Flaming Frog, Flying Acrobats Kick Off Wayland's 375th Anniversary

You only turn 375 once, and Wayland wants to make sure it's a memorable milestone for everyone in town.

On Saturday, the town celebrated the kickoff of its yearlong 375th anniversary celebration with a carnival and circus throughout the day and a barn dance a ceremonial bonfire that night.

Coordinator Deborah Seidman said Saturday night that the circus and carnival drew about 1,500 people throughout the day as performers with the Moody Street Circus twisted and flew through the air to the oohs and ahhs of an appreciative crowd.

As the daylight began to fade, a barn dance brought more than 200 people -- many of them children -- to dosey-doe the night away under clear skies and a crescent moon.

Perhaps the most dramatic event of the day, however, was the ceremonial bonfire at twilight. A few hundred people watched from the banks of a private pond at 43 Old Connecticut Path as a sculpture in the shape of a northern leopard frog burst into flame to a chorus of nature sounds. The frog was at one time prevalent in Wayland, but is now considered endangered.

The sculpture was built by the Myth Makers, artists Andy Moerlein and Donna Dodson, who watched from across the pond as the fire crept across the body of the frog sculpture and then died to a smoulder.

Dodson said they spent about six hours building the giant sculpture and they were thrilled with the result and the setting, which allowed the burning sculpture to reflect perfectly in the pond.

Wayland's 375th Anniversary Commemoriation Committee has a wide variety of events planned throughout the next year, all leading to the finale celebration on June 14, 2014, which is expected to include a parade and another ceremonial bonfire.

The Wayland 375 website features an ongoing calendar of events.