Louis J. Koch had a dream�one of family, fun, and Christmastime year-round. And so he created Santa Claus Land, the nation�s first theme park, in Santa Claus, located in the gentle rolling hills of southern Indiana. Now, six decades later, Koch�s legacy lives on at Holiday World and Splashin� Safari. Still owned and operated by the Koch family, Holiday World and Splashin� Safari are consistently voted the friendliest and cleanest parks in the country, and their wooden roller coasters are r...

A "poignant" collection of real letters sent to Santa Claus—a town in Indiana—from the 1930s to the twenty-first century, from both children and adults ( The New York Times).For countless Christmases, children—and sometimes adults—have stuffed their dreams, wishes, and promises into envelopes. Over many decades, millions of these letters have poured into Santa Claus, Indiana.Arriving from all corners of the globe, the letters ask for toys, family reu...

Santa Claus, Indiana, acquired its famous name in 1856 and has been celebrating the spirit of Christmas ever since. Postmaster James Martin began answering children�s letters to Santa and his elves in 1914, a tradition that continues to this day and makes Santa Claus a favored destination for those seeking the holiday spirit. The town�s unique name prompted Robert Ripley to feature it in his popular cartoon strip, and businessmen such as Carl Barrett and Milton Harris raced to erect Christ...

A heartwarming collection of merry tales and Christmas lore in the Uncle John’s tradition.It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…again! Uncle John’s follow-up to his wildly successful Christmas Collection unwraps even more treasures of holidays past and present. Packed with more fun than an elf’s goodie bag, this anthology includes all the legends, lore, trivia, and history we didn’t have room for in the first Christmas collection. Read about…...

The movie The Founder, starring Michael Keaton, focused the spotlight on Ray Kroc, the man who amassed a fortune as the chairman of McDonald’s. But what about his wife Joan, the woman who became famous for giving away his fortune? Lisa Napoli tells the fascinating story behind the historic couple.Ray & Joan is a quintessentially American tale of corporate intrigue and private passion: a struggling Mad Men–era salesman with a vision for a ...

Take a heartwarming trip into Christmas history with these children's letters to Santa Claus from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.This first-ever collection of children's letters to Santa written between 1870 and 1920 presents more than one hundred charming and endearing missives. Along with its vintage charm, timeless sentiments, and non-denominational perspective, this heartwarming book is filled with historical discoveries that will delight ever...

Open a copy of the Information Please Almanac and turn to the chapter on famous people. 4000 names and you won't know hardly any. But what about names everyone knows? Pillsbury, Maytag, Kellogg. Nowhere to be found. How many names are more famous than Howard Johnson or Oscar Mayer? But who were these folks? Let's look at the men behind the names where we pull off the road to eat.

“Betcha I can tell ya / Where ya / Got them shoooes. / Betchadollar, / Betchadollar, / Where ya / Got them shoooes. / Got your shoes on your feet, / Got your feet on the street, / And the street’s in Noo / Awlins, Loo- / Eez-ee-anna. Where I, for my part, first ate a live oyster and first saw a naked woman with the lights on. . . . Every time I go to New Orleans I am startled by something.”So writes Roy Blount Jr. in this exuberant, character-filled saunter through a place he has l...

With its fervent aficionados, traditions, and wildly varying regional styles--each with its passionate advocates--barbecue is much more than a way of cooking meat: It’s a cultural ritual. A history as entertaining as it is informative, this book is the first to explore American barbecue’s regional roots. Nationally renowned food commentator Mike Witzel takes readers on an eye-opening (and mouth-watering) tour of the histories, techniques, culture, competitions, traditional side dishes, and...

Bygone Binghamton Remembering People and Places of the Past Volume One is a peoples history of some of the most memorable persons, events, and landmarks of the Binghamton area in modern times. It includes the personal memories in their own words of hundreds of people crosschecked, whenever possible, by letters, newspapers, scrapbooks, and personal files.Its many chapters focus on well-remembered restaurants, Mom and Pop grocery stores, ice cream and penny candy places, dairies, and...

Countless travel books display some aspect or region of America, but USA 101 stitches together a whole crazy quilt of iconic places, events, fairs, and festivals that celebrates our country in all its quirky diversity. Whoever you are, wherever you're going, whatever you like to do, it's here somewhere. And if you just stay home and travel armchair-style you'll still find this guide a vivid, often humorous, always fascinating blend of world-famous and distinctly local places and events tha...

A narrative history of the craft cocktail renaissance, written by a New York Times cocktail writer and one of the foremost experts on the subject.A Proper Drink is the first-ever book to tell the full, unflinching story of the contemporary craft cocktail revival. Award-winning writer Robert Simonson interviewed more than 200 key players from around the world, and the result is a rollicking (if slightly tipsy) story of the characters—bars, bartende...