LOCAL BUSINESSES & FANS STEPPING UP TO HELP FUND THUNDER
2004-04-06T16:40:41
Just days away from the community’s largest celebration, the funding drive continues for Derby Festival Opening Ceremonies: Thunder Over Louisville. The free show brings the entire community together in celebration, and kicks off two weeks of Derby Festival fun. This year’s Thunder Over Louisville, set for Saturday, April 17th, is made possible through the financial support of three major sponsors – Caesars, Ford and UPS – and a growing network of Thunder Funders.
The Thunder Funder program, a grassroots fundraising campaign, was developed in 2000 to involve community members and all types of businesses that wanted to help support the show. For as little as $100, the smallest business or individual can invest in the event and receive recognition and special benefits.
Recently, businesses in Southern Indiana that have become Thunder Funders, presented the Kentucky Derby Festival with nearly $20,000. “We are happy to make this unique opportunity available to Southern Indiana businesses and collectively show our support to the Kentucky Derby Festival for Thunder,” said Jim Keith, Executive Director of the Clark-Floyd Counties Convention & Tourism Bureau.
“It’s important for the community to support the organizations that are helping provide this day of free entertainment,” said Carolle Jones Clay, KDF Board Chair. “ Anyone can help show their support by wearing a Pegasus Pin, purchasing Thunder merchandise, but most importantly making sure the Thunder parties you patronize are doing their part to support the show. Make sure they are aThunder Funder too. It takes a whole community to make this event happen.”
Below are the current Thunder Funders for 2004.
Big Bang Level
John Jones GM City
Louisville Science Center
Miller Brewing Company
Sam Swope “Just Trucks”
The Galt House
Red Level
Caesars Indiana
Greater Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau
Louisville Baseball Club
White Level
B-Line Food Marts
Commonwealth General Corp.
Humana Inc.
Image Innovation
UPS
Blue Level
Accuserv Lighting & Equipment Co.
Buckhead Mountain Grill
Caesars Indiana
Cox Radio Louisville
Joe’s Crab Shack
KingFish Restaurants
Kobe Japanese Steak House/Bob Trinkle Productions
Louisville Slugger Museum
Messer Construction Co.
Robert Bosch Tool Corporation
Rocky's Italian Grill
So. Indiana Clark-Floyd Cos. Convention & Tourism Bureau
White Castle
Friend Level
Argo Networks, Inc. ATL Development Board
Jill Bell Warren Campbell
Corbin Financial Group Richard E. Donlon
Dunaway Engineering, Inc. Events Incorporated
Dr. Robert & Carol Goodin Holiday Inn Louisville - Downtown
Hyatt Regency Louisville Kyana Packaging & Industrial Supply
Maureen O’Meara Mel Owen
Dan L. Owens Dwight R. Riggle
Schimpff’s Confectionery Suzann C. & Don Thompson
Jeanine & Brian Triplett Tim & Karen Vogel
Louis I. Waterman Mark Wheeler
The Williams Company Kathy Wilson
Interested parties can become Thunder Funders anytime. Just call the Kentucky Derby Festival Marketing Department at 584-3378.
Thunder Over Louisville - the Derby Festival's Opening Ceremonies - is one of the more than seventy events produced by the Derby Festival in the spring. The Derby Festival is an independent community organization supported by 4,000 volunteers, 325 businesses and civic groups, Pegasus Pin sponsorships and event participation. It entertains more than 1.5 million people in a two-week period and has a local economic impact of more than $93 million. Thunder alone contributes $31 million of that estimate to both sides of the Ohio River. This involvement has made the Festival the largest single-attended event in Kentucky and one of the leading community celebrations in the world.
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