'Thunder' rolls back into Burnside this Labor Day weekend

Aug. 25—It's almost Labor Day — time to take off those white shoes and watch some fireworks.

On Friday, September 1 and Saturday, September 2, "Thunder Over Burnside" returns to Cole Park in "the only town on Lake Cumberland," bringing with it a full weekend of music, fun activities, and of course, things that go boom in the night.

The custom of holding a fireworks show around Labor Day weekend in Burnside as opposed to the Fourth of July as is typically done began in 2020 at the height of COVID-19, when the summer months saw very little public activity. Burnside officials bet that conditions might be more favorable in September, and their wager paid off, with a successful turnout of around 6,000 estimated on land and lake to enjoy the festival, and the city decided to keep the Cole Park event in September to mark the end of summer tourism season.

That will be the case again this year, when Burnside welcomes back several performers that made an impression last year — party music favorites Radiotronic and Tone Control, and rising country star Walker Montgomery, son of country musician John Michael Montgomery, and nephew of Montgomery Gentry's Eddie Montgomery.

Alison Pyles, Tourism Director for the City of Burnside, said that the pyrotechnics display, put on by Freedom Fireworks, "the best show on Lake Cumberland."

Gates will open at 4 p.m. both Friday and Saturday. On Friday, Corbin band County Wide goes on at 6 p.m. and Montgomery takes the stage at 8 p.m.

For adults, a one-day pass is $15 and a weekend pass for $25. Kids 12 and under get in free. Tickets can be bought at the gate, or online in advance at visitburnside.com or via the "Thunder Over Burnside" Facebook event page.

Montgomery, known for singles like "She Don't Know" and "Work to Do," first appeared at Thunder Over Burnside last year, and Pyles was happy to have him as a headliner again in 2023.

"He was just so easy to work with and put on a phenomenal show last year," said Pyles of Montgomery. "We knew we had a diamond-in-the-rough there. He's gaining popularity. I feel like he's got a lot more original music to offer this year and he's definitely becoming a bigger household name. We're really excited to have him back this year."

On Saturday, at 5:30 p.m., Tone Control goes on, and Radiotronic, a band out of Louisville, takes over at 7:30 p.m., with fireworks beginning at 9 p.m. as the event's grand finale.

"Tone Control and Radiotronic both do a great job with covers and things that people can sing along to and dance along with," said Pyles. "I think that's always fun. ... When you're appealing to a large crowd or trying to get the whole community involved, it's great to have some cover bands do stuff that everybody's going to know."

In addition to the music, the U.S, Army National Guard will bring an inflatable 80-foot-long obstacle course that people can try. If you're more digital than physical, there will also be an enclosed trailer with gaming consoles appropriate for kids. These activities are free of charge.

Numerous food trucks will be on site, with a variety of different snacks, goodies, and meal options, including Roy's Jamerican Grill, Koffee Pig, Chillin' & Grillin', Zimmerman's Famous BBQ, Scoop Bug Ice Cream, R&D Concessions, What's Poppin' Kettle Corn, and Freeze Dried Bites.

New to the festival this year, Tap on Main will be hosting a beer garden at the event. "We're really excited to have Bridget Tucker (of Tap on Main) in the house — or in the park," said Pyles. Also new is a selfie station, to get pictures that will serve as memories of fun times in Burnside, with an attractive backdrop for picture taking, to "post on social media that they had a blast at Thunder," noted Pyles.

There's also a "good mix" of craft vendors, noted Pyles. "We have the kids' activities and some great things for the adults as well."

She credited the festival's sponsors for making it all possible. Most notably Kingsford Manufacturing Co. is the festival's title sponsor, and others include the Kentucky Hillbilly Jeep Krew, Help the Homeless (who will be working the gate and will have a booth set up to share information about their cause), Idle Time Marine (which is helping present the fireworks show), and Dever Golf Car Sales and Rentals, which provide a means to help festival organizers get around the park in a hurry.

"Kingsford came on board in 2021 as the title sponsor. They do a $25,000 donation for the event, which is huge," said Pyles of the charcoal giant. "That entirely covers the cost of sound and bands and the green room. The only thing tourism has to pay for at that point is the fireworks. Truly, we couldn't do it all without Kingsford (who) is a phenomenal sponsor and partner for many of our events, not just for Thunder, but they really shine at Thunder."

"I also want to give a huge shout-out to the Burnside Tourism Board and the Burnside City Council," said Pyles. "They work a lot of thankless hours that people don't see to make these events happen. I'm extremely thankful for (them) being so supportive."

Various parking opportunities will be available around downtown Burnside, with signs out at various lots, and Pyles thanked Jordan Christian Academy, Burnside Elementary, the Jackson family, and Roasted Java for allowing use of their parking areas. First Baptist Church of Somerset is allowing Burnside to use a shuttle van to help transport people from parking lots to Cole Park.

For Pyles, allowing Cole Park to host fun community celebrations that bring people together is about making Burnside a more attractive place to call home.

"If you have a place that people enjoy living, then you will have a place that people enjoy working," said Pyles. "For me, it's really important for tourism to focus on quality of life in addition to advertising outside the community to bring in other people. I don't know that tourism and economic development are the same, I know they're not the same, but they're certainly sisters. They're definitely the same family. I really try to look at the economic development side of what we do in tourism as well."