Behind the Scenes at Lake Murray Fireworks: Mike Shandley Holds Trigger

With tanned biceps, wraparound sunglasses and a red muscle shirt, Mike Shandley could have been dressed for a day at the beach.  Instead, he was at San Carlos Point on the north shore of Lake Murray—sweating the details of the 14th annual Fourth of July fireworks.

If Monday night’s sky show delivers delight and awe, you can thank Shandley, working on the holiday.

A 47-year-old pyrotechnic operator for Pyro Spectaculars, Shandley led a six-man crew Monday—setting up the racks and 342 shells he’ll fire over 16 minutes starting at 9:15 p.m.

“I shoot each shell individually,” he said after directing some half-power tests a little after noon, showing three rookies the ropes.  “I can stop the show at any time.”

No shells were launched in the test—the power was too low—but the test assured the circuits were A-OK for possibly his fourth show at Lake Murray, although he’s been involved in the event for 11 years, “off and on.”

Shandley, who lives in El Cajon, says a low-voltage battery is used in the set-up, connected to the shell-launchers by “basically telephone lines.” A pair of fire extinguishers stood ready nearby—in case burning cardboard debris touched off a blaze.

Jay Wilson and Don Brennan of the sponsoring Lake Murray fireworks committee said a water truck will wet down nearby shores several times before the show—a precaution against wayward shells veering off course and igniting fires.

Although the section of the Lake Murray walking trail to San Carlos Point is marked off-limits, he remains concerned that pedestrians will ignore the warnings and cross the yellow-tape barrier.  Security will be in place, however, for the area south of the baseball fields.

The shells are imported from many countries, he says—but not Mexico—“too inconsistent.”

He says the Lake Murray show is medium-sized for his company, based in Rialto. But the number of Southern California shows done by his company this year is down to about 20—half of previous years, he said.

“It’s the economy. It’s about permit-processing. It’s a lot of different things,” he said.

On this year’s show, he said: “I go by the entertainment standpoint of fireworks. … People want to see a nice opening, a nice steady pace throughout the show and a huge finale—and that’s exactly what’s going to happen tonight.”