Carnival workers, vendors and organizers began arriving early last week as plans for the 28th Annual Thunder on Water Safe Boating Festival entered its final week.
Thunder cranked up Wednesday night, June 12, as Rebel Amusement and MS Delta Shows opened the gates from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. for Family Night at the Carnival. Wristbands will cost $25 for the opening event with the price increasing to $30 for the remainder of the five-day event, which will conclude with the carnival closing at 8 p.m. on Sunday, June 16.
The festival, which attracts more than 90,000 visitors each year, is packed with fun for the entire family. The bright lights and sounds of the carnival setup adjacent to the spillway draw in eager festivalgoers like a bug zapper.
Thunder on Water Executive Director Wanda Roche and her team of volunteers and sponsors have been hard at work over the last several months preparing for the event, which takes hundreds of man-hours to plan, set up and break down.
“We all have a part in making this event what it is,” she said. “I truly could not do what I do without the help of our volunteers and sponsors. They know what needs to be done to get the job done and they do it. There are some changes to this year’s event, but we are excited about what we have to offer the community over the next week.”
Nearly 100,000 carnivalgoers are expected to visit Grenada this weekend to attend Thunder on Water.
Pyrotecnico, along with B100 radio station, will present this year’s Friday night firework show on June 14. Fireworks will be shot from the top of the levee, which will be closed from 4 p.m. Thursday until noon on Saturday.
Joining the carnival at Thunder on Water are Tethered Balloon Rides by Delta Breeze, the Kids’ Fishing Rodeo from 9 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. Saturday morning (gates open at
8 a.m.) at the Catfish Ponds on the north end of the Grenada Lake Dam, Memphis BBQ Cookoff, O’Reilly’s Car and Truck Show and the Dixie IRon Tractor Club tractor pull.
If you would like more information regarding the event, visit www.thunderonwater.org
Thunder on Water is sponsored by The Vicksburg District of the Army Corps of Engineers, the Grenada Lake Association and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.
Numerous food vendors will be on hand at Thunder on Water.
