Berlin is featured act at Boomfest at the Grove

Berlin featuring Terri Nunn will be the headliner at Oregon’s Boomfest at the Grove on Friday.

July 4 approaches, and in Oregon that means Boomfest at the Grove, the city’s annual Independence Day celebration featuring music, classic cars, and fireworks.

The celebration, in its fifth year, is Friday, rain or shine, from 2 p.m. to midnight at Oak Shade Grove, 3624 Seaman Rd.

Admission is free, as is parking. There will be food, drink, and adult and children’s activities, such as a bounce house.

This year’‍s headliner is the group Berlin featuring Terri Nunn, a band that is best known for “Take My Breath Away,” a top hit from its 1986 album Count Three and Pray.

The love song was featured prominently in the movie Top Gun and won an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. It hit No. 1 on charts around the world and led to performances throughout Europe. Berlin featuring Terri Nunn will perform at 8:30 p.m.

Boomfest’s live entertainment begins at 5:30 p.m. with KGB, a central Florida band whose repertoire includes music from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s to current rock.

Next up at 7:30 p.m. will be Arctic Clam, a local cover band featuring vocals by Nicole Khoury, a Toledo criminal defense attorney. Arctic Clam also will perform after the fireworks until midnight.

The Cruisin’‍ at the Grove Car Show will run from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., with Saturday as a rain day, said organizer Jerry Thompson. He said anyone who brings a classic car will receive a free T-shirt, and the event includes $600 worth of prizes.

“We expect about 200 cars,” Mr. Thompson said. “They come from all over, including Napoleon, Temperance, and Ida.”

He said the show is an opportunity for classic car owners to show off their passion, and “a lot of people come just to look at the cars.”

For Oregon Mayor Mike Seferian, the Boomfest is a chance to show off his city.

It also “gives people from the community something they can be proud of. They don’t have to leave their own town to have a good time. It’‍s such a tranquil setting.”

A heavy downpour reduced attendance last year to an estimated few thousand, he said, but two years ago, 8,000 to 10,000 came through the gates.

Contact Carl Ryan at: carlryan@theblade.com or 419-724-6095.