May Day Playday, Reggae Playday — and where else in small town America do you see that, a music festival in the middle of town for no other reason than to have fun?

So sure, when Ocean 98/Seacrets Irie Radio stages this event downtown in Berlin Friday, businesses will benefit from the additional exposure, as thousands of people merge on the streets.

And yes, new people might come to town out of curiosity, become enamored of the community, and return again and again.

But one suspects that even if these things didn’t happen and that events such as this drew locals only, Berlin would do it anyway, because it’s an enjoyable thing to do.

Given all the harshness and grumpiness that’s going around these days, as well as the increasing number of restrictions other towns and cities have imposed on its citizenry in recent years, Berlin stands out as one of the few places that dispenses the antidote.

It reckons while everyone and every town has problems, what’s the point of it all if you can’t have a little fun from time to time?

You need that leavening to lighten the load and the mood. Otherwise, we’d all be sitting at home behind closed doors with the shades drawn and contemplating our woes and complaints.

As the radio station’s Playday organizer Tom Sholtis observed, the purpose of this four-hour festival is to get people to set aside whatever their differences might be, come out and have a good time.

That fits right in with Berlin’s modus operandi of the past several years, as it recognizes that all work and no play … well, you get the idea.