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For ‘Black Panther’ fans, what to know about the suburban hamlet of Wauconda

When we last left the kingdom of Wauconda, its doors were opening to the world, and its rulers were explaining, to anyone who listened, that they no longer stood in the shadows.

Disguised for too long as a modest village hidden by forest preserves, tall grasses and lakes, with seemingly little to offer, Wauconda, its king and his advisers began a charm offensive: Wauconda was officially welcoming outsiders, businesses, tourists — frankly, they were just thrilled you noticed! Also, they didn’t have a lot of choice: Thirty days ago, after the Marvel blockbuster “Black Panther” premiered, the media rushed to Wauconda, to point out that Wauconda, IlI., sounds like the fictional Wakanda in Africa. Wauconda’s leaders spoke to ABC, the Hollywood Reporter, Canadian radio and the take-away was:

Wauconda exists!

Thirty days later, Wauconda can now take a breath and consider how much has changed in a month. For instance, a new bakery is opening. And a company that manufactures purses. And … well, that’s about it. “I think it might take longer than 30 days to change Wauconda,” said Maria Weisbruch, executive director of the Wauconda Chamber of Commerce. Unlike Wakanda, which was invisible to the outside world, Wauconda often seemed invisible to itself. “It’s like, you live here for so long, and drive past the same things for so long, that you stop noticing,” she said. “You stop seeing Wauconda. But when you see strangers taking pictures of our (‘Welcome to Wauconda’) water towers, you admire them yourself. In a funny way, this whole ‘Black Panther’ thing installed a new pride in Wauconda. The attention — it’s been a nice reminder of home.”

So, planning a trip to Wauconda?

Despite the big reveal, Wauconda 101 remains necessary:

History

The village of Wauconda (pop. 14,000), is an ancient civilization, nestled beside the Lakewood Forest Preserve, about 40 miles northwest of Chicago in Lake County. Its name derives from a Native American word for “creator” (but less than 1 percent of Wauconda is Native-American). It was incorporated in 1877, founded by German and Irish settlers who arrived via New England and New York. Waucondans are 85 percent white, 18 percent Hispanic and less than 1 percent African-American.

Because of gerrymandering, Wauconda has no clear shape but rather it resembles a hammerhead shark spliced to the remains of a partly devoured deer. Wauconda sits on 6 square miles, on the banks of Bangs Lake, north of Lake Zurich, in relative isolation, a winding half-hour drive from the I-94 and I-90 highways. Rail service ended in 1924. The village made a reputation as a weekend spot. “For a long time we were known for apple orchards and beaches,” said Kelly Lincoln, a fourth-generation Waucondan, owner of Daddyo’s frame and music shop. Then the orchards became subdivisions, and the beaches began closing, “and we sat quiet for a long time — until the past dozen years, when the restaurant scene on Main Street just exploded.”

Today, Wauconda, once a home to many farmers, is a white-collar, middle- to upper-middle class community, somewhat more transient than in the past, said Dan Smith, a village elder and president of the Wauconda Township Historical Society. He recalls, as a child, living in a Wauconda where “a large percentage of residents had roots going back for generations. Of my friends, less than 10 percent had a parent who commuted to Chicago — we would never have thought of ourselves as a suburb (of Chicago). These days, Wauconda seems more like a bedroom community.”

Technology

Waucondans do not own flying cars. However, village trustee Chuck Black is leasing an electric car, and he has been advocating for charging stations along Main Street.

There is no public Wi-Fi.

Security

Waucondans have lived in peace for a long time.

Their main threats, according to David Wermes, chief of police, are “basically the same as everyone’s problems.” Domestic abuse, opioid addiction. A few years ago a liquor store clerk shot and killed an attempted robber, he said, but generally, violent crime is nonexistent. Last September, officers chased an actual white bronco through area streets.

Aside from the (decommissioned) battleship gun outside American Legion Post 911, the Waucondan army consists of 10 squad cars, two boats and 27 officers. Their fortress was constructed in 1991, just across from a Dairy Queen.

Culture

“Wauconda is a pretty kick-back, low-intensity place,” said Mickey LaRose, a clerk at Wauconda Paint and Glass, “the kind where stores open when they feel like opening.”

The high school mascot is a bulldog. There are parades and street festivals and a half-dozen venues for live music. The Illinois Dance Conservancy maintains four studios on Main Street. Phil’s Beach, onto which the Blues Brothers drove their car in the 1980 film, has been closed since 1990 (but the Park District has vague plans to reopen it soon).

Several buildings are haunted by the ghosts.

Residents are allowed to conduct two garage sales a year.

“Unfortunately, there is no metric to judge how (‘Black Panther’) impacted Wauconda,” said Kevin Timony, village administrator, “but our web hits are up, and there are ‘Black Panther’ martinis and dining specials at some restaurants.”

Exports

A sign outside Lindy’s Landing Restaurant, Bar & Marina at the center of the village advertises: “Vibranium Sold Here.” But that’s a little Wauconda “Black Panther” humor.

There are no natural resources mined within Wauconda (but there is a coal-fired pizza parlor).

One of Wauconda’s biggest exports is flavor. The village serves as North American headquarters for Synergy Flavors, a leading manufacturer and developer of food and beverage flavors. (“Some days here the whole town smells like strawberry,” said Weisbruch.) It’s also home to Small Town Brewery, creators of Not Your Father’s Root Beer (partly acquired by Pabst in 2015). Wauconda companies make widgets too — fasteners, pins, clamps.

Leadership

The center of the kingdom of Wauconda is Wauconda Village Hall, which was constructed before the dawn of time (aka. 1977) and includes a white steepled facade and a decorative white bell tower. Political affiliation in the village of Wauconda veers historically to Republican, though Lincoln Knight, the mayor, the king of Wauconda, is not affiliated.

His reign began a year ago.

It’s a part-time job; he works in windows and door sales. He will serve four years, though according to the Daily Herald, as a candidate he resisted term limits at the village level. His throne is a high-backed brown leather chair with worn armrests. It also swivels. As ruler, Knight had led a charge to bring Lake Michigan water to the village. He is also jumping into Bangs Lake as part of the annual Leprechaun Plunge. He was never destined to rule: “Twenty years ago, if you said I’d be a mayor of anything, I would have been like — ‘Wait, what?’ ” But after moving to Wauconda in 1989, coaching soccer, serving as president of the Park District and on the Village Board, his future was fated.

Wauconda picks its rulers through voting, not combat.

That said, Knight replaced former Waucondan king Frank Bart, who chose not to run again. He and Knight reportedly did not see eye to eye on everything from Lake Michigan water plans to the honorees on a 9/11 memorial. Knight, as a village trustee, led a no-confidence vote against Bart.

So far, according to a few of his subjects, Knight has been a kind, progressive ruler. Will Tremont, who owns Tremonte’s Barber Shop on Main Street (he added the E to reflect his family’s Italian roots), said there are days when Wauconda looks like a “Norman Rockwell painting with a pulse,” and the previous mayor was “just totally unsuited to running a small town.” He said their new king brings a fresh image for the future and “a hope that Wauconda will become wide open to its possibilities, just like Wakanda.”

cborrelli@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @borrelli