When the first explosion of color dazzles the sky over Lakeside tonight, Mike Martin is the man behind the magic.

For nine years he has been the mastermind behind the state-of-the-art show that is synchronized with music as the fireworks explode. Every year the show has a little extra pizzazz.

“We’ve got a whole other row of sixes this year,” Martin said, pointing to the expanded array of 6-inch fiberglass tubes aboard the barge that’s the epicenter of tonight’s show on Flathead Lake.

He will be at the computer remote control in a boat near the barge, a much safer environment than during his early years of hand-lighting pyrotechnic displays.

Some time ago Martin, of Swan Lake, bought a low-powered FM transmitter that allows spectators to tune in the music at 107.3 while they watch the show.

 Planning the synchronized, computerized show takes time, he said.

“By the dead of winter I’ll be in front of the computer” working out the time codes, Martin said.

It’s not only the computer savvy needed for the job that lights up his passion for pyrotechnics, he admitted. At heart, he’s a romantic.

He envisions couples snuggled up along the shore or in their boats as they watch his displays. Maybe a few of them will fall in love, he muses.

Martin also loves the children’s reactions to fireworks.

“I’m not a comedian or a musician, but if I can hear people clapping over something I’ve done, it’s great,” he said.

Martin, 50, loved fireworks as a child, with his interest sparked by his father. When his dad died, Martin put together a memorial display of fireworks as a final salute. That event ignited enough of a buzz among the spectators that he decided to get into pyrotechnics as a business.

“I do weddings and birthdays,” he said. “I’ve done high school graduations, too.”

When Flathead High School gave its final large class a commencement send-off before Glacier High opened, it was Martin who put on the close-proximity display at Majestic Valley Arena.

Advances in electronics have helped the pyrotechnic industry increase both special effects and safety.

And Martin is a stickler for safety.

Through the years he has attended seven comprehensive trade shows put on by the Pyrotechnic Guild International that allow firework specialists to tap into new technology and take safety classes.

Those trade shows also feature competitions at night for the various categories of pyrotechnicians. 

“There are the bomb guys, the rocket guys, the big salute guys,” Martin said.

A committee of Lakeside residents raises money each year for the show, with Rudy Heinle, owner of the Spinnaker Bar & Grill, leading the effort. 

Anyone wanting to donate to the fireworks display can send contributions to Lakeside Fireworks, P.O. Box 1088, Lakeside, MT 59922.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.