Dear Wayland Community Member,

When we started Wayland Dads more than 12 years ago, we didn't have a blueprint as much as a vision. Most of the guys had young kids, were new to town, and were figuring out how local government works, so they could help support our schools and find a way to help ensure the town had more playing fields. Most importantly, they were all invested in our community. Around that same time, David Pearlman started the Wayland Men's Softball League. Together, I like to think we helped begin to build a stronger community.

As Murphy’s Law would have it, the first year of our Saturday morning Loker Dad & Kid Drop-Ins coincided with that winter’s record-breaking 110 inches of snow. Those early years brought a number of successes. Regular poker nights, our Family Ski Day, golf tournaments, and a host of other events.  The biggest was the Dad & Me Camp Out at the high school, done in collaboration with the Recreation Department. More than 100 kids and dads showed up for games, outdoor activities, a BBQ, and a massive 40x40 drive-in-style movie screen attached to the bleachers. It was an extraordinary event. Unfortunately, three years later, COVID scuttled that tradition. 

One consistent theme of Wayland Dads has been proactive involvement in local community affairs. It's our fellow residents who volunteer for town boards and shape the  direction for  Wayland. In a world where politics can quickly turn divisive, Wayland Dads aims to bring the community together while advocating for the needs of parents with school-aged kids.

Over the years, our group has built a solid toolkit that allows us to run a lean, virtual organization with minimal overhead, including our thousand-member Mailchimp email list, our Squarespace website, and the commerce engine we use to register golfers for our tournaments.

Both of my sons are now in high school, and it's become clear to me that Wayland Dads thrives when it's driven by dads with younger kids. Everything from coaching and school involvement to planning events works best when there's a  personal investment and energy that comes with having kids still in the thick of it.

With that in mind, we're looking to transition Wayland Dads to a motivated group of dads who want to shape Version 2.0 of our community. We're hosting a social evening in the private room at the Coach Grill on Monday, June 8th, 7–9 PM.

With Gratitude,

Scott

RSVP here

Wayland Dads Coach Grill agenda 

  • Wayland Town Politics 101 — Tom Fay & Doug Levine

    • Pressing needs and opportunities

  • Rt 20 South Landfill Visioning Committee recreational field recommendations.  

  • New middle school & elementary schools proposal(s) - 

  • Other topics

    • Wayland Dads History & Mission

    • Transition concept

      • Assets 

      • Need

      • Opportunity

    • 2026 Fall Dad & Me Camp Out idea

      • What if a group of younger dads ran a similar event?

      • We'll share the full playbook for pulling off an amazing night

      • Wayland Dads will cover the costs

      • The goal: give a small group of guys the chance to work together, recruit others, and kick off their own version of Wayland Dads