The 2017 edition of Thunder Over Louisville’s musical program kicked off with the AD/DC song Thunderstruck which was quite appropriate right after a cannon wake-up call echoed from the 2nd Street bridge. It was a prelude to a sight and sound extravaganza blasting into the night sky from the middle of the Ohio River. Two sets of four-barge convoys were towed into position: one west of the 2nd Street Bridge and one east of it. The bridge itself was rigged with explosives and packed with US Army cannons.
Thirty seconds later coming over the public address system came something similar to a NASA “Go, no go for launch” pre-launch check list was called out and each station called back “Go!”. When all the “Go’s” were in and a 10 second countdown completed, the next sound was the whistling sound of mortar shells firing into the night sky. At that point the spectacle that is the third largest fireworks display in North America blasted it’s way into the night sky.
However before we got to that point of the night, there was a small matter of an airshow that was scheduled to take place. The weather at the 2:30pm start time was rain and gray, gloomy skies and a cold 54 degrees on the river front. However the ceiling was high enough that the air boss said “Go”. A Navy CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopter flew down the Ohio River towing a large United States of America flag to the national anthem to kick of the air show. Acts ranged from a highly acrobatic bi-plane to the massive C-17 Globemaster III. Fans were treated to a heritage flight consisting of an P-51 Mustang, A-10 Thunderbolt II and an F-35 Lightning II, formation flying from Lima Lima and the Canadian Harvard Aerobatic Team.
As the day progressed the skies continuously improved. The ceiling got higher and higher and the pilots took their acts to an all new level. By the time the last airshow events flew, the skies had cleared, paving the way for a great fireworks display.
On a normal clear day, the crowd for Thunder over Louisville can reach 750,000 people lining the banks of the Ohio River. This year, the rain kept the crowd smaller than normal.
Finding a good spot to watch the show can be a challenge on a normal year, but there are a few places you can get into for the right price. This was our first trip to Thunder over Louisville since 1990 and we chose to purchase a Belle of Louisville package that included viewing of the entire show from the deck of the historic paddle-wheeler, a dinner buffet as well as a pay bar and private restrooms. Part of the Belle’s deck is covered giving you protection from the sun, or in our case, rain for a while. This is not a cruise package, the Belle stays docked for the show.
Our viewing position was perfect for both the airshow and the fireworks. Positioned in the middle of the air-box almost all of the shows events happened right in front of us giving us prime viewing for many of the acrobatic stunts. Then when it was time for the fireworks, the barges were straight in front of us and the show from the 2nd street bridge was just to our right.
It was cold and slightly wet but it was, none-the-less, a great day.
