JOSH DAVIS/BAYSIDE GAZETTE
A large crowd watches Zion Reggae close out the inaugural Reggae Playday event in downtown Berlin last Friday. Town leadership during a Mayor and Council meeting Monday night widely praised the event.

JOSH DAVIS/BAYSIDE GAZETTE
9 Mile Roots open the inaugural Reggae Playday in downtown Berlin, last Friday.

JOSH DAVIS/BAYSIDE GAZETTE
Zion Reggae close out the Reggae Playday festival in downtown Berlin, last Friday.

By Josh Davis, Associate Editor

(May 17, 2018) The inaugural Reggae Playday last Friday was declared a success during a Berlin Town Council meeting on Monday.

Police Chief Arnold Downing called the event “wonderful” and said there were no issues.

“We’re talking about a large crowd and, again, the last two events have brought a lot of folks into town,” he said.

Economic and Community Development Director Ivy Wells thanked town staff for helping coordinate the event. Reggae Playday was overseen by radio station Ocean 98 and sponsored by Big Oyster Brewing Company, a division of the Fins restaurant group.

“It takes a lot of people to put on an event, especially in the downtown,” she said. “I just want to thank everyone for their help and support, but especially Big Al Reno (Tom Sholtis) and Ocean 98 for putting that event together, and also the people over at Fins and our public works guys.”

Wells also singled out Augie Wienhold of the electric department and administrative assistant Sharon Timmons.

“It worked out to be a wonderful night and Mother Nature was also on our side,” she said. “I think it was one of our best events yet.”

Councilman Dean Burrell said he recently overhead in a downtown store “folks talk about how pleased they were … with the world and the situation it is today, to be able to come to Berlin and still have good, clean fun.”

“The reference was to the reggae celebration and it especially made me feel good to think that, in some small way, I’m a part of that,” Burrell said. “It was a real pleasing thing to hear.”

Councilman Elroy Brittingham said he spoke with public works staff during the end of the event, Friday night.

“They were mingling with the people, talking, and they were very patient and I watched them take the staging area down,” he said. “They were very into it and they were talking about how great the music was and everything – and they didn’t seem like they minded being there, and that was probably close to 10 o’clock.”

“We all had a good old time that day – all of us,” Wells said.