FOUR COMPANIES STEP UP TO SPONSOR THUNDER

Derby Festival's Opening Ceremonies Set for April 12

The Kentucky Derby Festival is pleased to announce the corporate sponsors of Thunder Over Louisville, the Derby Festival's Opening Ceremonies, to be held April 12 on the Louisville waterfront. Sponsoring the 2008 Thunder show will be Caesars Indiana, E.ON U.S., Meijer and UPS.  In addition to the four major sponsors, McDonald's Restaurants of Kentuckiana will return as title sponsor of the McDonald's Thunder Funder Program.

"We are very happy to welcome back Caesars Indiana, E.ON U.S., Meijer and UPS as corporate sponsors of Thunder Over Louisville," said Mike Berry, Kentucky Derby Festival President and CEO. "Thunder Over Louisville is the largest single-day event in the Southeast, and the generosity of our sponsors allows us to maintain the show at the level the public has come to expect. We're also grateful to McDonald's Restaurants of Kentuckiana for sponsoring the Thunder Funder Program for the third consecutive year."

Last year, 93 area McDonald's restaurants participated in the Thunder Funder Program, donating 10 cents from the sale of every 32-ounce drink sold over a seven-week period to help fund Thunder Over Louisville. The McDonald's program raised $71,856, in addition to more than $143,000 generated in small business contributions and individual incentive packages purchased during a campaign held last spring and online at www.mcdonaldsthunderfunder.com.  This year's McDonald's Thunder Funder Program began on Feb. 5 and runs until March 23. "Gear Up For Thunder" - a special Thunder preview event - will be held March 20 at Bowman Field.

This year's Thunder will feature the Air Show beginning at 3 p.m., followed by a 30-minute fireworks show starting at 9 p.m. The theme of this year's Thunder is "Out Of This World," and will include fireworks shells from different countries around the world, European military aircraft - including a German Tornado - as well as another impressive lineup of American military and civilian airplanes and demonstration teams.

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 2008 Thunder Over Louisville, themed "Out Of This World," is set for Saturday, April 12 and will be the  will be the 19th annual production. The show is sponsored by Caesars Indiana, E.ON U.S., Meijer and UPS.