Neighborhood reunion inspires memories of good old days

WILDWOOD – For those who grew up in Wildwood, swimming in its lakes, riding bikes and playing with neighborhood children were just some of the things that made being a kid in the tight-knit community so memorable.

Nearly 200 past and present residents of Wildwood celebrated those memories during a reunion June 23 at Wildwood Park District. The reunion aligned with the unincorporated community’s 60-year anniversary.

Wildwood is located along Belvidere Road just east of U.S. Route 45 and is bordered by Gages Lake to the north, Gurnee to the northeast and Grayslake to the west.

The idea of a reunion was the result of connections made on the Facebook page “I grew up in Wildwood.”

Louise Newcomer, 59, traveled from Maryland to attend the reunion. She remembers moving to Wildwood in 1958 and enjoying a low-key way of life.

"There was no VCR, no video games," Newcomer said. "We picked blackberries and strawberries."
In the winter she and other neighborhood kids would ride a toboggan out onto the frozen lakes.

"We'd try to see how far out we could go," she said. "We had such a good time."
Merry Ladewig, 50, said the first day her family moved into their Wildwood home in 1968 is a special memory.

“My parents had the house built [in Wildwood] and we moved in March 30, 1968,” Ladewig said. “It was just two days after I turned 6 years old. It was like my birthday present – I got a new house and a big bedroom.”

Ladewig's family lived right next to Gages Lake and Pink Beach, which is now called Willow Point Park.
When she first moved in she didn't know how to swim.

"I had just moved in and these girls in the neighborhood came over and threw me in the water," said Ladewig, who now lives in Antioch. "It became clear to my mom I needed to learn how to swim."
Ladewig's mom, Joan Kokaska, 82, said raising a family in Wildwood always meant there was something to do.

“I really enjoyed it,” said Kokaska, an Antioch resident. “We did everything on the lake. We had inflatable rafts, a row boat – I even learned how to water ski.”

Sandi Lake, 53, said she was nearly 10 when her family moved to Wildwood from Atlanta, Ga.

“There’s a saying, ‘I rode my bike without a helmet. I took a drink out of the creek. It was my time to come in when the porch light was on,’” Lake said. “We didn’t have street lights. When you got home and the porch lights were on you knew you were in trouble.” Lake now lives in Wauconda.

Newcomer said support for a reunion of Wildwood residents came about because the community had a positive impact on those who lived there.

“People will ask me, ‘Why are you so creative?,’” Newcomer said. “And I’ll say, ‘Because I grew up in Wildwood.’ I feel with what I do I’m a lot bolder.”

Lake agreed.

“We were free to be who we wanted to be,” Lake said. “You could go to anybody’s house and their mom was home. You could be trusted.”

Ladewig said having the chance to see people she hasn’t seen since she was young was a great experience.

“It is surreal,” Ladewig said. “We’ve all thought about this for so long – to go back to where you grew up. It’s heartwarming.”

Lake said plans are already being made for a 2013 reunion.

“So many re-connections were made,” Lake said. “We hope it will be even bigger next year.”