In anticipation of this Saturday’s Thunder Over Louisville’s return to the Waterfront, Thunder Officials ran their first soundcheck of this year’s fireworks soundtrack in the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport Command Center at the Galt House this morning.

This year’s theme – “The Legend Returns” – will feature a musical playlist that has a little something for everyone.

Songs spotlighting a variety of artists over multiple music genres will entertain guests as they view one of the largest fireworks displays in the nation.

“We are excited to be back and in-person at the Waterfront for Thunder Over Louisville to officially kick off the Kentucky Derby Festival,” said Matt Gibson, President & CEO of the Derby Festival.

“We’ve got a special soundtrack this year to turn up the volume as we celebrate one of our favorite Festival traditions with the community.”

Thunder fans can enjoy music from Ray Charles (“America the Beautiful”); Elton John and Dua Lipa (“Cold Heart”); LeAnn Rimes (“God Bless America”); Miley Cyrus (“Party in the U.S.A.”); Pink (“We Are the Champions”); Bruce Springsteen (“Dancing in the Dark”); Coldplay (“My Universe”); The Weeknd (“Take My Breath”); Panic at the Disco (“The Greatest Show”); Outkast (“Hey Ya”); Lil Nas X and Louisville’s own Jack Harlow (“Industry Baby”); and many more.

“It is nothing like we have ever done before,” said Wayne Hettinger, Producer of Thunder Over Louisville, about this year’s soundtrack. “The excitement level is through the roof, and I am expecting the community will feel the same. It’s going to be the greatest show yet.”

Thunder fans don’t have to worry about hearing this year’s fireworks soundtrack loud and clear. Shepherd Insurance is the Official Sound Sponsor for Thunder Over Louisville. Their sponsorship helps offset the costs of the sound towers and the sound feed throughout the venue.

“We are excited to return as the Official Sound Sponsor for the 2022 Thunder Over Louisville celebrations. It is our honor to partner with the Kentucky Derby Festival and the amazing volunteers that help make this event happen,” said Trent Hunt, Executive Partner at Shepherd Insurance.

With multiple sound tower locations throughout the venue, fans can enjoy the narration of the air show, event announcements and the fireworks soundtrack.

Towers are located at the Belvedere, Thunder Chow Wagon, North Great Lawn, South Great Lawn, and Big Four Bridge Lawn. Plus, on the Southern Indiana side, the Festival provides a sound feed to Upland Brewing Company.

The launch sequence to start the fireworks and the soundtrack are all orchestrated in the Command Center.

Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport is sharing its name with the Command Center again this year as the Title Sponsor of the show’s communication hub.

“We are pleased to continue our support of the Kentucky Derby Festival and Thunder Over Louisville as the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport Command Center,” said Dan Mann, Executive Director of the Louisville Regional Airport Authority.

“Not only is this iconic and well-known event a great way to celebrate our community, but we’re glad to play such a key role at both Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport and Bowman Field supporting the Thunder Air Show. We look forward to this year’s event as the festivities return to the Waterfront.”

Thunder’s fireworks show is choreographed to an original soundtrack each year. Over time, those soundtracks have included a broad range of music from Top Ten and country, to urban and contemporary, even rock’n’roll and Broadway show tunes.

Anywhere from 25 to 60 different tracks or sound effects are used to build the musical score each year.

This is the 32nd consecutive year that UPS has been a presenting sponsor of Thunder Over Louisville. Caesars Southern Indiana has been a presenting sponsor for 23 consecutive years.

LG&E and Meijer have both been Thunder sponsors for the past 16 years in a row. This is Humana’s first year as a presenting sponsor of Thunder.

In addition to the presenting sponsors, Ford Motor Company returns as the title sponsor of Ford’s Thunder on the Ground. Shepherd Insurance is the Official Sound Sponsor, Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport returns as title sponsor of the Command Center, and The Galt House is the Official Hotel of the event.

Official Boat and RV Sponsor is My Financing USA. Thunder Over Louisville’s 2022 Official Broadcast Partners are WLKY and SummitMedia’s MIX 106.9.

Thunder Over Louisville is one of the more than 70 events produced by the Derby Festival in the spring. It provides an estimated impact of $56 million to the area’s economy.

The Derby Festival is an independent community organization. It entertains more than 1.5 million people annually every spring and is one of the leading community celebrations in the world.

The body of a missing Seymour man was found last night near Little York, ending a Silver Alert that had been issued yesterday. 

Indiana Conservation Officers are investigating the death of Harold L. Wilson, 89, of Seymour.

Wilson was discovered by fishermen outside of Little York in Washington County yesterday.   

According to Indiana Conservation Officer Jim Shreck, the fishermen saw Wilson’s body along a small tributary adjoining the Muscatatuck River, and Wilson’s car was found a short distance away, near State Road 39.  

Indiana State Police divers recovered Wilson’s body shortly before 6 p.m. yesterday. 

“His truck was located and he drove there. His vehicle was found along Old State Road 39 in the Austin Bottoms area and his body was near the waterline of a little creek,” he said. 

Shreck said the vehicle appeared to have been stuck in the mud and at some point, he exited the vehicle. 

How he ended up in the water is still being investigated, said Shreck.

Wilson was the subject of a Silver Alert issued by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department on April 19.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department said Wilson was last seen driving a red 2003 Chevrolet Silverado.

He was last seen on Tuesday, April 19, 2022, at 6:11 am.

He was believed to be in extreme danger and may require medical assistance. 

An autopsy is scheduled for later today to determine the cause of death.

No foul play is suspected at this time. 

Other assisting agencies at the scene included the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, Washington County Sheriff’s Department, Washington County EMS, and the Gibson Township Fire Department.

On April 19 at 11:33a, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department responded to a single-vehicle crash on State Road 311 in Elizabeth near Glass Sand Road.

Witnesses said that a dark blue van was traveling East toward Highway 111 when it sideswiped a guardrail for an unknown reason. 

The van then traveled left of center, over-corrected, and rolled multiple times off the roadway. 

The female driver was ejected from the vehicle and sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. 

A juvenile passenger was transported by ambulance to Norton Children’s Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries and is in stable condition. 

Harrison County Deputies and the Harrison County Coroner have notified the driver’s immediate family but her identification is being withheld until all family has been properly notified. 

The crash is still under investigation.

Indiana State Police are releasing new details about a young black male child found dead in the woods between East Washington School Corporation and South Boston Saturday evening.

According to Sgt. Carey Huls, the body was found stuffed in a closed, hard case suitcase that was approximately 30 inches tall, with an image of Las Vegas on the front. 

Huls said police hope the image will lead to more specific tips and the identification of the child. 

An autopsy was conducted on Tuesday; however, no information as to the cause of death was determined.

Results of the toxicology report are still pending, and investigators are hopeful that information will shed more light on the cause of death.  

Based on the information provided by the autopsy, Investigators believe the child is approximately 5 years old.

He is described as a black male, approximately four feet tall, with a slender build and short haircut. 

A mushroom hunter reported the discovery to police on Saturday evening and the Washington County Sheriff’s Department sent a tone to the Pierce Polk Volunteer Fire Department at 7:53p to investigate a possible death at 7629 East Holder Road. 

The location is just northeast of East Washington School Corporation and south of South Boston and just a few miles from three local churches — Blue River Baptist, Olive Branch Church, and Mt. Zion Church.

The fire department was asked to call the sheriff’s department for further information. 

A second tone was issued at 7:54p and Washington County EMS was also called to the scene. 

However, EMS was told to disregard a dispatch for Medic 2 at the scene at about 8:11p. 

Police are still asking for those with information to reach out to a dedicated national tip line that was set up Monday. 

Detectives with the Indiana State Police continue to ask for the public’s help in identifying a deceased child located in rural Washington County on Saturday.  

A toll-free tip line was established on Monday, and Investigators have received approximately 200 calls from the public.

Unfortunately, none of those calls have led to the identification of the deceased child.

Many of those calls are related to information about children already documented as missing.

Investigators are thankful for all the tips that are coming in but ask that the public does not send information on children already documented as missing at this time.

Investigators say those cases are already being looked into.  

Anyone with information is asked to call the toll-free number established for this case: 1-888-437-6432.  

Indiana State Police have set up a national tip line in hopes of discovering evidence or leads in the death of a young black male child found in the woods of Washington County on Saturday night. 

Anyone with information has been asked to call 1-888-437-6432. 

ISP Sgt. Carey Huls announced today in a press conference at the Sellersburg Post that no new leads have been generated in the past 48 hours and that police are hoping an upcoming autopsy will shed some light on who the boy is and how he ended up where he was found. 

A black male child between the ages of 5 to 8 years of age was found Saturday evening by an area resident mushroom hunting in Eastern Washington County. 

Huls said the child is approximately four feet tall and has a slim build and a short haircut. Investigators believe the child’s death occurred sometime within the last week.  

In a press release issued by the State Police on Sunday afternoon, Huls noted that the boy’s body was found near the road. 

There was no information released about the state of the body or what the boy was dressed in. 

An autopsy is scheduled with the Washington County Coronoer’s Office for Tuesday, April 19.

The resident immediately called 911 and the Washington County Sheriff’s Department responded by sending a tone to the Pierce-Polk Volunteer Fire Department regarding a possible 10-0 or death.

The Washington County Ambulance Service was called to the scene and later a second squad was called off around 8:11p.

Detectives with the Indiana State Police in Sellersburg were then called to investigate.   

“[Our] number one goal is to find the identity and name of this child,” said Huls this afternoon. “We’re continuing to ask the public’s help to get that call. This was a 5 to 8-year-old young man. Someone was taking care of him. Someone had him in their home for his daily care. We still haven’t received a report of a child missing that would match his description.”

Huls said no local schools or residents had reported him missing. 

“We have received numerous tips and calls in the past 24 hours. We ask that if you do have information, social media is not the way to give us a tip,” he said. 

Huld did say some calls had referenced a 4-year-old boy named Codi Bigsby that has been missing since January 31 from Hampton, Virginia. 

“We’ve received several calls on that and have been in contact with the Hampton Police Department. Until we have the specific information, we’re not being led in that direction,” Huls noted. 

“We originally thought [the boy] might be from the local area…but because nothing has happened — we’ve been in contact with schools and other agencies [and there have been] no matches that would answer that question. This could be a child from any location in the US. We’re not going to stop looking until we find the answers,” Huls said. 

“He obviously wasn’t taking care of himself.” said Huls. “Someone out there knows something. They’re either choosing not to come forward or someone hasn’t heard this information. We want to give him a voice.”

Konnar Lewis Anderson, age 18 of Salem, was born September 2, 2003 in New Albany, Indiana. He was the son of Joshua Gunnar and Angela Marie (Chastain) Anderson.

Konnar had been a life resident of Washington County where he enjoyed participating in the High School Marching Band, playing tennis, hiking, running, weight lifting, cooking, and baking in his free time.

He was an employee of Walmart in Salem and was accepted into the Sullivan Culinary Arts Program on an academic scholarship.

Survivors include:
Father: Joshua Gunnar Anderson of Salem; Mother: Angela Marie Anderson; 2 Half sisters: Paige Denham and Brooklyn Carnes; Half brother: Elijah Gallahan; Paternal Grandfather: Steven L. Anderson of Salem and Paternal Grandmother: Marla (Charles) Hannah of Salem.

A Memorial Service will be held for Konnar at 6:00 pm on Friday, April 15th at the Salem High School Gymnasium.

Dawalt Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.

The family asks not to send flowers, wind chimes, or other gifts.

Instead, they request family and friends make a donation to the Salem Education Foundation, for the purpose of establishing a scholarship in Konnar’s name.

Konnar’s legacy of helping others can and will, live on through this scholarship. Please reference Konnar’s name on the check.

Salem Education Foundation
C/O Salem High School
700 N Harrison St
Salem, IN. 47167

It’s time to take your shot at $1 million! The Stock Yards Bank Kentucky Derby Festival $1 Million Dollar Hole-In-One Golf Contest opens Thursday, April 14 and runs through Sunday, April 24. The contest will take place at the Seneca Golf Course Driving Range off Pee Wee Reese Road.

There will be nine days of preliminary qualifying rounds and a Semi-Final Round on Sunday, April 24.

The preliminary competition is open from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. every day from April 14-22, except for April 17, when it will be closed for Easter, and April 23 when it is closed for Thunder Over Louisville. The last day for the preliminary competition is Sunday, April 24, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and then the Semi-Final round begins at 6 p.m. Competitors and spectators can relax in the refreshment tent located adjacent to the tee area.

During the preliminary rounds, the 10 closest shots to the hole each day will advance to the Semi-Final round, while hole-in-one shots will advance directly to the Finals. It is $1 per shot daily, with 2 shots for $1 specials on the following days:

• Senior Days (62+): Weekdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Junior Day (under 18): Saturday, April 16
• First Responders & Veterans Day: Monday, April 18
• Ladies Day: Tuesday, April 19
• College Day: Wednesday, April 20

There are a total of 56 positions in the Finals, which include all daily hole-in-one qualifiers, four female qualifiers from Ladies Day, plus two qualifiers under the age of 18 from Junior Day advance as well. The Finals will be held on Tuesday, April 26 at 6 p.m. at Seneca Golf Course Hole #8. If no hole in one is awarded during the Grand Prize round, the participant coming closest to the hole during the Finals will receive a $5,000 first prize.

Stock Yards Bank is the title sponsor of the event. Contributing Sponsors are Capital Access Corporation – Kentucky and Louisville Parks & Recreation, joining Media Sponsor, WLKY TV.