A painful loss for Louisville

UPCOMING EVENT: Access Louisville Live presented by Baird. Be on hand for a live recording of the Access Louisville podcast April 22. Details and registration here.

Sometimes Mother Nature just has our number — and that's certainly been true so far in 2025. 

On this week's Access Louisville podcast we discuss the loss of Thunder Over Louisville — which is being canceled this year because of flooding. 

On a normal Thunder, about half a million people line the banks of both sides of the river. Kentucky Derby Festival pegs the Thunder economic impact at more than $120 million, while Louisville Tourism charts it at $10 million. A Louisville Tourism spokesperson detailed that their number only accounts for direct economic impact (and excluding things like sponsorship or advertising dollars or TV rights).

On this week's show, we also discuss how the flooding has impacted businesses including The Galt House, Captains Quarters and Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort.

After the flooding talk, we discuss work beginning on a project at the Kentucky Expo Center. Crews will begin demolishing parts of the existing center, including Newmarket Hall. The cleared space will pave the way for Phase I of the project, which is a new 350,000-square-foot multipurpose building designed to expand and redefine event capabilities at the facility.  

Additionally, we chat about Louisville Metro Government taking preliminary steps to restore Louisville Gardens. The city is planning to do exterior demolition around the entrance of the building at 525 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd. 

And, lastly, Reporter Stephen P. Schmidt is on the show to discuss the latest on how tariffs will affect Kentucky's signature bourbon industry. Tariffs were causing wild fluctuations on Wall Street this week. But they're also something the bourbon industry has been talking about for far longer, including at LBF's recent Bourbonomics event.

Access Louisville, sponsored by Baird, is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast services including Apple Podcasts and Spotify (which are linked above.)