April 16, 2015 Louisville, KY. Cleaning up after an average of 500,000 – 700,000 people who attend Thunder every year is no small task. The Kentucky Derby Festival enlists the help of other agencies and volunteers to help return the venue to tip-top shape following the daylong air show and fireworks event. Breakdown and clean-up from Thunder Over Louisville begins once the show ends at 10 p.m. and continues through the day on Sunday until complete. Crews work through the night breaking down the venue. The best media opportunities for clean-up footage will be during the night or during the early hours of Sunday morning.
At 9:30 a.m. on Sunday morning, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer will join KDF President and CEO, Mike Berry, at the South Great Lawn, as Thunder clean-up wraps up and kicks off the Mayor’s Give A Day Week of Service. Both the Mayor and Mike Berry will be available for interviews at 9:30 a.m.
Coverage Note: The best opportunity for “post Thunder” interviews will be at 9:30 a.m. at the North Great Lawn on Sunday, April 19.
Here are contacts for agencies involved in Thunder Clean-up:
o Rumpke – (Thunder pots and Clean-up) – Set-up Thunder pots before show and get them out-of sight by Sunday morning, Set-up dumpsters for Thunder. Sara Cullin – (513) 741-2617 (cell) 513-200-4064.
o Tru-Service (Thunder Clean-up on site at Waterfront Park) – Sam Ellis – (502) 817-1984.
o QRS – Go Green! recycling efforts at Thunder – Kim Martinez (502) 418-3304
Sunday, April 19
2 PM Clark Memorial/2nd Street Bridge reopens
Thunder Over Louisville – the Derby Festival’s Opening Ceremonies – is one of the more than 70 events produced by the Derby Festival in the spring. The show is sponsored by Horseshoe Southern Indiana, KentuckyOne Health, LG&E, Meijer, UPS and Valero.
Since 1956, the Derby Festival has worked to bring the community together in celebration. The Festival is an independent community organization supported by 4,000 volunteers, 400 businesses and civic groups, Pegasus Pin sponsorships and event participation. This involvement has made the Festival the largest single attended event in Kentucky and one of the leading community celebrations in the world.