This Swan song continues nightly
WEEKI WACHEE –
The Quality Inn on U.S. 19 opened as a Holiday Inn on June 5, 1966 and U.S. 19 was a two-lane road.
The Holiday Inn gave way to a Best Western, eventually becoming the present Quality Inn, owned by Choice Hotels. Hotel General Manager Jennifer Socha has been with the hotel through all three of its iterations.
Since the first of the year, the hotel has partnered with a new venue that offers fine dining in a clean, classy atmosphere with professional live entertainment. Swanie’s Supper Club is the dream-come-true venue owned and managed by Marti Carroll.
The club’s name is a dedication to Carroll’s mother, singer Mary Swan. Swan often appeared on “American Bandstand” in the late 1950s. Her 1958 hit, “My Heart Belongs to You,” was on Dick Clark’s Swan Records label. She did a 1958 traveling tour with stars like Pat Boone, Paul Anka and Danny and the Juniors.
Carroll felt opening a supper club was “the last thing on mom’s ‘bucket list.'” Swan passed away in 2009 from pancreatic cancer. Her stepdad, keyboardist Bim Brown, died from cancer two years earlier.
Carroll’s dad, guitarist Pete Carroll, recorded with artists like Chubby Checker. He and Swan divorced in the 1970s. Swan married Brown in 1990.
They moved to Spring Hill in 1996, performing locally as a duo and holding local “Bandstand Boogie” shows featuring oldies performers like Richie Merritt of the Marcels or Ken Brady of the Casinos.
A wall in Swanie’s displays Swan’s record, photos and biographical information. “Not a day goes by that somebody doesn’t come up to me and say, ‘Oh, your mom sang at our wedding,’ or something like that,” Carroll said.
Carroll has toured the U.S. and Canada with well-known country and pop performers. Her recent country release, “Back Track,” was co-written with her brother Pete Carroll and Ira Dean of the band Trick Pony.
Carroll had been performing at a Citrus country club for the past few years. One night she took a wrong turn and saw the “restaurant for lease” sign on the Quality Inn.
“I didn’t have restaurant experience, but I’ve been around clubs all my life. The last thing my parents talked about was finding a venue where the 40 and up crowd could get dressed up and enjoy dinner and dancing. We really need that in Hernando County. I knew it was what I was supposed to do.”
She contacted her cousin Ricky Ebberup, who moved his family from New York to help her manage the inventory and the lounge area. “He’s the backbone of this place,” added Carroll.
Carroll continues to write songs and performs four nights a week at Swanie’s. “I start with dinner music, then pick up the beat when people are ready to dance,” she said.
She plays oldies, pop, 40s dance music, country and her own compositions. She pre-records backing tracks, and performs live piano, guitar and vocals.
Sandra and Ron Benko came from Sugarmill Woods “specifically to hear Marti.” They said they were thrilled with the atmosphere, adding, “The food is outstanding; the décor is simple and classy. It’s a pleasure to be here.”
Maureen and L.C. Ramsey from Oak Wood Village in Citrus said, “We used to dance to her mom and dad. We love it here.”
Both couples made New Year’s Eve reservations, which Carroll said are filling-up fast.
Swanie’s organizes outdoor events like Key West pig roasts, using the hotel’s courtyard and pool, and putting up tents.
Carroll recruited Naples executive chef Kim DeWeese, whose experience includes cooking for Johnny Carson in the 1980s while working in Key West.
DeWeese and Carroll created a menu featuring fresh baked or fried seafood, steaks and skillet creations. Appetizers range from $7.99 to $11.99; entrées from a $13.99 shrimp scampi to $21.99 filet mignon.
Chef’s specials include roast duck with lingonberry sauce and Chilean sea bass with crab risotto and sundried tomato verblanc. “You can’t get oysters Rockefeller or escargot too many places around here,” added DeWeese.
The lounge lunch menu includes specialty sandwiches from $6. Entrees and specialty salads are $8 to $10. They also cater the hotel’s daily continental breakfast (free for hotel guests).
Carroll said Swanie’s is doing well, thanks in large part to the clientele who have followed her and her mom’s careers and appreciate the supper club venue. She added their success helps the hotel with bookings for events like New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day.
Socha said she’s seen a lot of changes over the 13 years she’s been at the hotel. “It used to be a lot busier,” she stated. “We’re still doing well considering the state of the economy.”
Director of Sales Therese White added the Gulf oil spill has hurt their business. White belongs to the Hernando County Tourism Bureau (www.naturallyhernando.org). Members include hotel and restaurant industry representatives, county commissioners, the City of Brooksville, and interested citizens.
Socha and White agree their location across from Weeki Wachee Springs State Park helps their business. They also had a lot of long-term guests during the recent construction of the new Weeki Wachee High School and Pasco-Hernando Community College.
The Inn hosts guests attending local dog shows, sporting tournaments and festivals, and golf and diving enthusiasts. “We’re excited about Brooksville’s new 2012 Blueberry Fest,” added White.
White said a lot of families now take “staycations,” traveling close to home for long weekends. She said, “We have Weeki Wachee Springs, the water park, river and Gulf. People canoe, kayak, snorkel or see manatees. We have Pine Island beach, Bayport, Stage West, Homosassa Springs, and more. The Nature Coast has plenty for everyone.”
Socha added, “We get compliments all the time about our large outdoor pool and sun deck. It’s behind the hotel, so its quiet.” They added their staff is frequently complimented on their friendliness and helpfulness. The hotel is pet-friendly and has a picnic area, shuffleboard, and free wireless Internet.
They said they continue to do a good business hosting guests attending family and class reunions, anniversaries and other events, which in turn helps Swanie’s.
Swanie’s lounge serves lunch Tuesday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The supper club serves dinner Tuesday through Saturday from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. Reservations are recommended.
The club has a full liquor bar, and offers banquet facilities for up to 200 guests for weddings, reunions and other functions.
BIZ AT A GLANCE
Name: Quality Inn Weeki Wachee/Swanie’s Supper Club
Location: 6172 U.S. 19, Spring Hill
Quality Inn Telephone: 352-596-2007
Swanie’s Telephone: 352-597-5588
Web: www.choicehotels.com/hotel/fla69
E-Mail: [email protected]
Jody Bowes writes regularly for Hernando Today. She lives in Spring Hill and can be contacted at [email protected].
