Kentucky Boy Spent All Year Growing So He Could Ride The Raven at Holiday World

You likely have heard this before, "You must be THIS tall to ride this attraction." That's something that Hayden Perdue has heard before and, the last time he heard it, it nearly broke his heart. Last summer, Hayden went to Holiday World with his family and he was looking really forward to riding The Raven - one of the park's world-class wooden roller coasters.

Sadly, when Hayden made his way up to the entrance, he quickly learned that he wasn't quite tall enough to ride it.  The minimum height requirement for The Raven is 48 inches. Yes, you have to be at least 4-feet-tall to ride the ride. Hayden wasn't and he was devastated.

Since that time though, Hayden has celebrated his 6th birthday and has a bit of a growth spurt.

And, guess what? He's now tall enough to ride The Raven. In fact, his mom Whitney says he has been obsessed with growing tall enough to do it.  She says, "He cried last year for two hours because he was too short . . . and every doctor's visit since he's asked 'Am I tall enough?'"

Whitney says, "He is an adrenaline junkie and rides dirt bikes and mountain bikes with his dad."

As it turned out, Hayden wasn't quite looking in the right direction. But my friend Kristen Stapp tagged me in the post. She knew I could and would help. And I did.

This morning, Hayden joined Mary-Katherine and me at WBKR and we surprised him with tickets to Holiday World!

And, in case you're curious about your own kids, here's how tall you have to be to ride Holiday World's other roller coasters.

THE LEGEND- Minimum height = 48 inches

THE VOYAGE- Minimum height = 48 inches

THUNDERBIRD (Minimum height = 52 inches, Maximum height = 6'6")