Favorite Holiday Hollow Show: The Gypsy Seance Show
6. Job outside of Holiday Hollow: Substitute Teacher for Batavia City Schools
7. Best Memory: Meeting the love of my life, Parker Stone Schoonover
8. What you will miss most: EVERYTHING!!!
9. Favorite Candy: Whatcha macall it
10. Favorite Holiday: Halloween
11. Relation to George and Barb Walker: Family Friend