LOUISVILLE,KY (WAVE) - More details have been released about the air and fireworks show at this year's Thunder Over Louisville. Several weeks ago, Kentucky Derby Festival organizers announced that corporate sponsorship was down $250,000 during this tough economic year and feared the massive event would have to be cut back. They've now made up more than half of that
shortfall, so there will be just as many fireworks and aircraft.

In fact, the fireworks will be more vivid than ever for the 20th annual Thunder Over Louisville, thanks to "different breaking shells that we're going to use and a big enhancement in color," explained 20-year producer Wayne Hettinger. According to the Thunder Over Louisville website, the preview party was held Thursday, April 2, at the Central American Airways Flying Service hangar at Bowman Field.

The theme of this year's show is "Thunder Road: Fasten Your Seatbelts," and the soundtrack will be filled with songs reinforcing the theme - including plenty of road trip songs.

"Yes, you will hear 'Thunder Road,'" Hettinger said, but added: "Not much of it because it's a very slow song. We've got to have a lot of driving music to go to release 58 tons of fireworks." The "Thunder Road" theme is a perfect complement to the Kentucky Derby Festival's overall theme, which is "Road to Fun." As for the air show, member of the Kentucky Air National Guard will open the show by jumping out of cargo planes. Plus there will be an aerobatic helicopter doing rolls and loops, piloted by "Dr. Smoke." And the F-22 Stealth - always a crowd favorite - will make an appearance. "It's a very stealthy aircraft," said Capt. Jennifer Bobsin with the Kentucky Air National Guard. "It's very sleek. It's very dynamic, and I think that's why a lot of people like it. It just moves very fluidly."

This year organizers are also incorporating the Ohio River into the show, powered by a 3,700-hp turbine-powered race boat.

"It's not loud, just like an A-10 Warthog, people are going to hear a whistle and all of a sudden, this boat will go zooming by them at 200 mph," said Brandon Webner of Miss GEICO Racing.

This year's sponsors include: E.ON U.S., Horseshoe Casino and Hotel, Meijer and UPS, and McDonald's of Kentuckiana is the title sponsor of the Thunder Funder Program for the fourth year in a row.

For more information on this year's Thunder Over Louisville, visit www.thunderoverlouisville.org.