Photo by Bill Green John Sigillito, owner of Sig's Hideaway, before the bar's farewell party for customers at the end of October 2004.

On Halloween, Joanie Jenkins will welcome the gang to her place, Joanie's Carroll Street Cafe. Like old times, John and Alice Sigillito, owners of Sig's, will host and Billy Owens, aka Doctor Billy Curtis, will bring his keyboards and rock the night away.

And, also per tradition, a lot of people will most likely be dancing.

"Everyone knew me and I knew them," Owens said of Sig's, where he played piano for about seven years before it closed its doors. "When someone walked in, I'd know what song to play."

Owens, who now lives in Libertytown , was a touring musician for years before settling in Maryland. New in the area, he walked into Sig's one day and simply asked if they'd be interested in entertainment. He became their full-time guy, playing there about four nights a week.

"I play everything -- top 40, Oldies, country," Owens said.

He and Jenkins remember the crowd at Sig's being a mix of young and old, with the majority of the folks being over 50, all mingling. Jenkins said the older folks liked the waltzes and old tunes Owens played.

"People had some good times there," she said. "It was like a family."

At the eatery, John was host, Alice cooked and their two daughters worked there, too.

"It was a family business," Jenkins said. "They all did it together. ... If you married in, you had to go behind the bar."

Jenkins, who was a regular, remembers John performing skits and silly routines for the guests, and sometimes "he'd put a wig on and run around the place," she said, chuckling.

Alice would be in the back, preparing food from scratch, cooking lobster. She would take special requests.

Jenkins said she's going to recreate some of that vibe on Halloween by making all homemade food, so people can eat dinner and then enjoy music, and she suspects she might get some help. "You can't keep Alice out of this kitchen," Jenkins said, laughing.