Most people are satisfied with blowing out candles on their birthday cake. John Childs isn’t most people.

The Summit man celebrated his 60th birthday Saturday night with beer, barbecue and a grand fireworks show. The 25-minute show, which involved about 2,500 shells, took place on a friend’s koi farm on 44th Street East just off River Road near Puyallup.

More than 150 partygoers mingled and set up folding chairs by the field. Childs, wearing a black T-shirt with Wile E. Coyote detonating an Acme explosive, exchanged hugs and jibes with the crowd.

“I’m just here to entertain people and have a lot of fun with my family and friends,” Childs said.

Childs, who runs Childs Fireworks Display Co., has been in the fireworks business since age 8, when he helped his father hammer steel tubes in the ground for an exhibit. As soon as he turned 14, he started shooting his own displays.

Saturday’s $20,000 show, in the planning for three years, served two purposes: commemorating the occasion and getting rid of big 12-inch shells, which have faced increased regulations in recent years. “It’s a way to get them burned up so I don’t have to worry about the headaches that come with them,” he said.

Splashy pyrotechnics are routine for Childs; for his 50th birthday he shot almost 10,000 shells.

“He blew off the windows of a bunch of people’s houses,” recalled family friend Joanie Finch of Spanaway.

In May 2004, Childs’ show at a private party in Bonney Lake garnered 30 calls about loud explosions to the 911 dispatch center.

The shows, if bothersome to neighbors, are legal. Childs applied for a permit on Sept. 23 and it was approved by the Pierce County Fire Prevention Bureau on Oct. 5, according to assistant fire marshal Mike Patti. Fire officials surveyed the property Saturday afternoon.

There are no noise restrictions in the area, Patti said. “I know that Mr. Childs’ displays in times past have generated some complaints, but he is operating within the scope of the law,” he said.

Childs took a philosophical approach to potential worries about noise. “Some people like fireworks, some people don’t,” he said. “I’m not going to deny the people who do.”

Although pyrotechnician Tom Whitacre of Renton is well-experienced with fireworks, he was still excited about the display. “John has been in the industry a long time; he knows what he’s doing,” Whitacre said. “I’ve learned a lot from him.”

Fellow pyrotechnician Ryan Daniels of Tacoma also came out for a good show. “The pyrotechnic community is pretty much his family,” he said.

So far, Childs has no fireworks planned for his 61st birthday. His annual July 4 celebrations will get smaller because of cost issues.

“I used to have money in my pocket; now I don’t even have nickels,” he said. “But I’d do it all again.”

Joyce Chen: 253-597-8426

joyce.chen@thenewstribune.com