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The newly-created “ECHO Mobile,” which brings outdoor nature play activity to neighborhoods throughout Louisville, has been hitting the road and the full schedule of stops for this spring and summer has been released.
Children and families will play with everything from musical instruments to materials for creating imaginative natural Louisville ECHO will be visiting local parks and community centers.
For the full ECHO schedule, please click here.
NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico, host of the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, will be the featured speaker at the 62nd Annual They’re Off! Luncheon on Friday, April 20. The luncheon, first held in 1957, serves as the time-honored kick-off to each year’s Festival. It’s the second-oldest event on the Festival schedule.
“I feel like I know Mike already, after spending two weeks watching and cheering on our Olympic athletes,” said Mike Berry, Kentucky Derby Festival President and CEO. “We’re excited to welcome him to Louisville and to hear his stories.”
The luncheon begins at 11:30 a.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the Galt House East Hotel – site of the festive event since 1974. This year’s event will also feature the presentation of the Kentucky Blood Center Volunteer of the Year Award and the Fifth Third Bank Silver Horseshoe Award for service to the community. Tickets are $85 each or $680 for a table of eight. To purchase tickets or to get additional information, please call (502) 584-FEST or visit KDF.org.
Mike Tirico joined NBC Sports Group in July 2016 working on events including the Olympics, NFL, horse racing, golf, Notre Dame Football, and other big events. In February 2017, Tirico was named NBC’s primetime Olympic host, with his first broadcast in this role to come at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics. In the spring of 2017, Tirico debuted as the host of NBC’s Triple Crown horse racing – covering the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes. Tirico made his NBC Sports Group debut in July 2016 as host of NBC Sports’ live coverage of The Open from Royal Troon in Scotland. Shortly thereafter, he made his Olympics debut as host for NBC’s daytime coverage of Rio 2016. Also, last fall, Tirico served as host of The Ryder Cup and NBC’s primetime coverage of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships. Tirico joined NBC after 25 years at ESPN/ABC, where he established himself as a preeminent broadcaster on properties and events including Monday Night Football, The Open, The Masters, NBA, college football, college basketball, FIFA World Cup, and tennis’ U.S. Open and Wimbledon. In addition, he has hosted SportsCenter coverage of the U.S. Open, The Masters and the Daytona 500, and anchored coverage of the Super Bowl, NCAA Final Four, and NFL Draft for both television and radio
Tirico joins Seth Davis, Jay Bilas, Kenny Mayne, Dick Vitale, Terry Bradshaw, Erin Andrews, Bill Walton, Archie Manning, Greg Gumbel, Magic Johnson, Julius Erving, Larry King, Bob Costas, Robin Roberts, Cawood Ledford, Phil Simms and Howard Cosell in a long list of luminaries who have entertained They’re Off! Luncheon audiences for the past 60 years.
Contributing sponsors for the event are Fifth Third Bank, Kentucky Blood Center, and Kentucky Proud with Media Sponsor Business First. Official Hotel: The Galt House.
Photo: Louisville Metro Council
President David James (D-6) will join representatives of MSD, Brightside, MSD, and the Ancient Order of Hibernians for the next phase of Planting O the Green on Saturday. March 24th.
This year, the President is partnering with Councilman Brandon Coan (D-8) to plant a total of 90 new trees this year.
“There may be snow on the ground now, it won’t last. A tree can last for many years and at the same time help our environment and make a neighborhood a beautiful place to live,” says James.
In District 6, 45 trees will be planted on E. St. Catherine between 2nd and Preston beginning at 9:00am. In District 8, the trees have already been plated in the green space along Gardiner Lane in the Hawthorne neighborhood abutting I-264.
“Planting O’ the Green is part of my goal to plant one tree in District 8 and another tree somewhere else in the city every day. I commend President James and District 6 for joining our partnership,” says Coan.
“TreesLouisville is thrilled to be a primary sponsor of the Planting O’ the Green,” TreesLouisville Executive Director Cindi Sullivan said. “Our vision is a healthier community for current and future generations through a more robust tree canopy and collaborations like this one are an excellent way to make progress.”
“Brightside is very happy to be a part of another Planting O’ The Green,” Brightside Director Gina O’Brien said. “Trees are a terrific investment in our communities that will positively affect the health of Louisville’s residents, environment and economy. Districts 6 and 8 will reap the benefits of these trees for years to come.”
John O’Dwyer, President of the Father Abram J. Ryan Division of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, reflected on the meaning of the St. Patrick’s Parade and the impact of Planting O’ The Green.
“The Hibernians strive to open the spring season each year with the St. Patrick’s Parade, often called the People’s Parade, and it is a time for fun and community. Now we are making the Greenest Parade even greener as the next evolution of this charity event to give back to our fine city,” O’Dwyer said.
For more information about Planting O’ the Green, contact President James’ office at 574-1106.
Ordering Papa John’s pizza will help support this year’s Thunder Over Louisville, now just one month away. Papa John’s and Kentucky Derby Festival officials announced this morning that Papa John’s is the new title sponsor of the Thunder Funder program. The program2 helps raise funds for Thunder Over Louisville – the Derby Festival’s Opening Ceremonies set for April 21. Beginning today, participating Papa John’s locations will donate $1.00 of every Thunder Fireworks pizza purchased to help support Thunder. The Thunder Fireworks pizza must be ordered online at PapaJohns.com using the online promo code THUNDERPIZZA.
“Thanks to Papa John’s, supporting Thunder Over Louisville this year will be as easy as ordering a pizza,”
said Mike Berry, Kentucky Derby Festival President and CEO. “Without the support of community-minded partners like Papa John’s, we couldn’t produce the show fans have come to expect and anticipate.”
Papa John’s is renaming their popular “Works” pizza to the “Thunder Fireworks” pizza for the special promotion, which will last from now through May 6, 2018. The pizza features pepperoni, Canadian bacon, spicy Italian sausage, onions, green peppers, mushrooms and black olives.
“Papa John’s has been a proud Kentucky Derby Festival sponsor for the past 15 years. For the first time, we’re excited to be the title sponsor of the Thunder Funder Program,” said Hillary Simmons, Papa John’s Community Project Specialist. “Through the Thunder Funder Program, we continue to build upon our community-focused initiatives across our home base of Kentuckiana.”
In 2017, Papa John’s locations across Kentuckiana and Central Kentucky raised and donated a combined $191,000 to local organizations striving to make communities a BETTER place to work and live. Papa John’s FIREWORKS Pizza promotion will help to support one of the iconic annual events in Louisville.
Papa John’s partnership with Thunder in 2018 also includes new Papa Wi-Fi Zones with charging pods throughout the venue to help fans stay connected, so they can easily share all their favorite moments from this year’s event with family and friends.
The theme of this year’s show is “A Disco Thunder,” celebrating disco music. The Festival is also planning for another packed air show in 2018, which could include additional military aircraft participation.
Presenting sponsors of Thunder Over Louisville are Horseshoe Southern Indiana, LG&E, Meijer, UPS and Valero. Ford Motor Company returns as sponsor of Ford’s Thunder on the Ground. Thunder Over Louisville’s 2018 Official Broadcast Partners are WLKY TV and SummitMedia’s 106.9 PLAY. The Galt House is the Official Hotel of the event. Thunder Over Louisville is one of the more than 70 events produced by the Derby Festival in the spring. 2018 marks the 29th annual production.
Photo: Louisville Metro Council
President David James invites residents of District 6 to come out to the next “Talk with David” on Saturday, March 24th. It’s an opportunity to meet with the Councilman and talk about any issue or concern from residents in an informal, relaxed setting.
“I am encouraging everyone to come out and just talk with me on a Saturday morning,” says James. “This is another way to let me know what is on your mind and how I can better serve as your Metro Councilman.”
“Talk with David” will be held at the Old Louisville Neighborhood Council, 1340 South 4th Street. The event begins at 10:00am.
“If you have a concern, come and talk to me about it. Not everyone has time during the week to come down to City Hall to talk things over,” says James. “If nothing else, just drop by and say hi!”
Refreshments will be served and everyone is welcome.
For more information about “Talk with David “, contact Councilman James’ office at 574-1106.
The Kentucky Derby Festival Louisville Parks & Recreation StepFest returns this Saturday, March 24. The competition starts at 1pm, at Central High School (1130 W Chestnut Street in Louisville). Doors open for the event at Noon. The competition will feature elementary, middle and high school step teams, as well as community step groups.
“We’re very excited to be hosting the StepFest dance competition again in 2018,” said Ben Johnson, Assistant Director of Recreation. “It’s quickly becoming a Derby Festival tradition. We’ve already doubled the number of step teams competing this year.”
Division winners will receive cash prizes. In addition, all division winners will be featured in the 2018 Republic Bank Kentucky Derby Festival Pegasus Parade, where they will show off their moves once more. Admission for spectators to watch StepFest is $5, and is free for children 5 and under.
The competition is free for participants and registration will be open until the event starts. If interested, contact Laneisha Beasley at (502) 574-3206 or Laneisha.beasley@louisvilleky.gov.
The Kentucky Derby Festival StepFest is sponsored by Louisville Parks & Recreation, with Media Sponsor B96.5 FM.
Class Act Federal Credit Union and the Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation will host dozens of talented kids at the Academic Challenge this weekend. The quick-recall tournament is set for this Saturday, March 24, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel Downtown. The tournament is coordinated by Jefferson County Public Schools is scheduled for 8 AM to 3 PM.
“The Academic Challenge event is a great way to showcase the academic achievements of not only our local students, but also our public schools,” said Jeff English, President of the KDF Foundation. “The competition continues to grow each year with more teams participating.”
The Class Act Federal Credit Union Academic Challenge is an opportunity for elementary students from all over the county to test their acumen by answering questions pertaining to math, science, social studies, language arts and humanities. This year’s competition will feature 12 teams from local elementary schools and 150 students.
“Class Act Federal Credit Union is a not for profit education-based financial cooperative, founded by a group of JCPS teachers in 1954,” said Pat Curran, SVP Marketing and Business Development, Class Act Federal Credit Union. “As part of our support for education in Kentucky, we are happy to support the Kentucky Derby Festival’s Academic Challenge.
The top three schools will be awarded trophies, with first through third also receiving monetary awards. It’s free for spectators. For more information contact Doug Wilham at douglas.wilham@jefferson.kyschools.us or (502) 485-3702.
The event is sponsored by Class Act Federal Credit Union and coordinated by Jefferson County Public Schools. It is a Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation event
