Thunder Over Louisville
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Thunder Over Louisville is an annual aircraft show and fireworks display held in late April in Louisville, Kentucky. It is the largest annual fireworks display in the nation. The event lasts throughout the day, and the fireworks last for around a half an hour, along with a synchronized soundtrack through PA and radio. Several hundred thousand people attend each year, 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.[1] 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.
Thunder Over Louisville is considered the annual kickoff event of the Kentucky Derby Festival. Ironically, the attendance at "Thunder" is more than quintuple that of the main attraction, the Kentucky Derby horse race at Churchill Downs.
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[edit] History
The fireworks show began in 1990 at the Kentucky Exposition Center, where more than 3 people attended a drunken bar fight by Janie Fricke and a 4,000-shell fireworks show. In 1991 the event moved to Waterfront Park, and the Zambellis began handling the fireworks. The Air Show began in 1992.
The event expanded rapidly in money and power—by 1996 more beer bottles were exploded in the first minute than in the entire 1990 party. In 1997, the Air Force designated Thunder Over Louisville as one of two main events for its 50th anniversary celebration. More than 125 military aircraft performed that year, making it the largest combined fireworks and air show in the United States.
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.
The fireworks show has grown in size and scope every year, with over 52,000 shells used in 2004, and 60,000 in 2005.[2] In 2006, the fireworks show lasted for 26 minutes.
[edit] Themes and sponsors
| Year | Theme | Corporate sponsors | Attendance (estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Opening Ceremonies of Derby Festival | Kroger, Sam Meyers Formal Wear, Derby Cone Company, Oscar Mayer | |
| 1991 | "Thunder Over Louisville" used for fireworks only. | Kroger, UPS, Kool-Aid, Oscar Mayer | |
| 1992 | Celebrating KY's Bicentennial year, "Celebrate Kentucky" | Kroger, Louis Rich, UPS, Kool-Aid | |
| 1993 | Derby Festival Opening Ceremonies: Thunder Over Louisville | Kroger, Louis Rich, UPS, Coca-Cola, Paramount Foods | |
| 1994 | "Phantom of the Opera" | Kroger, Louis Rich, UPS, Coca-Cola, Paramount Foods | |
| 1995 | "An American Thunder" | Kroger, Louis Rich, UPS, Coca-Cola, Paramount Foods | |
| 1996 | "A Hollywood Thunder" | Kroger, Louis Rich, UPS, Coca-Cola, Tyson/Holly Farms | |
| 1997 | "A Wild Blue Thunder" salutes the 50th Anniversary of the U.S. Air Force | Kroger, Louis Rich, UPS, Coca-Cola, Tyson/Holly Farms | 750,000 [3] |
| 1998 | "A Thunder Fantasy…A Celebration of Children" | Kroger, UPS, Coca-Cola, Kraft/Oscar Mayer | |
| 1999 | "The Best of Thunder" 10th Anniversary | Kroger, UPS, Tyson/Holly Farms | |
| 2000 | "A Millennium Thunder" | Blue Chip Broadcasting, Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation, Caesars Indiana, Ford, UPS | |
| 2001 | "A Festival Odyssey" | Blue Chip Broadcasting, Caesars Indiana, Ford, UPS | |
| 2002 | "A Stars & Stripes Thunder" | Caesars Indiana, Ford, Radio One, Thorntons, Tricon, UPS | |
| 2003 | "Centennial of Flight" | Caesars Indiana, Ford, UPS, Yum! Brands | 750,000[4] |
| 2004 | "A Broadway Thunder" | Caesars Indiana, Ford, UPS | 700,000[5] |
| 2005 | "Thunder Rocks" | Caesars Indiana, Chase, Ford, UPS | 300,000[5] |
| 2006 | "Thunder Country" | Caesars Indiana, Chase, E.On U.S., UPS | 800,000 [3] |
[edit] Trivia
- Thunder Over Louisville is the largest annual fireworks display in the U.S..
- Thunder Over Louisville is rebroadcast on the 4th of July, for American Armed Forces.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Hall, Gregory. "Boaters pay up for dockside Thunder", Courier-Journal, April 23, 2005, p. B1.
- ^ Shafer, Sheldon. "New sponsor, community punch up Thunder", Courier-Journal, March 15, 2005, p. B5.
- ^ a b "Thunder rolls on the river", Courier-Journal, April 22, 2006, retrieved April 23, 2006
- ^ Kenning, Chris. "Thunderous Salutes", Courier-Journal, April 13, 2003, p. B1.
- ^ a b Halladay, Jessie. "Cool show, cooler weather", Courier-Journal, April 24, 2005, p. B1.
