Thunder Over Louisville

Last night we made our annual trek to the Louisville riverfront to experience the big kick off event for the Kentucky Derby which is always run on the first Saturday of May. There on the banks of the Ohio with Kentucky on the south and Indiana on the north you can watch the greatest firework show in north America- Thunder Over Louisville. For two solid weeks The Derby Festival has various activities celebrating the most exciting 2 minutes of sports- the Run for the Roses. Every year they start with Thunder Over Louisville (air show and fireworks). They also have the Pegasus Parade, the Great Steamboat Race, a marathon, the Great Balloon race (hot air balloons), the Balloon Glow (hot air balloons), a basketball game and other smaller activities. It is a very enjoyable time to live in or close by to the city.

I have LOVED the Kentucky Derby since I was a child. We watched it every year on TV. I loved the Dan Fogelberg song and when Rich was accepted to the University of Louisville for medical school, the first thing the name Louisville brought to my mind was that the greatest horse race was run there every May. So to hear that the city threw a huge party leading up to the big day was music to my ears. Who wouldn't love a free enormous firework show in the city you live in? This night may well be my favorite night of the year in Louisville. I have attended every year we have lived in Kentucky except in 2005 when the girls were 3 weeks old and Rich was on call. Instead of waiting for hours on the great lawn with 750,000 of your favorite friends, we all huddled up in my room and watched the distant fireworks from the second story window. It made me sad that we weren't there close enough to feel the booms on your chest, smell the smoke and often get a few bits of fireworks in your eyes. OK, maybe I didn't mind missing that last bit, but you get the picture.

2001 I was 6 months pregnant with Josh and Matt and needed to fly back to Utah so I could deliver where we had family. We flew out of Louisville on Friday night, just 24 hours before Thunder. I was sad I couldn't witness the show, but I was in no condition to walk miles and miles to and from the car and I didn't fully realize how incredible the whole thing was. I didn't really know what I was missing.

2002

We headed downtown on a whim because I wanted to see the air show. I still was in the dark of the significance of this event and thought 3 children 2 and under would not have been a great activity. Once we were in the city and you saw the masses of people and felt the excitement there was NO way I was headed back home before we saw this thing through. Somehow we survived 10 hours downtown with one diaper, one bottle, a handful of snacks, light jackets and Josh's intense dislike for the airplanes. We ran into Kip and Kristen Norris from our ward and ended up with them and their friends on the great lawn- the prime view spot. The show far exceeded any expectations I had. They put out 2 barges on either side on one of the bridges. The barges go off simultaneously and there are fireworks on the bridge as well. The show is set to music and last for about a half an hour. It's like the biggest grand finale you've ever seen from start to finish. It was magical to say the least. I was hooked.

2003 We headed down around 5 PM after the Hamilton's had secured a spot with some of their friends the West’s. We joined Josh and Tiffany Madsen (and Keenan) and Jim and Marcie Alcorn (and Hayden). It was so wonderful to spend the night with some of our very best friends.

2004 My family had traveled with me back to Louisville from Utah with the kids after a visit, since Rich, a third year medical student, and was stuck down in Madisonville, KY doing his general surgery rotation. Happily they were in town Thunder weekend. This year my family were the ones reserving our spot on the lawn. We headed downtown around 2 PM, with a blanket, DVD player and a few snacks. It was killer hot. Thankfully we had a bit of shade a tent the group next to us had erected. My dad went off in search of drinks and after we consumed 2 64 oz drinks none of us need a restroom break because we were so dehydrated. Todd and Kristi Hamilton joined us that evening after they rollerbladed down River Road from their apartment in Melwood. Kristi was like 6 months pregnant. What a nut! The most memorable parts of the wait were the totally Kentucky family next to us that had thick accents and a little boy that kept shooing away people trying to sneak in and sit in our spot. My Dad thanked him for his efforts, gave him a small bit of change as payment, and boy did he keep the unwanted guests away! The other unforgettable moment was when Kristi asked this random stranger to stop smoking. She told him she was pregnant and he needed to stop. It's funny, but it was nice to sit and not have to breathe in the smoke. We always joke that Thunder is the only outdoor event that you could come home smelling like you were in a bar. Thankfully the show didn't disappoint and my family loved it all. It only would have been better if we hadn't gotten stuck in the Ambulatory Care Clinic's parking lot and downtown traffic and gotten home at 1 PM. My family's flight was around 6:30 AM the next morning, so they left exhausted. It is never fun when a 20 minute drive suddenly lasts 3 hours!

2005 This year was the most memorable one by far and yet our family went all alone! The weather was beyond horrible. That morning it had hailed and rained and kept almost everyone home, but not us. Well, I really should say, it didn't deter me. Rich had no intention of going, but I wasn't going to allow that to happen. I went to Wal-mart in search of supplies. I ran into Todd and Kristi and her parents who were in town visiting. When I said we were still on for Thunder they thought we were nuts. I could see in Kristi's dads eyes that he wanted to go, but Anna was small and it would have been a rough night to sit through. We left our home around 6 PM and even though we still had to park miles away because of the road closures, we walked down River Road alone. We stopped at the splash park and got the boys a hot dog and then made our last push toward the lawn. Just as we passed under the freeway overpass the rain struck again with some added sleet. The diehards that had camped out all day were huddled in their tents while the unlucky ones without that necessary protection ran toward the underpass for safety. We got to the grass and found a few tents scattered on the hill. It was crazy to see how empty it was. Instead of being scrunched in tight we had our pick of the whole park. Just to tease Kristi I gave her a call once we got our tent, tarps, hats, gloves, coats, umbrellas and game boys in place. I told her the place was packed and they were silly not to come. I think they might have believed me for a brief second, but then I told her we had the pick of the place and were one of the few crazy ones that made the journey in the cold and muck. An hour before the fireworks began it began to rain again, and sleet and nearly snow. On a last minute thought I tossed in a small play tent I got at Target and it saved us. Rich and I huddled under our tarp with our umbrella across our faces trying to keep dry and warm, while the boys played games inside the tiny tent. By a small miracle the storm let up and by the 9:30 PM start time the rain had stopped and we were able to enjoy an amazing show with only a handful of people.

2006This year was spent in the quiet of our home with 2 newborns. We gazed out of the window with longing as the fireworks in the distance danced and shimmered in the night. Rich was on call at the VA and my mom was in town helping with the babies and packing. That night I vowed to return the next year.

2007 We were now resident of Lexington, but that didn't keep us away from Thunder. Thankfully Rich had the day off, but the boys had baseball games in the morning and early afternoon. Even though we didn't get off to an early start, we still got to enjoy the show that night. Both Madsen families went down early and got a spot and we joined them around 7:30 PM. The night was cool, but pleasant and the fireworks and friends were worth the trip back to our old stomping grounds.

2008 My sixth thunder was a week earlier because of Passover. We once again had baseball until 4:15 PM, so we had to rely on the old gang to get a spot. After a few phone calls, they found a family in my old ward that offered to save us all a spot. Later we were surprised when we found that they weren't on the lawn, but instead a bit further east right on the river. I was concerned the view wouldn't be as nice since the "bridge to nowhere" was in our field of view, but I still thought it would be fine. We rolled into Louisville around 7:30 PM after a brief bathroom and food stop at our old McDonald's near Crestwood. We parked off of Zorn Avenue on River Road and started our long walk toward the city. The air show zoomed overhead as we moved along. We passed this fantastic front of an old home that faces the river. As we walked the wind blew, my ears ached and I was grateful we wouldn't have to wait too long until the show. We finally arrived and were greeted by the Josh and Tiffany Madsen, Tyler and Cynthia Madsen and the Hamilton's. Here's Rich, Todd and Big Josh.Me, Tiffany and Kristi. It was nice to be away from the massive crowd, smoke and ear piercing speakers. The boys ran wild while the rest of us were able to visit and passed the time jumping up and down trying to stay warm, shielding ourselves from the rain with our trusty golf umbrellas and counting down the minutes until 9:30 PM. The boys played with Keenan.Kristi and MeJosh soon asked when the show was going to start. I told him we had about 45 minutes to go. He then complained, "Why did we have to come so early!" OK, the rest of the bunch had arrived ages before us, while we happily rolled in around 8 PM. We're turning into such softies!We were lucky did didn't have to wait forever because Brynn was a basket case and very cold. She couldn't understand why her hands felt like ice cubes and her toes were frozen. She kept trying to take off her shoes and coat to fix it. Not quite the correct solution. Kaitlyn was quiet pleasant the entire night. The Hamilton's were ready for the show. Sadly Anna wanted nothing to do with the fireworks. She huddled in until she fell asleep. While the show didn't have quite the wow factor as past years with our slightly obstructed view, it still was a spectacular event we shared with lifelong friends.After the long walk back we all were ready for some warm air and rest. Soon the boys had the DVD going, the girls fell asleep and we were home to Lexington by 12:30 PM. A perfect night for all!

P.S. One more thing....Seems like I'll be out shopping for one of these soon. Our well connected friends had 2 extra 2008 KENTUCKY DERBY tickets, so Rich and I will be going to Churchill Downs on May 3. Can I say I am FREAKING OUT EXCITED! Oh my goodness, it's a lifelong wish being fullfilled. Just ask my Mom. I only wish my Grandma Beardall was still alive so I could tell her I would be there in person. She loved horse races too and I would call her every Derby day to remind her to turn it on. Good memories.