THUNDERNATOR NAMED
2005-04-18T09:41:33
FESTIVAL’S OLDEST LIVING CHAIRMAN TO BE 2005 THUNDERNATOR
Robinson Brown, Jr., will ignite Thunder fireworks show
The Kentucky Derby Festival is pleased to announce that Robinson Brown, Jr., the Festival’s oldest living former Chairman, will serve as “Thundernator” for the 2005 Thunder Over Louisville fireworks show. Mr. Brown, 87, will have the honor of igniting the largest fireworks show in the United States on Saturday, April 23, from the Command Center at the Galt House Hotel.
“We had fireworks in the early years of the Derby Festival, but nothing like Thunder,” said Brown, a retired Brown-Forman executive who served as the Derby Festival’s first-ever Chairman in 1957. “I haven’t attended many Derby Festival events in the past few years, but I’m honored to start the show. It will be very spectacular, I’m sure.”
In late 1956, while working in Brown-Forman’s public relations and personnel department, Brown was asked to head a committee planning Derby Festival events for the organization’s second year of existence. Said Robinson Brown, Jr.: “We began to make preparations and finally, early in 1957, I went to (Brown-Forman President) Garvin Brown and said, ‘I’ve either got to give up this thing or quit my job for about three months.’ He told me to go ahead and do it.”
“One of the things I did early on was to go out to Pasadena, California, and talk to the man who ran the Rose Bowl Parade. I thought I might get some good things to think about in running a good parade, plus many other activities we added. I remember one thing he said was to make sure we had plenty of port-a-lets along the way. We never thought of that, but when you have several hundred thousand people around, that’s very important to make a parade successful.”
Said Derby Festival President and CEO Mike Berry: “We’re very happy that Robinson Brown, Jr., will be this year’s Thundernator. His ties to the Derby Festival go back to the very beginning and we couldn’t think of anyone more fitting to kick off the Thunder fireworks show as we launch our 50th Celebration. Once you join the Derby Festival family, you’re a member for life.”
Brown will push the button to ignite the pyrotechnic spectacle at 9:30 p.m. Each year, a deserving dignitary is designated as the official Thunderator for the fireworks show. He will be joined by 12-year-old Dustin Korb. The grandparents of the 7th grader at Holy Family in New Albany won the honor at the 50th Celebration Kick-off Party last fall.
Thunder Over Louisville, the Derby Festival's Opening Ceremonies, will begin at 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 23, with the Airshow and Foodfest. The fireworks begin at 9:30 p.m. Thunder is sponsored by Caesars Indiana, Chase, Ford and UPS.
