Weather in Kentuckiana in the spring can be quite random. For a week long event you know weather is going to impact a couple of events. The weathermen were threatening rain to show up just in time for the 60th Pegasus Parade on Thursady and sure enough, as the spectators arrived and the parade entries started rolling, a good, solid shower was raining down on Broadway.
Kentucky Derby Festival
The Belle of Louisville repeats as winner of the Great Steamboat Race
It seems appropriate that Brad Paisley’s “Down by the River bank” came on the radio as we pulled off of I-64 onto River Road as we headed to the 2015 Great Steamboat Race. Today the Ohio River bank held two boats that would do battle on the Ohio later in the day.
Time to race some beds at the 2015 Great Bed Races
The 2015 Great Bed Races took place on Monday, April 27th at Broadbent Arena in Louisville. It pits race teams together who have to build a race bed with four wheels and hold a full sized mattress during one of the Kentucky Derby Festival’s signature events.
Up! Up and Away… The Great Balloon Race flies early
The 2015 version of the Kentucky Derby Festival’s Great Balloon Race surprised many with a Friday flight due to expected bad weather on Saturday morning, it’s traditional fly date. With winds carrying the balloons into southern Indiana in the middle of rush hour in heavy construction, the race was shortened to allow teams to be able to make it to the Balloon Glow later that evening.
BREAKING NEWS: Great Balloon Race moved to this afternoon!
Because of expected bad weather tomorrow, organizers of the Great Balloon Race have decided to move tomorrow’s race to today at 5:30 pm. The balloons will still take off from Bowman Field. After the race, things will move to the Fairgrounds for the Balloon glow tonight at 9pm.
Let the Festival begin! It’s time for Thunder over Louisville!
Of course some festival events have already been going, but the big kick-off happens today over the Ohio River in downtown Louisville when Thunder over Louisville takes to the air. This year’s theme is a “Boom with a View”.
The Belle of Louisville kicks the Belle of Cincinnati’s behind in the Great Steamboat Race #kdf2014
One of the banner events of the Kentucky Derby Festival is racing old river paddle boats up and down the Ohio River. The cornerstone of this race is the 100-year-old “Belle of Louisville” who turns 100 later this year. She is an authentic steam-powered paddle wheel that drove transportation in the 1800’s and 1900’s up … Read more
More fun than you should have with a bed: the 2014 Great Bed Races #kdf2014
Beds… You jump on them as kids. You sleep on them and well, um you… Race them of coarse. One of the more fun things that Kentuckians race is beds. There are two phases of the competition: the style and the speed. During the style phase, the teams assemble costumes and decorate the beds based … Read more
Fantastic morning for the @KyDerbyFestival Great Balloon Race #kdf2014
Man are we beat…. After being up for last night’s balloon glow, we only got about 5 hours of sleep before we were up checking the weather before heading out to the 2014 Kentucky Derby Festival Great Balloon Race. After getting up early yesterday and a long 10 hour drive, a nap is in order … Read more
The 2014 Kentucky Derby Festival Balloon Glow #kdf2014
A long standing tradition in the Kentucky Derby Festival is the Great Balloon Race, held the Saturday before the Kentucky Derby. Hot air balloons from around the country gather to race. But a precursor to the race is the Balloon Glow, held the night before. It’s a practice run for tomorrow’s launch and a great … Read more