Loud cheers and laughter greeted Joe Polovick (whom goes by his stage name, Joe Holiday) as he entered Top of the Town, the popular Belmont restaurant and lounge Holiday has owned for over 20 years.

Thursday, the place was packed with regulars and friends of Holiday's, so that they could wish him a happy 61st birthday.

Holiday he has enjoyed running the popular restaurant and lounge that sits atop Ladd Hill, and is looking forward to spending years at the helm, with the help of his wife, Kathy, and son, Matt.

"He's wonderful, and the place is very family oriented," said Robbin Carravona of Belmont, one of the many well-wishers who presented Holiday with a card and a hug.

"It's the best place to be, everyone here knows everyone else," said Jane Fortin of Laconia.

Holiday said when he first bought the place, it was a small, 25-seat restaurant of the same name, that had been established in an old farmhouse.

Since then, Holiday and his wife have built additions, which has at least doubled the restaurant's capacity and made room for a dance floor and band area.

Music and dancing are an essential part of the draw of Top of the Town, as Holiday, who plays the piano, loves to entertain his guests — when he's not busy helping out in the kitchen or the bar.

"He does all the entertaining and people come from all over the place just to dance," Fortin said, adding that currently, many people come for ballroom dancing.

A man of many talents, Holiday said he spent his birthday getting a physical so that he could renew his pilot's license. He said he learned to fly with Emerson Aviation at the Laconia Municipal Airport in Gilford during the 1980s, a few years after moving to the area from Ohio.

"It's a great are to fly in, with all the scenic beauty," Holiday said. "I'm from Ohio, and it's all flat out there."