July 2, 2015. Louisville, KY. – The Kentucky Derby Festival’s 2015 Opening Ceremonies – Thunder Over Louisville – will be re-broadcast on the American Forces Network Broadcast Center (AFN-BC) to more than one million U.S. Armed Forces personnel and Department of Defense civilian employees and their families stationed overseas. The 90-minute program, which features the entire Thunder fireworks show and highlights of the Thunder Air Show, will be shown on July 4th to personnel stationed in approximately 170 countries and U.S. territories, as well as aboard more than 140 U.S. Navy ships at sea outside of U.S. territorial waters. (It will air at 6:30 p.m. viewer time overseas on the AFN|spectrum channel.)
WLKY TV exclusively aired the original Air Show and fireworks coverage on Saturday, April 18, of this year and has produced the edited version that will be shown on the American Forces Network in conjunction with Independence Day celebrations. WLKY will also rebroadcast Thunder on July 4th from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
“Sharing Thunder Over Louisville is just a small way we can pay tribute to those who are serving our country and continue to protect our freedom,” said Mike Berry, President and CEO of the Kentucky Derby Festival, who introduces the broadcast along with Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear. “We hope the troops will enjoy all the excitement that is captured in the program.”
Thunder Over Louisville – the Derby Festival’s Opening Ceremonies – is one of nearly 70 events produced by the Derby Festival in the spring. The 2015 show, themed “Boom With A View,” was 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.
