Burlington, VT– The annual July 3rd Independence Day Celebration on the Burlington Waterfront is less than a week away, and as the city prepares to welcome thousands of visitors, a Michigan company is getting ready to launch 100 drones over Lake Champlain.

The Great Lakes Drone Company is putting on the show, which company CEO Matt Quinn says, will “evoke hometown elements that we hope you guys will recognize.”

Beth Rusnock, the head of corporate communications for the National Life Group, the lead sponsor of this year’s celebration, says the dancing aircraft will “be telling the story of Burlington and Vermont.

“How better to celebrate our independence and our country’s independence, and add a little twist — a little something new that many of us have never seen before,” she said.

Quinn said the drone performance has been customized for an audience of Vermonters. Three people — a pilot and two visual observers — are in charge of the display.

Quinn said the drone show isn’t aimed at overshadowing the state’s largest fireworks display.

“It’s just a different form of entertainment,” he said. “You have the bangs and the ‘oohs’ and the ‘aahs,’ and then you have the ‘oohs’ and the ‘aahs’ at the shapes we make in the sky.”

The party on the Waterfront starts at 5 p.m. In addition to the drone show and fireworks, the event features local food vendors and live music.

“It’s just a fantastic way to bring the community together, to celebrate the country’s independence, to celebrate all the good things that are happening in our area,” Rusnock said.