New Jewel: Swan Lake Finishes First Phase
By Mike Siroky
PLYMOUTH � The perfect getaway is not that far away.
Swan Lake Resort has completed the first phase of a dramatic expansion. General Man-ager Mark Batman said the original timeline has this phase done in five years and it was completed in three.
A hint at coming attractions includes the concept of cabins dotting the landscape,
For now, a new fitness center, indoor walk-in pool, certified on staff massage therapist Natalie Burkett, a conference center with seating for 1,360 and state-of-the-art audio visual equipment and lighting, new restaurant, gift shop, sports lounge and a wine cabinet which will hold 3,000 bottles. Restaurant Manager Jeff Uhrig wants to make sure he keeps plenty of regional wine offerings on hand as well as the bottles saved for the discriminating connoisseur..
There's also a new public restaurant with excellent exotic pizza, a lounge and sports bar offering "upscale casual" dining (and the IU basketball game was on TV the day we visited), live entertainment, and an outdoor patio for dining course-side this coming spring.]
Golf pro Mike Hulse is already working on new bunkers for new challenges when the game gets back in the spring swing. His new pro shop has several swing analysis devices plus hitting nets and videotaped analysis of an individual�s game.
In a sense, the work never stops. Part of that is because the Swan Lake planners have such a grand design even they won�t guess how many more expansion phases will come. The limit, it seems, is only in imagination.
Also on hand for the ribbon-cutting were conference center directors Pat and Robin Burkett, marketing director Jeff Lewallen, hotel manager Barb Roberts, executive sales representative Jeannette Teall and controller John Kindig.
By the way, the massive conference center can be subdivided any number of ways, to a seating of 700 or into even more intimate increments.
Right now, the resort is decked out for the holidays. The magical piano with no person at the keyboard keeps a stream of tunes tinkling for background ambiance. Lighted archways, a snow-spitting snowman, Santas holding directional signs, a well-appointed tree in the hotel foyer next to a crackling fireplace . . . Christmas must be near
Several county and local officials, including Plymouth mayor Jim Yeazel, came to the ribbon-cutting.
County Commissioner Cliff Allen announced he and fellow-commissioner Kevin Overmeyer would see to it that the winding approach from U.S. 30 on Plymouth-Laporte Trail will be improved this spring with a tad bit of widening and with resurfacing. Allen is a Democrat and Overmyer a Republican, but Allen made it clear they are not horses pulling in opposite directions, rather two in tandem working for the good of the county. �We work together as a team and get things done,� said Allen.
Chamber of Commerce Director Doug Anspach agreed, calling the facility �a magnificent boon to the community and just another reason to be proud of being in Plymouth. It�s a great asset to the whole county.
�How can you top what we�ve got here . . and they say they want to do more.�
The laid-back casual dining restaurant fits right in with the golf motif. The pizzas are hand-crafted with exotic toppings and a chef staff always ready to try one more ingredient.
Executive Chef is Allen Perry, overseeing a culinary staff of 30, from three-year apprentices all the way to certified chefs life himself.
He used to work for the University of Notre Dame.
He likes to do things like challenge his chefs to come up with new ideas, offer them on the menu and then make a competition by seeing what the dining public prefers. On Sundays, the menu in the dining room is �family style� which means good ol� meat-and-potato dishes sure to settle an appetite on a cold winter�s night.
The buffets are offered each Wednesday (authentic Italian) Friday (seafood) and Saturday (prime rib).
�We enjoy what we do and it shows,� said Perry. �It�s �quality first, second and last.� � As one of those apprentice chefs observed, �Hey, we eat here, too.�
And that may be the secret of Swan Lake�s success.
There is a true family atmosphere in the presentation. There is no competition among the coordinated staffs, just a desire to do things right, to treat each guest fairly and equally.
As for general manager Batman, while inviting everyone to come and �see the whole thing� he also admitted he didn�t know how many more opening night soirees he�d have.
�Because we don�t know yet how much we will eventually do.�
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