Despite the cool weather, firework enthusiasts came from near and far to enjoy the kickoff of the Kentucky Derby Festival, Thunder over Louisville, in Louisville, Ky.

The annual fireworks show, rated within the top five in the nation, has been held since 1990 to commence the beginning of the Kentucky Derby festivities.

Brittany Logsdon, junior from Louisville, said that she has been going to Thunder over Louisville for as long as she can remember.

“It’s a tradition I have always been a part of,” Logsdon said. “I am accustomed to going and I love seeing all of the people that come and it’s one of the best firework shows in the nation.”

This year’s festivities were reported to have gathered more than 500,000 people, including those on the Indiana side of the river.

“The new things they do every year with the fireworks keeps it from ever being the same,” Logsdon said. “They revamp it every year so that each year is different, bigger and better.”

Logsdon was a part of a group of Murray State students and members of the honors program that attended this year’s event. The group has made the derby kickoff a tradition for the program, allowing the students time to get off campus for a weekend away.

“We’ve been doing (Thunder over Louisville) for as long as I can remember,” Logsdon said. “We always have a great time, especially since it happens in such a stressful time in the semester and we get to get away.”

Whether one has seen the show five times, or if it is someone’s very first time Logsdon said Thunder over Louisville never disappoints.

“It’s great to watch the faces of the people who are seeing the show for the first time,” Logsdon said. “Getting to watch them experience the huge production that is Thunder over Louisville can be one of the best parts because it can make anyone a kid again.”

Story by Shannon MacAllister, Assistant Features Editor