Wauconda residents search for stolen Blues Brothers chair

Two weeks ago, Wauconda business owners placed 15 painted Adirondack chairs outside their stores for the Art on Main initiative, an effort to raise money to beautify Main Street.

This week, business owners and residents banded together to organize another project — to find a missing chair.

The popular, bright blue and navy Adirondack chair painted with a portrait of the Blues Brothers was stolen late Saturday from outside Wauconda Paint & Glass, 104 S. Main St..

Brian Linning, a Wauconda resident and owner of Bark 'N' Town, 27607 W. Brandenburg Road, started organizing a search group as soon as he heard about the theft Sunday morning. By evening, he started a Facebook group to spread the word and to ask for leads on the chair's whereabouts.

Since then, 75 community members have joined the search.

“We're all kind of concerned,” Linning said.

“We're trying to get everybody we know and talk to involved in trying to look for it.”

The chair was last seen about 8:30 p.m. Saturday. Wauconda police were notified Sunday morning that the chair was missing.

Joe Christians, administrator for the Wauconda Jr. Bulldogs Basketball, the organization that sponsored the chair, heard on Monday that the chair was stolen.

“It was kind of a dagger in the back, if you will,” he said. “It's disrespectful and childish.”

The Blues Brothers chair, inspired by the beach scene in the movie filmed in Wauconda, symbolized an historical event for the village, Christians said.

The chair, which cost $250, was to be auctioned off with the other 14 chairs on Sept. 6 at the farmers market in Wauconda.

Proceeds from the sale will fund efforts to beautify the village's downtown.

Linning, who planned to bid on the chair, said he is hopeful it will be found before the auction.

“We're looking forward to seeing it all summer and looking forward to bidding on it,” he said.