Thunder Over Louisville

Last updated
Thunder Over Louisville
Thunder logo.png
Date(s)April
FrequencyAnnual
Founded1989 (32 years ago)
Website thunderoverlouisville.org

Thunder Over Louisville, the annual kickoff event of the Kentucky Derby Festival, is an airshow and fireworks display in Louisville, Kentucky. It is generally held each April, about two weeks before the first Saturday in May, or Derby Day. In years where Easter Sunday falls on the usually scheduled weekend, Thunder is moved a week earlier. It is the largest annual fireworks display in North America [1] and began as part of an opening ceremonies event in 1989 with daytime fireworks. 1990 brought the first nighttime fireworks event. It officially began in its current location along the Ohio River in 1991 with fireworks, and an annual air show was added in 1992.

Contents

Thunder generally starts in the afternoon with an air show, followed by the fireworks show starting at 9:30 PM, along with a synchronized soundtrack through PA and radio. An average of 625,000 people have attended each year since 1997, lining the banks of the Ohio River in Louisville, and across the river in Jeffersonville and Clarksville, Indiana. Some also watch from the river on boats, docked in positions auctioned off for charity. [2]

Eight 400-foot barges launch the fireworks, provided by Zambelli Fireworks Internationale, from both sides of the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge (Second Street Bridge), and more fireworks are launched from the bridge itself.

In the twenty-first century the estimated attendance at Thunder has usually been approximately five times that of the main attraction, the Kentucky Derby horse race at Churchill Downs.

History

2018 show from the upstream side of the bridge on the Indiana shore of the Ohio River Thunder over LOIUSVILLE.jpg
2018 show from the upstream side of the bridge on the Indiana shore of the Ohio River

Thunder Over Louisville began as a concept at a Kentucky Derby Festival workshop in the summer of 1988, after a decision had been made to have opening ceremonies for the first time.

The first opening ceremonies were held in 1989 at the Chow Wagon on the river and broadcast live to the They're Off! Luncheon crowd at the Galt House East. Organized by multimedia producer Wayne Hettinger, owner of Visual Presentations, they featured a live stage show to introduce the festival theme song and the release of about 20,000 multicolored balloons—followed by daytime fireworks. Attendance was estimated at 10,000.

The first nighttime fireworks show was in 1990 at Cardinal Stadium in the Kentucky Exposition Center, where more than 35,000 people attended a Derby Festival opening ceremonies concert by Janie Fricke and a 4,000-shell fireworks show following a sold out Louisville Redbirds baseball game. [3] [4]

Fireworks had been used in Derby festivities since the 1960s, but the positive impact of fireworks on this concert—particularly the echoing sound—led to the firework show's name when it was held the following year over the Ohio River. [3]

In 1991 the event moved to Waterfront Park, and Zambelli Fireworks Internationale's Master Pyrotechnician Raymond M Loffredo began handling the fireworks. The Air Show began in 1992, and has featured such notable aircraft as the Harrier, the B-2 (Stealth Bomber), and the F-117 (Stealth Fighter) as well as the Apache Attack Helicopter.

The event expanded rapidly in scale and attendance; by 1996 more shells were exploded in the first minute than in the entire 1990 show. In 1997, the Air Force designated Thunder Over Louisville as one of the events for its 50th anniversary celebration. [5] More than 125 military aircraft performed that year, making it the largest combined fireworks and air show in the United States.[ citation needed ]

2018 show as seen from the Indiana side of the Ohio River Thunder Over Louisville 2018.jpg
2018 show as seen from the Indiana side of the Ohio River

The event relies heavily on corporate donations. In 2000, when Kroger pulled out after 10 years of sponsorship, the Kentucky Derby Festival was left scrambling for money. They announced the Thunder Funder program, in which individuals can make small donations. In 2006, McDonald's announced that they would be the title sponsor for Thunder Funder and donate 10 cents from the sale of every 32-ounce drink in a commemorative cup to the Derby Festival. This promotion continued until 2014. In 2015, the restaurant chain pledged $100,000 to the event. [6]

The fireworks show has grown in size and scope every year, with over 52,000 shells used in 2004, and 60,000 in 2005. [7] The fireworks show usually lasts 30 minutes. There is traditionally a 3-minute finale which organizers call by the name Gargantuan. This is usually preceded by a short break in the fireworks and an audio score of "The Colonel Bogey March" as whistled in the movie Bridge on the River Kwai, often catching first time spectators, who believe the show has ended, by surprise.

The 2007 event had a record crowd, whose size was estimated at 850,000 by the event producer. Such counts do not include thousands of people who watch from area rooftops at "Thunder parties" held by individuals with proximity advantaged addresses in downtown, Old Louisville, Portland and the Butchertown neighborhood immediately upriver from downtown, as well as river adjacent neighborhoods in the Indiana communities of Clarksville and Jeffersonville.

In 2010, a computer glitch 30 seconds before the show during a pre-recorded minute long audio countdown to the fireworks caused an 18-minute delay while the problem was troubleshooted. [8]

In 2020, Thunder Over Louisville was canceled for the first time in its history due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Kentucky Derby was postponed to September, and took place with no spectators.

The following year, fireworks were launched throughout the city to reduce crowd sizes due to COVID-19 precautions. The show was televised locally, and in-person spectators were discouraged from gathering. The same year, a boat accident occurred on the Ohio River near the Greenwood Boat Docks as a large amount of spectators attempted to view the fireworks from the river. One barge collided with a boat, killing three people. Four people were rescued from the Ohio River by barge operators.

YearThemeCorporate sponsorsAttendance (estimate)ShellsTV coverage
1991"Thunder Over Louisville" used for fireworks only.Kroger, UPS, Kool-Aid, Oscar Mayer175,000 [9] WHAS
1992Celebrating KY's Bicentennial year, "Celebrate Kentucky"Kroger, Louis Rich, UPS, Kool-AidWHAS
1993Derby Festival Opening Ceremonies: Thunder Over LouisvilleKroger, Louis Rich, UPS, Coca-Cola, Paramount FoodsWHAS
1994"Phantom of the Opera"Kroger, Louis Rich, UPS, Coca-Cola, Paramount FoodsWHAS
1995"An American Thunder"Kroger, Louis Rich, UPS, Coca-Cola, Paramount FoodsWHAS
1996"A Hollywood Thunder"Kroger, Louis Rich, UPS, Coca-Cola, Tyson/Holly Farms WHAS
1997"A Wild Blue Thunder"Kroger, Louis Rich, UPS, Coca-Cola, Tyson/Holly Farms800,000 [10] WHAS
1998"A Thunder Fantasy"Kroger, UPS, Coca-Cola, Kraft/Oscar Mayer450,000 [11] 34,126WHAS
1999"The Best of Thunder" 10th AnniversaryKroger, UPS, Tyson/Holly Farms500,000 [11] 39,420WHAS
2000"A Millennium Thunder"Blue Chip Broadcasting, Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation, Caesars Indiana, Ford, UPS750,000 [12] 45,000WHAS
2001"A Festival Odyssey"Blue Chip Broadcasting, Caesars Indiana, Ford, UPS700,000 [13] 51,333WHAS
2002"A Stars & Stripes Thunder"Caesars Indiana, Ford, Radio One, Thorntons, Tricon, UPS600,000 [14] 51,334WHAS
2003"Centennial of Flight"Caesars Indiana, Ford, UPS, Yum! Brands 750,000 [15] Under 50,000 [16] WHAS
2004"A Broadway Thunder"Caesars Indiana, Ford, UPS700,000 [17] 52,000WAVE
2005"Thunder Rocks"Caesars Indiana, Chase, Ford, UPS300,000 [17] 60,000WAVE
2006"Thunder Country"Caesars Indiana, Chase, E.On U.S., UPS800,000 [10] WLKY
2007"The Magic of Thunder"Caesars Indiana, E.ON U.S., Meijer, UPS850,000 [18] 62,000 [19] WDRB
2008"Out of This World" Horseshoe Casino and Hotel, E.ON U.S., Meijer, UPS350,00035,000+ [20] WDRB
2009"Thunder Road" Horseshoe Casino and Hotel, E.ON U.S., Meijer, UPS700,000 [18] WHAS
2010"Thunder Fever" Horseshoe Casino and Hotel, E.ON U.S., Meijer, UPS700,00056,215WAVE
2011"Thunder Power" Horseshoe Southern Indiana, LG&E, Meijer, UPS300,000 [21] WLKY
2012"A Star-Spangled Blast"Horseshoe Southern Indiana, LG&E, Meijer, UPS700,00050,000WDRB
2013"Thunder Vision"Horseshoe Southern Indiana, LG&E, Meijer, UPS500,00056,000+WHAS
2014"Throwback Thunder"Horseshoe Southern Indiana, LG&E, Meijer, UPS675,000 [22] 54,000+ [23] WAVE, TV24
2015"Boom with a View"Horseshoe Southern Indiana, LG&E, Meijer, UPS650,000 [24] 56,000 [25] WLKY, TV24
2016"No Strings Attached"Horseshoe Southern Indiana, KentuckyOne Health, LG&E, Meijer, UPS, Valero725,000 [26] N/AWDRB, AFN, TV24
2017"Thunder: Local and Original"Horseshoe Southern Indiana, KentuckyOne Health, LG&E, Meijer, UPS, Valero725,000 [26] N/AWHAS, AFN, TV24
2018"A Disco Thunder"Horseshoe Southern Indiana, KentuckyOne Health, LG&E, Meijer, UPS, Valero800,000 [26] WLKY, AFN, TV24
2019"The Wonderful World of Thunder"Horseshoe Southern Indiana, KentuckyOne Health, LG&E, Meijer, UPS700,00060,000WAVE, AFN, TV24
2021"Illuminating Our Community" Caesars Southern Indiana, Ford, GE, LG&E, Meijer, Papa John's, UPSNoneN/AWHAS, AFN, TV24

Weather

Due to the complexity of the event, including road closures, police presence, and technical requirements, there is no rain date for Thunder. The event has never been canceled due to weather. Officials would cancel if severe weather or lightning was imminent, and the fireworks could be delayed if heavy rain or wind was occurring at the time of the show.

In 2005, unseasonably cold weather brought a temperature of 38 at 8:30 PM, an hour before the fireworks. A brief downpour of heavy sleet cleared all but an estimated 10,000 spectators from the riverfront by fireworks time.

In 2011, temperatures in the 40s caused a much lower attendance than usual.

2018 show from the downstream side of the bridge on the Indiana shore of the Ohio River Thunder over Louisville on 2018.jpg
2018 show from the downstream side of the bridge on the Indiana shore of the Ohio River

Ohio River flooding was a concern for the 2015 event, but organizers did not let the high water cancel the festivities. It did make some traditional viewing areas inaccessible and additional safety precautions had to be taken to make the show possible. [27]

TV coverage

Thunder Over Louisville has been televised locally since its first year. The 2007 show was the first to be broadcast entirely in HDTV. Previously, two or three HDTV cameras supplemented the broadcast. [28] TV coverage of the fireworks received record ratings in 2006 due to cold temperatures which made many people choose to watch the show from home.

In 2005, The Kentucky Derby Festival started rotating the broadcast rights each year between 3 of the major Louisville network affiliates (WAVE-TV, WDRB, and WLKY). After airing the coverage exclusively from 1991-2003, WHAS-TV chose not to participate in the rotation for several years after this agreement was made. They have since entered the rotation. [29] [30] The show is traditionally rebroadcast on the 4th of July, on the U.S. military's American Forces Network. [31] [32]

Since 2014, Thunder Over Louisville has been streamed live on the online media site TV 24.

See also

Related Research Articles

Kentucky Derby American stakes race for Thoroughbreds, part of the Triple Crown

The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of one and a quarter miles (2.0 km) at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds and fillies 121 pounds.

Louisville, Kentucky City in Kentucky

Louisville is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 29th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border.

WDRB Fox affiliate in Louisville, Kentucky

WDRB, virtual channel 41, is a Fox-affiliated television station licensed to Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The station is owned by Block Communications, as part of a duopoly with Salem, Indiana-licensed dual CW/MyNetworkTV affiliate WBKI. The two stations share studios on West Muhammad Ali Boulevard in downtown Louisville; WDRB's transmitter is located in rural northeastern Floyd County, Indiana. On cable, the station is available on Charter Spectrum channel 9.

WHAS (AM) Radio station in Louisville, Kentucky

WHAS is a radio station owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. and licensed to Louisville, Kentucky. Its studios are located in the Louisville enclave of Watterson Park, and the transmitter site is in Long Run, in far east Jefferson County. First licensed in July 1922, it is the oldest radio station in Kentucky.

WAVE (TV) NBC affiliate in Louisville, Kentucky

WAVE, virtual channel 3, is an NBC-affiliated television station licensed to Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The station is owned by Gray Television. WAVE's studios are located on South Floyd Street in downtown Louisville, and its transmitter is located in New Albany, Indiana. On cable, the station is available on Charter Spectrum channel 6 in both standard and high definition.

WHAS-TV, virtual and VHF digital channel 11, is an ABC-affiliated television station licensed to Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The station is owned by Tegna Inc. WHAS-TV's studios are located on West Chestnut Street in Downtown Louisville, and its transmitter is located in rural northeastern Floyd County, Indiana. On cable, the station is available on Charter Spectrum channel 4 in both standard and high definition.

WLKY CBS affiliate in Louisville, Kentucky

WLKY, virtual channel 32, is a CBS-affiliated television station licensed to Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The station is owned by the Hearst Television subsidiary of Hearst Communications. WLKY's studios are located on Mellwood Avenue on Louisville's east side, and its transmitter is located in rural northeastern Floyd County, Indiana. On cable, the station is available on Charter Spectrum channel 5 in both standard and high definition.

Kentucky Derby Festival

The Kentucky Derby Festival is an annual festival held in Louisville, Kentucky during the two weeks preceding the first Saturday in May, the day of the Kentucky Derby. The festival, Kentucky's largest single annual event, first ran from 1935 to 1937, and restarted in 1956 and includes:

<i>Belle of Louisville</i> Steamboat owned and operated by the city of Louisville, KY

Belle of Louisville is a steamboat owned and operated by the city of Louisville, Kentucky, and moored at its downtown wharf next to the Riverfront Plaza/Belvedere during its annual operational period. Originally named Idlewild, she was built by James Rees & Sons Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for the West Memphis Packet Company in 1914 and was first put into service on the Allegheny River. Constructed with an all-steel superstructure and asphalt main deck, the steamboat is said to hold the all-time record in her class for miles traveled, years in operation, and places visited. Belle of Louisville's offices are aboard Mayor Andrew Broaddus, also a National Historic Landmark.

Louisville Waterfront Park Municipal park in Louisville, Kentucky

Louisville Waterfront Park is an 85-acre (340,000 m2) municipal park adjacent to the downtown area of Louisville, Kentucky and the Ohio River. Specifically, it is adjacent to Louisville's wharf and Riverfront Plaza/Belvedere, which are situated to the west of the park.

Big Four Bridge Pedestrian bridge that crosses the Ohio River at Louisville, KY

The Big Four Bridge is a six-span former railroad truss bridge that crosses the Ohio River, connecting Louisville, Kentucky, and Jeffersonville, Indiana. It was completed in 1895, updated in 1929, taken out of rail service in 1968, and converted to bicycle and pedestrian use in 2014. The largest single span is 547 feet (167 m), with the entire bridge spanning 2,525 feet (770 m). It took its name from the defunct Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway, which was nicknamed the "Big Four Railroad".

KFC Yum! Center multi-purpose sports arena in Louisville, Kentucky

The KFC Yum! Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is named after the KFC restaurant chain and Yum! Brands, the parent company of KFC. Adjacent to the Ohio River waterfront, it is located on Main Street between 2nd and 3rd Streets and opened on October 10, 2010. The arena is part of a $450 million project that includes a 975-car parking structure and floodwall.

WGTK (AM) Radio station in Louisville, Kentucky

WGTK is a commercial AM radio station in Louisville, Kentucky. It is owned by Salem Media Group and it airs a conservative talk radio format. Similar to many Salem talk stations, it calls itself "970 The Answer." Its studios and offices are on Corporate Campus Drive in Louisville, while its transmitter is on Hamburg Pike in Jeffersonville, Indiana.

Great Steamboat Race

The Great Steamboat Race is an annual steamboat race, taking place the Wednesday before the first Saturday of May, three days before the Kentucky Derby, as part of the Kentucky Derby Festival. The race was first run in 1963 and it takes place on the Ohio River in the span that runs between Louisville, Kentucky and Jeffersonville, Indiana. Until 2009, the race was traditionally between the Belle of Louisville and the Delta Queen, although other steamboats have participated. Since 2009, the Delta Queen has been retired and the Belle of Cincinnati has taken its place in the competition. In 2012, the Belle of Louisville and Belle of Cincinnati were joined in the race by the American Queen.

Randall Ignatius "Randy" Atcher was a Louisville, Kentucky, radio and television personality.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Louisville, Kentucky, USA.

Louisville Downs was a half-mile Standardbred harness race track located in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It opened in 1966 and held over 3,400 days of harness racing until it was sold to Churchill Downs Inc. in 1991. Louisville Downs was built and managed by William H. King, a Louisville entrepreneur and promoter, who was the first to offer wagering by phone (“Call-a-Bet”) and full card simulcast wagering to television viewers. The track is now the site of Derby City Gaming, a historical racing parlor opened in 2018.

William Thomas "Cactus" Brooks, was a well-known television star and radio announcer in Louisville, Kentucky for many years.

References

  1. ↑ "The Show" . Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  2. ↑ Hall, Gregory (April 23, 2005). "Boaters pay up for dockside Thunder". The Courier-Journal . p. B1.
  3. 1 2 "Thunder Over Louisville". Thunder Over Louisville. Archived from the original on 2011-02-23. Retrieved 2011-02-23.
  4. ↑ "Throwback Thursday - Thunder since 1990". The Courier-Journal. 16 April 2015.
  5. ↑ "Article View". defense.gov.
  6. ↑ "McDonald's pledges $100,000 to help Thunder". The Courier-Journal. 27 February 2015.
  7. ↑ Shafer, Sheldon (March 15, 2005). "New sponsor, community punch up Thunder". The Courier-Journal . p. B5.
  8. ↑ "Meet Wayne Hettinger, the man who produces Thunder". The Courier-Journal. 11 April 2014.
  9. ↑ John Belski (11 April 2014). "Some of my favorite stories about Thunder Over Louisville". WLKY.
  10. 1 2 "Thunder rolls on the river", The Courier-Journal , April 22, 2006. Retrieved April 23, 2006.
  11. 1 2 Walfoort, Tina (1999-04-18). "Despite cold, Thunder still thrills". The Courier-Journal . p. 1B.
  12. ↑ Coomes, Mark (2000-04-16). "Mega-Thunder!". The Courier-Journal . p. 1B.
  13. ↑ Smith, Peter (2001-04-22). "THUNDER: Fireworks, air". The Courier-Journal . p. 1B.
  14. ↑ Edelyn, Sheryl (2002-04-21). "Trashy scene greets cleanup workers at Waterfront Park a day after Thunder". The Courier-Journal . p. 1B.
  15. ↑ Kenning, Chris (April 13, 2003). "Thunderous Salutes". The Courier-Journal . p. B1.
  16. ↑ An official count was not released for this show, which was scaled down due to budget reductions
  17. 1 2 Halladay, Jessie (April 24, 2005). "Cool show, cooler weather". The Courier-Journal . p. B1.
  18. 1 2 "The Courier-Journal". The Courier-Journal.
  19. ↑ Ritchie, Christa (2007-04-21). "Counting the hours to Thunder". The Courier-Journal . Retrieved 2009-04-23.
  20. ↑ Shafer, Sheldon (2008-02-07). "Thunder theme 'Out of This World'". The Courier-Journal .
  21. ↑ Downs, Jere (2011-04-16). "Thunder Over Louisville's noise quieted by windy, wet chill". The Courier-Journal .
  22. ↑ "Thunder Over Louisville's 25th anniversary show draws more than 650,000 - Louisville - Louisville Business First". Louisville Business First. 14 April 2014.
  23. ↑ Erica Coghill (10 April 2014). "Preparations in full swing for Thunder Over Louisville". WLKY.
  24. ↑ "10 arrests made during Thunder". The Courier-Journal. 19 April 2015.
  25. ↑ "The Show - Thunder Over Louisville". thunderoverlouisville.org.
  26. 1 2 3 "Number in attendance for 2016 Thunder revealed". WHAS11. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  27. ↑ "Flooding to close some Thunder viewing areas". The Courier-Journal. 14 April 2015.
  28. ↑ "WDRB plans thunderous debut for landmark HDTV broadcast". Louisville Business First.
  29. ↑ "Louisville TV Stations To Rotate Thunder Coverage". wave3.com. 31 January 2005.
  30. ↑ "WHAS spends months planning Thunder television broadcast". Louisville Business First. 19 April 2013.
  31. ↑ "The Courier-Journal". The Courier-Journal.
  32. ↑ "Thunder Over Louisville to be rebroadcast by AFN on July 4". Louisville Business First.
    This page is based on this Wikipedia article
    Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
    Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.