THUNDER MAGIC KICKS OFF 2007 DERBY FESTIVAL
2007-04-21T00:58:25Perfect weather conditions welcomed a crowd estimated at 800,000 for the 18th 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 – Caesars Indiana, E.ON U.S., meijer and UPS and community McDonald’s Thunder Funders – this year’s show featured a spectacular lineup of civilian and military aircraft.
Highlights of the event included the first-ever Thunder Air Show appearance of the U.S. Army Sky Soldiers, an elite group of pilots flying four Cobra Attack Helicopters in demo teams. Also making its first Thunder appearance was the U.S.A.F. F-22A Raptor, a state-of-the-art stealth aircraft that was sidelined in 2006 due to bad weather. Crowd favorites also performed - Lima Lima team looped and smoked the skies and the Bill Leff Night Show returned with a sparkling performance right before launch time.
Two individuals served as Official “Thundernators” for the 2007 Thunder Over Louisville fireworks show –
Former Tuskegee Airman and World War Two veteran Morris Washington of Prospect, Ky., and David Garrard of the Louisville Magic Club. Washington turned a key to activate the Thunder launch system sequence in the Command Center at the Galt House Hotel. Immediately thereafter on the Belvedere, Garrard started the pyrotechnics with his magic wand, propelling the fireworks from his magician’s costume.
The theme of this year’s show was “The Magic of Thunder” – a tribute to all things magical and mystical. The fireworks were choreographed to a soundtrack of popular songs that referenced magic and related allures.
“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 very magical event.”
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.
