THUNDER ATTRACTS CROWD OF AT LEAST 700,000

Ideal weather conditions welcomed a crowd estimated at approximately 700,000 for the 20th annual Thunder Over Louisville - the Kentucky Derby Festival's Opening Ceremonies. Spectators lined both sides of the Ohio River as far as the eye could see. Thanks to the generous support of the event's corporate sponsors - E.ON U.S., Horseshoe Casino and Hotel, Meijer, UPS and community McDonald's Thunder Funders - this year's show featured a spectacular lineup of civilian and military aircraft, as well as a pyrotechnic spectacle.

Highlights of the event included the first-ever Thunder Air Show appearance of the Red Bull Aerobatic Helicopter, the only act of its kind in the world. Other crowd favorites included the B-1B Lancer, F-4 Phantom Fighter, F-16 Falcon Jet, as well as the Miss Geico Racing Team Boat, which reached speeds of nearly 200 mph on the Ohio River.  As the sun began to set, the Lima Lima team looped and smoked the skies with a sparkling performance shortly before launch time. 

Serving as the official "Thundernator" for the 2009 Thunder Over Louisville fireworks show was Bryan Anderson, a former U.S. Army sergeant and triple-amputee as result of injuries suffered while serving on active duty in Iraq. Earlier in the day, Anderson threw out the first pitch at the Louisville Bats baseball game. The theme of this year's show was "Thunder Road" - a tie-in to the Derby Festival's overall "Road to Fun" theme. The fireworks were choreographed to a soundtrack of popular songs that referenced cars, travel and exploring new destinations.

"We couldn't have asked for a better forecast for the show," said Wayne Hettinger, Thunder Over Louisville producer. "Once again, Thunder cast a spell over hundreds of thousands of people. It was a magnificent event once again."

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, 400 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.