Good times roll again in downtown Berlin

Like the Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney films of the late 1930s and ’40s and their inevitable line, “Hey, gang, let’s put on a show,” the Town of Berlin is at its best when it  takes to the streets to present entertainment.

Whether that would be in the form of a music festival, arts exhibition, a parade or a celebration, its varied events always seem to draw an enthusiastic crowd. This is largely because of sponsor support, the experience and creativity of organizers, and what seems to be the public’s commitment to having  fun.

So wedded to this ideal are the business and residential communities,  that it almost seems many Berliners believe that the pursuit of enjoyment is a civic responsibility, and that the failure to celebrate would cast a shadow on the town’s carefully developed postcard image.

That celebratory mood was certainly in evidence last Friday, when businesses, the chamber of commerce, the town government and a corps of volunteers entertained a massive crowd with its combined monthly Second Friday event and annual Bathtub Races.

More than anything, the revival of the tub races after a year off because of the pandemic signaled the area’s return to semi-normalcy. After a year of worry, misfortune, suffering and isolation, the races were a public statement of sorts that the good times will roll again.

But it was one of the Second Friday/tub races’ attendant events that best illustrated the change in atmosphere that made last Friday’s celebration one of the best.

This week’s front page photo shows scores of kids in the street with hula hoops. Take a look, and see the smiles, the laughter, the running and pure enjoyment of the moment. If that doesn’t say a good time was had by all, then nothing does.