Tuesday October 14, 2025
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Tomorrow kicks off the two-week Kentucky Derby Festival with one of the largest fireworks displays in the country. Thunder Over Louisville is a fun family event that features music, food, an air show, and a very large fireworks display at the end of the day. Unfortunately, the weather will not be so cooperative, and there is no rain date. As long as it is safe to be near the river, the show will go on. We are currently looking at a high near 50 degrees with nearly 100% chance of rain.
Visitors to the main viewing area on either side of the river will need a Pegasus pin for entrance. The official program for the day will be available tomorrow in the local newspaper. The day begins when many displays open at 11:00 AM. The US Military will have multiple interactive displays on the South Great Lawn, including a dog tag machine, a fitness challenge, an obstacle course, and a 4D virtual reality simulation of a Navy rescue mission. The South Lawn will have activities geared towards children, such as the ninja jump and Meijer will be sponsoring a Family Fun zone that will feature face painting, bounce houses and a beer garden for the parents.
The famous air show does not start until 2:30 PM (recent time change from 3:00 PM). The line up of acts will feature aircraft from the US and other foreign countries’ militaries, both past and present. The show usually features a couple of stunt pilots that will display their skills in the cockpit by performing stunning, and dangerous, maneuvers in the air at various heights. If you have not been to a Thunder Over Louisville event with cloud cover, the ability of the planes to fly close enough to be seen is dependent on the ceiling level and the pilot’s discretion. The entire line up of airshow can be seen online, but it is subject to change.
The air show ends when the fireworks start. As with the previous 27 events, the 28-minute fireworks show has a theme. This year it is “Local & Original”. Along with the fireworks, there is a musical score to go along with the show and as always, there will be a salute to the US that usually features the US flag being flown by aircraft in the viewing area and a few well-known, patriotic songs. The fireworks are currently scheduled to start at 9:30 PM.
If you plan on attending the event, some useful information can be found at the Kentucky Derby Festival webpage. You should plan on leaving any personal drones, tents, canopies, glass containers, alcoholic beverages, pets, bicycles, and grills at home. Lawn chairs are permitted and so are tarps (as long as they are under 10′ x 10′). Event organizers also recommend that you dress for the weather (possibly consider a change of clothes in a waterproof bag or in the car), make sure you gas tank is full (traffic after the event can be slow moving at best and many routes that may be familiar will be blocked), and plan to park as far away as you can comfortably walk. A map of the viewing area is also available on the website.
If you do not want to drive to the event, the local public transit provider, TARC, will have extra buses on certain routes and alternate loading spots following the event. More information, including route changes and detours, can be found on their website. If you are unable to attend the event or do not desire sitting in the rain all-day, you can listen to the show all day on WVEZ 106.9 and many local news stations will air the event as well.
The annual Abbey Road on the River festival, a five-day celebration of The Beatles and their music, will run from May 25 through 29th in Jeffersonville.
The festival has moved across the river to Jeffersonville, so fans who have attended in the past when Abbey Road was hosted on the Louisville Waterfront, may need help navigating the new venue.
To help with that, the 2017 AROTR venue map showing the festival’s four main outdoor stages in Big Four Station Park, as well as the other event venues, has just been released.
The Budweiser Stage A is located at the northwest corner of the park, Stage B is in the middle of the park, Four Roses’ Stage C is located just off the Big Four Bridge ramp, and Stage D is near the south end of Big Four Station Park. Additional performances will be held at the Clarion and Sheraton hotels as well as in other area venues.
In addition to the map, the finalized schedule for the 2017 lineup has been published and is now available on the Abbey Road on the River website. This year’s lineup includes dozens of acts, including Herman’s Hermits, The Family Stone, Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere & the Raiders, Steve Holley, and many more.
A free concert starring starring Jake Clemons from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band on Thursday, May 25 marks the start of the 2017 festival. Tickets are available online.
Photo: Louisville Metro Parks and Recreation
Louisville Metro Parks & Recreation is accepting team registrations for spring athletic leagues – softball, kickball, flag football and basketball. Games begin the week of May 14. Participants must be 18 or older. Registration deadline is April 28, or until leagues are filled.
Metro Parks athletic leagues offer year-round opportunities for residents to improve their fitness, display their competitive spirit and socialize with others. Spring league sports include:
Softball: men’s, women’s and co-ed leagues. Games are played Sunday through Friday at Camp Taylor, Highview and Seneca parks. The fee is $375-$425 per team.
Kickball: co-ed leagues. Games are played Sunday through Friday at Camp Taylor and Seneca parks. The fee per team is $375.
Flag Football: men’s leagues are Thursday evenings at Seneca Park. The fee per team is $400.
Basketball: men’s leagues are played on Sunday afternoons/evenings at Cyril Allgeier Community Center. The fee per team is $450.
To pre-register for an Athletic League, participants can use this online form: Adult Leagues Pre-Registration. Payment can be made over the phone with credit card (Mastercard/Visa), or in person, by cash, check or credit card, at the Athletics Office located at the Metro Parks and Recreation Athletic Office at the Cyril Allgeier Community Center, 4101 Cadillac Court.
Payment must be made in full at the time of registration in order to reserve team’s place for the season. Registrations after the deadline will be subject to a $35 late registration processing fee.
For More Information:
More information concerning league offerings, registration forms, rules and team roster sheets can be found on the Metro Parks website at https://louisvilleky.gov/government/parks/athletics. Leagues are first-come, first-serve. No mail-in or over-the-phone registrations are accepted. Any questions please contact the Athletics office at 502-574-4515 or by email at athletics@louisvilleky.gov
On Saturday, April 15, Hunter S. Thompson fans from all over will gather at the LFPL’s Main Library at 301 York St to celebrate the life, work, and legacy of the Gonzo journalist creator. Expanded panel discussions, spoken word and poetry performances, and an all-local musical lineup set this year’s festival apart from previous years.
GonzoFest Louisville will host two different panel discussions on the topics of The Literary Impact of Hunter S. Thompson and Freedom of Speech/Media Literacy. Dr. Lee Remington Williams JD, PhD, of Bellarmine University will lead a 45-minute lecture titled Politics: Decadent and Depraved, followed by a question-and-answer session.
Journalist Michael Lindenberger will moderate the panel discussions and lecture. All panels and spoken word performances will take place inside the Main Library.
GonzoFest Louisville will also feature an all-local lineup with music by Nellie Pearl, Otis Junior, Brother Wolves, Satellite Twin, Brooks Ritter, and Sativa Gumbo. All bands will perform in the library parking lot on York St. Juan Thompson, Hunter’s son, will be here as well, signing copies of his book Stories I Tell Myself: Growing Up with Hunter S. Thompson. Additionally, the festival will host a screening of Where the Buffalo Roam, the semi-biographical film based on the experiences of Hunter S. Thompson starring Thompson’s friend Bill Murray. Dean Otto, Curator of Film for the Speed Art Museum, will introduce Where the Buffalo Roam.
The 2017 GonzoFest Louisville celebration is from noon until 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 15. The festival will take place both on the exterior grounds of the Main branch and inside the library. Admission is free, but attendees are encouraged to make a $10 donation when entering the festival. A portion of the proceeds will benefit LFPL.
Learn more at GonzoFestLou.com.
Save the date and ready your appetite: after three successful years, LOUDER THAN LIFE returns to Champions Park in Louisville.
On Saturday, September 30 and Sunday, October 1, 2017, the rock and metal mega festival returns for its 4th year of rock ‘n’ roll, Gourmet Man Food, local craft beer, onsite experiences, and the mind-blowing Bourbon World.
Last year’s line-up featured huge world-wide acts including Avenged Sevenfold, Korn, Slayer, Slipknot, Disturbed, Anthrax, Clutch, The Cult, and many, many more.
More details will be announced in May with details about the musical lineup, vendors, experiences, and ticket information.
Produced by Danny Wimmer Presents, America’s premier production company for rock music festivals, Louisville’s LOUDER THAN LIFE features a selection of award-winning bourbons, whiskey, spirits, craft beer, and Gourmet Man Food curated personally by festival creator Danny Wimmer, along with a powerful music lineup of rock legends and breaking talent.
The LOUDER THAN LIFE festival celebrates the bourbon culture and culinary heritage of this unique American city, and you won’t want to miss out on experiencing it for yourself.
In 2016, LOUDER THAN LIFE topped 50,000 in attendance for the second year in a row, with Slipknot and Avenged Sevenfold headlining together for the first time ever.
For more information, be sure to visit louderthanlifefestival.com.
Riverside, the Farnsley-Moremen Landing will celebrate the return of spring with its annual Plant and Herb Sale on April 14-15, and an Easter egg hunt will be also be held on the grounds on Saturday, April 15 for more family-friendly fun.
“We decided to add the Easter egg hunt this year to bring a dimension to the sale that would attract more families to the beautiful grounds at Riverside,” said Seve Ghose, Director of Louisville Metro Parks and Recreation. “Throughout 2017, it’s part of our plan to increase our recreation footprint with a slew of special events at Riverside, that will include movie nights, concerts, a kite festival and more. Stay tuned!”
The Riverside Garden Club will offer a variety of herbs, perennials, annuals, vegetables, Kentucky native species, heirloom tomatoes, gardening items and good gardening advice.
The sale will take place on Friday, April 14 from 2-7 p.m. and from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 15. All proceeds of the sale support the historic gardening program at Riverside, the Farnsley-Moremen Landing and its mission to interpret historic farm life on the Ohio River.
Riverside’s Garden Club maintains a kitchen garden near the Farnsley-Moremen House where volunteers grow heirloom vegetables, herbs and flowers.
Interpretive programs and events about historic gardening are part of Riverside’s offerings at various times throughout the year.
In conjunction with the sale on Saturday, Metro Parks and Recreation will hold Easter egg hunts from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Hunts for children ages 1-5 (11-11:30 a.m.); 6-8 (11:30-noon); 9-11 (noon-12:30 p.m.) and 12-14 (12:30-1 p.m.).
Admission to the hunts is $2 per child. If there is rain, the hunts will take place on Sunday, April 16 from 1-5 p.m. Food vendors, music, arts and crafts will also be available for the kids.
For more information: 502/935-6809 or email info@riverside-landing.org
Regular Hours of Operation:
Riverside, the Farnsley-Moremen Landing is open for guided tours Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Riverside is closed every Monday.) Admission for tours of the historic Farnsley-Moremen House: $6/Adults; $5/Seniors; $3/Children (ages 6-12); Children 5 and under are free.
Directions to Riverside, the Farnsley-Moremen Landing from Downtown Louisville:
Take I-65 to the Gene Snyder Freeway West. Go approximately 9 miles on the Gene Snyder. After crossing over Dixie Highway, take a left at the stop light onto Lower River Road. The entrance to Riverside will be on your right after about 1/8 mile.
Those who want to experience and learn more about virtual reality will have their chance tomorrow during a free, public event 2-3 p.m. at the University of Louisville’s Gheens Science Hall and Rauch Planetarium.
Two virtual-reality clips will be shown on the planetarium’s 55-foot, immersive dome:
- “Growing Up Girl” gives viewers a chance to experience a day in the life of a Kenyan girl as she copes with extreme poverty. The video shows the young girl as she travels vast distances to fetch water, gather wood and, after dark, walk to a nearby town so she will have lights to complete her school work.
- “Be Who You Are/Love Who You Are” shows the exuberance of gay pride parades from around the world. The clip was first shown during a 2016 LGBTQ event in Louisville and was so popular attendees rated it as the best session of the conference.
After the clips are shown, there will be a discussion about how to harness of the power of virtual reality filmmaking in the Louisville community.
The conversation will be facilitated by Aukram Burton, executive director of Kentucky Center for African American Heritage; Dean Otto, curator of film for the Speed Art Museum; Leo Osborne, founder of a video and digital communications firm; and Nathaniel Spencer, who runs a video services company and is a Louisville Film Commission advisory board member.