SHOW THEME PAYS TRIBUTE TO YEARS PAST

There will be six sponsors of Thunder Over Louisville – the Kentucky Derby Festival’s Opening Ceremonies – this year.  KDF made the announcement at their headquarters this morning.  Five presenting sponsors are returning – Horseshoe Southern Indiana, KentuckyOne Health, LG&E, Meijer and UPS – and they are joined by newcomer Valero. All six companies are presenting sponsors of the 2014 Thunder Over Louisville fireworks and air show to be held on Saturday, April 12, along the banks of the Ohio River in downtown.

“The 25^th Thunder Over Louisville will be a show to remember, thanks, in large part, to these generous sponsors,” said Mike Berry, Kentucky Derby Festival President and CEO.  “Because of their commitment we are able to continue producing the air and fireworks show our community and fans have come to expect and anticipate all year long.”

In addition to the six presenting sponsors, McDonald’s Restaurants of Kentuckiana also returns as title sponsor of the McDonald’s Thunder Funder program and Ford Motor Company returns as sponsor of Ford’s Thunder on the Ground.

This year’s Thunder theme – “Throwback Thunder” – pays tribute to all 25 years of Thunder.  The soundtrack will highlight songs from each year of the show.  “We try to fill the soundtrack with a little something for everyone, and this year’s show will be no different,” Says Wayne Hettinger, Thunder Show Producer.

This is the 24th consecutive year that UPS has been a presenting sponsor of Thunder Over Louisville. Horseshoe Southern Indiana has been a Thunder presenting sponsor for 15 consecutive years; LG&E and Meijer have both been Thunder sponsors for the past eight years in a row; this is the second year for KentuckyOne Health.

This is the ninth consecutive year that McDonald’s Restaurants of Kentuckiana has returned as title sponsor of the Thunder Funder Program, which helps raise funds for the show. For the third year in a row, Ford is title sponsor of the Thunder on the Ground attraction, which showcases a wide variety of activities taking place during the day in and around Waterfront Park on April 12.

Thunder Over Louisville’s 2014 Official Broadcast Partners are WAVE 3 TV and Cox Radio’s Lite 106.9.

Thunder Over Louisville – the Derby Festival’s Opening Ceremonies – is one of nearly 70 events produced by the Derby Festival in the spring. The 2014 Thunder Over Louisville, themed “Throwback Thunder,” is set for Saturday, April 12, and will be the  will be the 25^th annual production.