Thursday October 30, 2025
Local Connection
Weather
Traffic
@LouisvilleDispatch
@LouisvilleDisp
Subscribe
Through a special second chance promotion sponsored by the Kentucky Lottery, Louisville resident Bob Paxton won the opportunity to be this year’s Festival Fanatic for the 2018 Kentucky Derby Festival. As part of his big win, Paxton will serve as the Thundernator for the Derby Festival Opening Ceremonies: Thunder Over Louisville on Saturday, April 21.
At age 62, this will be Paxton’s first ever Thunder experience. He will have the opportunity to provide the Thunder countdown and “zero” ignition to activate the launch system sequence in the Command Center at the Galt House Hotel. Additionally, Bob receives nine other Festival VIP experiences. This includes a ride down Broadway in the Republic Bank Pegasus Parade, a hot air balloon ride, seats on Millionaires Row during Celebrity Day at the Downs, and $500 in spending money!
This is a special win for Paxton, “I was standing in line at Cane’s Chicken getting lunch when my phone rang and the call was from the Kentucky Lottery. I got so excited when I found out I was going to be the Festival Fanatic – everyone in the restaurant knew I’d won! I loved the idea of being the Festival Fanatic, and really wanted to win last year because the experience sounded so terrific.”
Over 5,000 fans entered the promotion which kicked off on February 5th. Players signed in or registered for a Fun Club Rewards account at www.kylottery.com. Once logged in, they were able to submit an eligible non-winning KENO ticket worth $5 or more for a chance to be named the 2018 Festival Fanatic.
Paxton will also be in town on Friday, April 20th. He will visit the Command Center for the first time at 10 a.m. that morning. Media is invited to the Command Center to meet him in person on April 20th.
Paxton won a VIP Experience package that includes: an invitation to the Festival’s annual They’re Off! Luncheon on Friday, April 20; a Second Street Bridge and Command Center Tour also on Friday, April 20; Overnight accommodations for a family of 4 at the Galt House Thunder weekend; and a front row seat in the Command Center on Saturday, April 21, to flip the switch.
Thunder Over Louisville – the Derby Festival’s Opening Ceremonies – is one of nearly 70 events produced by the Derby Festival in the spring. The 2018 Thunder Over Louisville, themed “A Disco Thunder,” is set for Saturday, April 21, and will be the 29th annual production. The show is sponsored by Horseshoe Southern Indiana, LG&E, Meijer, UPS, and Valero.
We’re less than a month away from the kick off of the 2018 Kentucky Derby Festival – and there will be even more Festival events for fans to enjoy. New additions to the ever-growing schedule include a new steamboat cruise, flag football, a gala, kickball, zombies, a community-wide clean up, and a move to Southern Indiana. They will be part of the Festival’s schedule of more than 70 events produced each year in the weeks leading up to the first Saturday in May.
“It’s the Festival’s mission to make sure our schedule has a little something for everyone,” said Mike Berry, KDF President & CEO. “We continue to build on the tradition that started in 1956 with a single parade for the community.”
The new events for the 2018 Kentucky Derby Festival include:
- A Derby Festival event in New Albany, Indiana. The Festival is partnering with the Horseshoe Foundation of Floyd County for the new Horseshoe Foundation FamFest on April 11. The family-friendly event will have a special preview of the 2018 Festival, featuring a hot air balloon, inflatables, mini golf and bed races, face painting and more. The first 1,000 attendees receive a custom Pegasus Pin.
- An effort to help keep the city cleaner and greener. Louisville’s Brightside is making their Community-Wide Cleanup an Official Kentucky Derby Festival event on Saturday, April 14, and will be recruiting volunteers to participate. Contact Brightside for more information.
- Zombies at Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville. Derby of the Dead Presented by the Louisville Zombie Walk will take over the North Great Lawn on Friday, April 27 complete with live entertainment, zombie themed wares, zombie car show and a zombie make-up demonstration. Admission is free with a 2018 Pegasus Pin.
- Another chance to ride Louisville’s steamboat. The Derby Festival is partnering with Trilogy to host the Steamboat Race Trial on Monday, April 30. The two hour cruise on the Belle of Louisville will be a relaxing way to start Derby Week, including brunch and live entertainment. Plus it’s a practice run for the Belle, as she prepares for the Great Steamboat Race later that week. Tickets $45. Purchase online at KDF.org or call (502) 584-FEST.
- Kickball and flag football tournaments on the Great Lawn. LXC Sports will bring their Flag Football and Kickball Showdowns to Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville Derby Week and they’re looking for teams to participate. For more information, check out www.lxcsports.com.
- A Derby Gala with a grand cause. Louisville Urban League’s Derby Gala is now an Official Kentucky Derby Festival Event. Themed Casino Royale, the 2nd annual Derby Gala will be held at the new OMNI hotel on Wednesday, May 2, Tickets: $250. Purchase online at www.lul.org/events/derby-gala or call (502) 585-4622.
The 2018 Kentucky Derby Festival officially kicks-off on Saturday, April 21, with the Opening Ceremonies – Thunder Over Louisville. Over the course of two weeks each year, the Festival attracts an estimated 1 million patrons to the city for its events. But, more than just fun and entertainment, the Festival also generates in excess of $127 million annually for the local economy. More information on all the events can be found at KDF.org.
The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission has recommended expanding modern gun season for deer to 16 days statewide, increasing the number of deer allowed on a statewide permit from two to four, and increasing some license and permit fees for non-residents.
The proposals were among multiple recommendations to deer, waterfowl and migratory bird seasons made by commission members at their March 23 meeting in Frankfort.
The commission recommends hunting, fishing and boating regulations for approval by the Kentucky General Assembly. Legislators must approve all recommendations before they become law.
The changes recommended by commission members are designed to help thin the state’s deer herd in more densely populated areas while boosting numbers where deer populations are lower than desired. Changes also will boost many opportunities for hunters.
All deer-related regulations will go into effect for the 2018-2019 seasons, if approved by legislators. Click the “details” link for more information on each change.
Deer-related recommendations approved by the commission include:
- Creating an antlerless-only modern gun hunt during the last weekend of September in Zone 1 counties. (details)
- Expanding the modern gun deer season to 16 days statewide. (details)
- Modifying the statewide deer permit from a two-deer limit to four deer (details), and the youth deer permit from a one-deer limit to four deer. (details) Hunters would still be limited to one antlered deer statewide, regardless of zone or method.
- Changing the following counties from Zone 2 to Zone 1: Union, Henderson, McLean, Muhlenberg, Todd, Mercer, Mason and Hart. (details)
- Changing the following counties from Zone 3 to Zone 2: Warren, Allen, Monroe, Barren, Metcalfe, Adair, Edmonson, Butler, Breckinridge, Meade, Hancock, Daviess, Taylor, Casey, Lincoln, Boyle, Madison, Clark, Montgomery and Bath. (details)
- Changing the following counties from Zone 4 to Zone 3: Garrard, Pulaski, Wayne and Laurel. (details)
- Allowing hunters to take only one antlerless deer with a firearm in Zone 3. (details)
- Setting a Zone 4 season bag limit of two deer, consisting of one antlered and one antlerless deer. Antlerless deer could only be taken during youth gun seasons, during archery and crossbow seasons, or the last three days of the December muzzleloader season. (details)
- Allowing hunters to take a bag limit of deer in each zone, independent of the other zone’s bag limits. (details)
- Modifying the additional deer permit from a two-deer limit to 15 deer. Hunters would still be limited to one antlered deer statewide, regardless of zone or method. (details)
- Prohibiting devices designed to entangle and trap the antlers of a deer. (details)
- Creating a special deer hunt program that would allow modern gun hunts for deer outside of the normal season. This would only apply to nonprofit conservation organizations working under Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s recruitment, retention and re-activation guidelines. (details)
- Allowing a person to use an unlimited number of deer control tags. The current limit is five tags. (details)
- Removing the requirement to sign a deer control tag at the time of transfer from landowner to hunter. (details)
- Requiring the hunter to sign a deer control tag at the time of harvest. (details)
Commission members also took several steps at their meeting to simplify some waterfowl regulations and to increase opportunities for hunters. Waterfowl regulations will go into effect for the 2018-2019 seasons, if approved by legislators. Recommendations include:
- Increasing the northern pintail daily bag limit from one bird to two for the 2018-2019 duck seasons. (details)
- Changing Northeast Goose Zone season dates to correspond to the statewide goose seasons. (details)
- Removing the September closure for goose hunting in the Northeast Goose Zone and the West-Central Goose Zone. (details)
Commissioners also made several recommendations affecting Sloughs Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Henderson and Union counties. These include:
- Allowing expanded waterfowl quota hunts on the Sauerheber Unit. (details)
- Removing blind site hunting restrictions on the Sauerheber Unit. (details)
- Developing a check-in system for quota hunt participants on the Sauerheber Unit. (details)
- Creating a lottery for unclaimed blinds or hunt sites on the Sauerheber Unit (details) and removing the ability to occupy unclaimed blinds. (details)
- Creating a quota hunt for the Jenny Hole Unit, with spots allocated by a weekly drawing. (details)
- Closing the Jenny Hole Unit to waterfowl hunting, except for quota hunt participants. (details)
- Prohibiting boat use on the Jenny Hole Unit from Thanksgiving Day to the last Sunday in January, except for quota hunt participants during limited hours. (details)
Recommendations affecting Ballard WMA in western Kentucky include:
- Removing the requirement to hunt from a blind in the Ballard Zone. (details)
- Mandating that hunters accurately report waterfowl harvest on their harvest cards. (details)
Commission members proposed several changes to the existing regulations governing sandhill crane hunting. These would expand hunting opportunities and establish a second refugee area on public property. Proposals include:
- Changing the sandhill crane quota hunt application period from late November to the month of September to align it with quota hunt application periods of other game species. (details)
- Increasing the number of sandhill crane permits and tags issued. (details)
- Lengthening the sandhill crane season and increasing the statewide bag limit. (details)
- Allowing hunters to take more than two birds in a season, if they have the required number of tags. (details)
- Requiring participants to buy a hunting license by Sept. 30 to be eligible for a permit. (details)
- Establishing a new refuge for roosting birds by closing portions of Green River Lake to sandhill crane hunting. (details)
In fisheries-related business, the commission proposed new fishing regulations for Rockcastle River WMA in Pulaski County. These include a daily creel limit of 10 bluegill or other sunfish, four catfish, 15 crappie and one largemouth bass that must be greater than 15 inches long.
Commissioners also recommended adding mooneye and goldeye to the restricted movement list of fish species to help blunt the spread of Asian carp into new waterbodies.
The commission also proposed changing some non-resident license and permit fees. (details)
The next regularly scheduled Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting will be 8:30 a.m. (Eastern time), Friday, June 8, 2018. Meetings are held at Kentucky Fish and Wildlife headquarters, located at 1 Sportsman’s Lane off U.S. 60 in Frankfort.
Credit: KY State Parks
Plan a spring adventure on Tygarts Creek on a canoe or kayak with a 6-mile excursion hosted by Carter Caves State Resort Park.
The park is offering guided trips on six dates in 2018 – April 14, 21, 29 and May 2, 6 and 12.
The 3.5-hour trip down Tygarts Creek goes through one of Kentucky’s most beautiful limestone gorges. The park will provide canoes or kayaks, paddles, life vest, transportation shuttle from and back to the Welcome Center, and guides for your trip. The fee is $40 per person. (The fee is $30 a person if you bring your own canoe or kayak.)
Participants should have some paddle experience before signing up for these trips. Along the way participants will see high cliff sides and the natural beauty that the spring has to offer. There will also be a side trip into one of Kentucky’s largest natural limestone tunnels.
Guests should wear proper attire for cool weather paddling, a complete change of clothes, treaded footwear, flashlight (for natural tunnel visit), sack lunch, bottled water and a dry bag for your supplies. You must be at least 12 years old to participate and paddlers ages 15 and under must be with a legal guardian.
Participants will meet at the park Welcome Center and should be ready to leave at 9:30 a.m.
Registration is required. To register, visit: https://secure.kentucky.gov/formservices/Parks/CarterCavesPaddleTrips. For questions, call the park at 606-286-4411.
Carter Caves State Resort Park in Olive Hill has a lodge, cottages, restaurant, campground, gift shop, cave tours and many recreational activities. For more information about the park, visit www.parks.ky.gov
It’s become a signature of the Derby Festival and a sign of spring in Louisville – the Festival’s official uniform jacket. In chameleon like form, the design of the jacket has changed through the years after first being introduced in 1973. Festival fans will see the newest rendition this spring, after it was officially unveiled tonight on the runway at the Festival’s annual Spring Fashion show. The jackets still feature the Festival’s Pegasus icon, while the former color scheme of khaki and black has been updated to a fuchsia and Caribbean blue.
“This time we’re returning to a bolder spring color palette and it’s sure to brighten your day,” said Mike Berry, Kentucky Derby Festival President and CEO. “It’s definitely one that will stand out, but still remains steeped in tradition.”
The Festival solicited the help of stylist André Wilson of Louisville-based Style Icon to design the new jackets. Meetings with the Festival started last fall, which lead to pencil sketches, choosing the colors and then creating a digital artist rendering. Wilson’s goal was to make it different, but stay within the brand, as well as have a versatile and iconic piece.
“I don’t like fashion that can’t be worn with everything else,” said Wilson. “I wanted to pick a color that would go with different colors and it had to stand out. Bright colors always work at Derby time.”
The jackets were manufactured and tailored in New York and St. Matthews. Derby Festival staff and board members wear jackets of the same style and color; current and past Festival chairs are distinguished by wearing jackets in a different design.
The Derby Festival’s official jackets made their debut in 1973. They were burgundy in color in their first incarnation, with pocket crests attached by military clasps. In 1976, a new jacket was unveiled: it was navy in color with gold Pegasus icons. A dozen years later the color scheme was again changed, this time to a teal color with pink Pegasus icons, and then again in 2006 to khaki and black colors.
Mayor Fischer, the Southwest Dream Team and Metro Council members were joined by local business owners and residents to unveil the 2018 edition of the South Points Scenic Area Map. It is the fourth rendition of the map, which has expanded its outreach year over year to include more local businesses and attractions, including this year, Kentucky Kingdom and Hurricane Bay.
Also new to this year’s map is an inaugural food district, called “Dine South Points,” which highlights the cultural eateries of the South Points Scenic Area, near Iroquois Park and south to Fairdale. Some new restaurants to be featured in the food district are: Vietnam Kitchen, Binh Phuoc Market, Cocoberry Pops, Shack in the Back BBQ, Golden Wall, La Riviera Maya, Sunergos Coffee and Vietnam Oriental Food Market.
The diverse range of businesses included in the map shines light on the wealth of cultural diversity that lies within the South Points Scenic Area. Louisville Metro and the Southwest Dream Team are proud to support these businesses and invite new businesses to consider participating in next year’s map.
“South and southwest Louisville continues to experience positive economic development, and is a tremendous source of pride for our entire community,” said Fischer. “The number of locally owned businesses and attractions continues to grow, with attractions serving residents and visitors from near and far.”
It is the mission of the Southwest Dream Team to promote economic development in south and southwest Louisville. The South Points Scenic Area was created in 2013 to promote the many tourism-related business and cultural and natural attractions that the area has to offer.
”The Southwest Dream Team is celebrating 10 years of continued efforts to make Southwest Louisville a healthier and more prosperous region of Louisville, and is currently in a strategic planning period,” says Vince Jarboe, President of the Southwest Dream Team. Jarboe also announced their recent hiring of an Executive Director, Charlotte Caldwell, who has extensive experience in nonprofits through her service as an AmeriCorps VISTA and volunteering on several committees for various nonprofits. “The Southwest Dream Team thanks the sponsors and Metro Council members who have been supporting us since the inception of the South Points Scenic Area.”
A mobile version of the map can be viewed at www.southpoints.org, and @SPScenicArea on Facebook and Twitter. For more information and to join the conversation visit www.swdreamteam.org, and follow @SWDT on Twitter to stay updated on the work of the Southwest Dream Team
Thunder Over Louisville fans making plans for a place to park their cars or pitch a tent have an option that’s close to the action. Louisville Parks and Recreation is selling passes for Thunder weekend at Eva Bandman Park, 1701 River Road.
Eva Bandman Park is located along the Ohio River near Frankfort Avenue, less than a 10-minute stroll from the eastern edge of Waterfront Park.
- Recreational Vehicles – $200 for Friday and Saturday nights; all parking on the pavement and trailers with up to 40-foot awnings are allowed.
- Tents – Campers bringing tents may stay in Eva Bandman Park on Friday and Saturday nights for $50. This includes space for one car, not necessarily next to your tent. Additional cars are $15 each for both RV’s & Tents.
- Parking – On Saturday, April 21, parking spots at Eva Bandman Park will be available as long as space permits, at a cost of $20 per vehicle. Cash only, paid at time of arrival.
Overnight visitors in tents and RVs can stay through Sunday morning. Metro Parks’ staff will be available around the clock. A reservation form can be found here. After staging their site on Friday, those not wishing to camp overnight may exit the park using their extra vehicle and return on Saturday. Previous parking spaces are not guaranteed. Spaces may become limited as Saturday progresses; no other re-entry is authorized.
Advanced registration is highly recommended as the Louisville Police Department will be organizing street closures in the area.
For more information call 502/574-7275 (PARK).
