Wife Hosts Parties in Epic Cubs Man Cave as Husband Travels to World Series Games

It’s been an epic, but exhausting, week for the McVicar family.

Stewart McVicar, the proud creator of an infamous Cubs-inspired man cave in McHenry County, has been on the road attending World Series games while his wife, Lisa, has been holding down the fort and hosting parties for their family and friends who are eager to cheer on the Cubs in Stewart's man cave.

The fancy, 2,500-square-foot man cave is located in the basement of the family's McHenry County home. The man cave boasts 12 video displays and seven different audio zones. One of the bar walls has a 46-inch TV with a pair of 40-inch TVs on each side, and an area with theater seating has a 65-inch TV with 55-inch units on each side. There is also a 92-inch projection screen that can be pulled down and theater seating.

Last year, the man cave, which is in a walk-out basement, also added an outdoor bar. McVicar, a long-time, fan started collecting Cubs memorabilia when he was 10. He continues to add memorabilia to his man cave and lately has been into acquiring equipment used at Cubs games. He first started daydreaming about his own, Cubs-inspired man cave when he was 15. That dream became a reality in August 2013 when the finishing touches were completed on his cave.

And, of course, another dream is being realized for McVicar, a lifelong Cubs fans, as the Cubs enter Game 7 of the World Series Wednesday night. The series is currently tied 3-3.

“It’s an amazing experience. It’s just surreal. I’ve been exhausted, but I’ve been waiting my entire life for this,” said McVicar on Wednesday morning in an interview as he was en route to Cleveland with his brother to catch the big game.

McVicar has been flying out to all of the Cubs away games during the World Series and also, of course, hitting up the ones at Wrigley Field, where he is a season ticket holder. Meanwhile, the party must go on without him in his man cave. His wife, Lisa, has been hosting.

“My wife is sick and tired of it. But she’s having a party tonight,” said McVicar, who added his entire family is a bit worn out.

Because, well, there will be plenty of time to sleep in the coming months, he said.

“It’s Game 7 of the world series. After that, we have three to four months to do nothing,” McVicar said. Lisa is also a Cubs fan. Stewart and Lisa met at Wrigley, where he later proposed to her, but, McVicar said, “she’s not quite as crazy as I am, but she’s definitely into it.”

And, McVicar truly is crazy about the Cubs. He was left with the fortunate dilemma of a die-hard Cubs fan of either watching Game 7 from the comfort of his amazing, over-the-top man cave, surrounded by his closest friends and family, or traveling to Cleveland to see it live.

For McVicar, he feared if he didn’t go, he would regret it. He is taking his brother, who runs his business, Specialized Testing and Balancing in Lake in the Hills, with him. And he’s flying his mother, who lives in Tennessee, out to the game as well.

He credits his mom for instilling a deep love for the Cubs in him. She would take Stewart and his brother on road trips to go see the Cubs, not only at Wrigley Field but also when they were playing on the road.

“She helped seed my devotion,” he said.

As for tonight, he said even if the Cubs don’t win, he won’t be heartbroken.

“I just basically think even if we don’t win, it’s been awesome experience,” he said. “They didn’t choke — they took it all the way to Game 7."

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Sharing the Man Cave

When it comes to his man cave, McVicar has said in past interviews with Patch that he loves to share the joy it has given him with others. He said he still gets a kick out of the reaction people have when they see it for the first time.

“What is the point of having a great man cave if it just sits there and no one gets to see it?” McVicar told Patch in an October 2015 interview. "So I want to share it with people.”

With that thought in mind, McVicar in recent years has begun to host huge fund-raising events in his man cave with the proceeds going to a friend in need or a charitable organization he supports. In 2014, he hosted a fundraiser for a longtime friend, Nick Sheridan, who was in need of prosthetic limbs after bacterial meningitis led to him losing parts of both his legs and arms, according to the Daily Herald. Cubs chairman Tom Rickerts came to the event, and more than $30,000 was raised for Sheridan.

In August 2015, former Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood was the honored guest, and more than $35,000 was raised for the Kerry Wood Family Foundation, which supports children’s programs and charities. Sheridan was there and threw out a ceremonial first pitch with his new, prosthetic arm, the Daily Herald reports.

In total, the fund-raisers have raised $150,000, McVicar said.

How Much?

McVicar is not quick to name off the price tag on his man cave. For one, he has lost track over the years, he told Patch in 2015. And another major reason: “If my wife found out, she would probably divorce me,” McVicar said with a laugh.

But, the man cave is also used for family time. McVicar, Lisa and their 4-year-old girl will have family movie nights in the theater area. There is a popcorn and soda machine to help add to that experience. The amazing stereo system also helps provide awesome dance sessions for his daughter.

For McVicar, his man cave has been a long time coming but worth the wait.

“Some people have a boat, some people have a winter home in Arizona, this is what I wanted. This was my thing. This was my dream,” he said. “I have been thinking about this man cave since I was 15 years old and was hoping to get it some day.”

And the fact that he got it still amazes him.

“I still go down there at night to get a Coke from the pop machine and look around and say to myself, ‘Holy shit, this is mine,’” McVicar said in October 2015. “This is not something I take for granted.”

Photo credit: Brian Song