Thunder Valley historic marker in Greenville IN

The Greenville Historic Preservation Commission ("HPC") requests your support in funding a historic marker dedicating Thunder Valley 4x4 truck and tractor pulls at the Greenville Park in Greenville, Indiana. The HPC is accepting pre-orders for a redesign of the retro Thunder Valley t-shirts to help fund the historic marker. Each shirt is $20 and we request that contributors comment with their shirt size. The retro t-shirts are being offered for a discount during pre-order sales. It is ok to place multiple orders with a single donation. Orders will be tallied together at a later date and a single t-shirt order placed with the vendor. The retro t-shirts will be held at the Greenville Town Hall for pick up once the shirts are produced. All retro t-shirt sales will go to help support the production of the Thunder Valley historic marker.

If there is interest in making a donation to the marker without a retro t-shirt, that is also ok to do here too.

The Thunder Valley 4x4 Truck and Tractor Pull ran through the 70's and 80's. Thunder Valley was known for the noise that was created in the valley when all the pullers raced their rigs down the track. The event not only put Greenville on the map but was the start of legendary careers in the tractor pull community. Greenville native Butch Krieger is a Tractor Pull Hall of Famer and Kentucky Colonel. Butch got his start at Thunder Valley and although we lost him in 2022, his spirit, his voice, and stories of all of Butch's exploits live on. Butch’s story is an example of how any kid with a dream or aspiring professional can launch their career from Greenville.

In 1974, Butch was a firefighter with the Greenville Volunteer Fire Department. They had the idea to start a tractor pull at the Greenville Park to raise money for the fire department. They needed an announcer and Butch said he would do it. The event, Thunder Valley, was the first event he announced in a career as a tractor pull announcer that now includes three Hall of Fame inductions; Kentucky Motorsports Hall of Fame (2012), National Tractor Pulling Championships Hall of Fame (2022), and Championship Tractor Pull Hall of Fame (2023). His nearly five-decade career as a tractor pull announcer had several other accolades such as being named a Kentucky Colonel and also the Honorary Commissioner of Agriculture (2019). Butch passed away on November 25, 2022.

Danny Christiani has helped Southern Indiana grow in many ways during his career, but he has made a lasting impact on the pulling community based on his early start at Thunder Valley helping that track become a local hotspot in the pulling community. In 2022, Diesel World ran an article on Christiani showcasing how his team has perfected the pulling surface in Freedom Hall for the National Farm Machinery Show's annual event.

All proceeds from the retro t-shirt sale will go to fund the Thunder Valley historic marker. The historic marker will be placed at Greenville Park near the location of the old Thunder Valley track.