THUNDER OVER LOUISVILLE TO ROCK KENTUCKIANA!
2005-02-01T11:14:30
Countdown to 16th annual show begins!
The Kentucky Derby Festival is pleased to announce the theme of the 2005 Thunder Over Louisville show: "THUNDER ROCKS,"—a tribute to 50 years of Rock ’n’ Roll. From Elvis to AC/DC, the 2005 soundtrack will feature great Rock icons of all time.
“Thunder is gearing up to rock the “Boomers” and lovers of the fifties,” said Wayne Hettinger, Thunder Over Louisville director. “As Thunder 05 salutes the 50th Celebration of the Derby Festival, expect to hear Buddy Holly, Little Richard, Bill Haley, Chuck Berry, and a young Elvis Presley. Then, we’re going to turn up the heat and light the night skies with, Queen, AC-DC and Van Halen. Did I mention Jerry Lee Lewis and “Great Balls of Fire”?... Well you get the idea. Get ready to hold on to your “bobby” socks!”
Thanks to the generous support of Caesars Indiana, Ford Motor Company and UPS, Thunder will be held on Saturday, April 23, with the Air Show beginning at 3 p.m. and a fireworks show at 9:30 p.m.
Said Derby Festival President and CEO Mike Berry: "Thanks to the continuing generosity of our sponsors, we are thrilled to be providing another spectacular day of free entertainment for this community. As the Festival celebrates for the 50th time, we hope to produce a show that is worthy of this grand occasion.” Berry also encourages individual support of the show through the new Thunder Funder campaign saying, “Every dollar raised for this event increases the quality of the production.”
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.
