Fathers gather for a Park City Dad Gang meetup, an early event aimed at building connection, support and community among local dads and their families. Photo: Park City Dad Gang
PARK CITY, Utah — On playgrounds, at community events, and in the rhythm of everyday parenting, Constantine Bhanos began noticing something he could not quite ignore: moms often seemed to have one another, while dads, even when standing nearby, often stayed at a distance.
There might be a quick hello, a nod, a passing exchange. But not much beyond that.
So Bhanos decided to try building the kind of community he felt was missing.
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Constantine Bhanos and his son spend time together at a fire museum, reflecting the kind of connection and shared experience at the heart of Park City Dad Gang. Photo: Constantine Bhanos
Park City Dad Gang, a new local fatherhood initiative, is Bhanos’ attempt to create more space for dads to connect — not around perfection or performance, he said, but around the real and often messy experience of raising children, supporting families, and showing up more fully for their lives.
“A lot of fathers feel isolated once they’ve entered this stage of life,” Bhanos said. “We spend a lot of time working and providing for families, but we don’t always have a strong community around fatherhood in the way that mothers do.”
The group is still in its early stages, but Bhanos envisions it as part support network, part social outlet, and part community-building project. He hopes it will eventually include casual meetups, storytelling events, workshops, service projects, outdoor adventures for dads and kids, and mentorship between newer and more experienced fathers.
Constantine Bhanos walks with his son across a rope bridge during an outing, one of the kinds of shared adventures that helped inspire Park City Dad Gang. Photo: Constantine Bhanos
Though the name is intentionally playful, Bhanos said the idea behind it is serious.
“Historically, men formed small groups around shared responsibilities and purposes,” he said. “Dad Gang is a modern version of that. It’s just a group of fathers supporting each other and trying to become better men for their families and their community.”
For Bhanos, the idea is also personal.
He said becoming a father — and navigating co-parenting with his young son’s mother — brought a deeper sense of connection to caregiving, but also made him more aware of how few spaces existed for fathers to gather in meaningful ways.
He found himself spending time in environments where mothers were often the ones building friendships, organizing activities, and creating informal support systems. Fathers, he said, were present, but not always connecting beyond the surface.
“I really wanted to interact with more fathers,” Bhanos said. “I just felt like there was a better way to connect.”
Families gather around a vehicle during a Park City Dad Gang meetup, part of an effort to create connection and community among local fathers and their children. Photo: Constantine Bhanos
That instinct has already begun taking shape through a handful of early gatherings. Bhanos said one recent event brought dads together around sledding, a fire pit, hot chocolate, and chai — a low-pressure chance to spend time with their children and with one another.
He said he wants the group to remain accessible, with events that feel easy to join and open to different family structures, schedules, and levels of involvement.
At the same time, he sees room for something deeper.
Bhanos hopes Park City Dad Gang can grow into a place where fathers talk honestly about identity, values, and the responsibilities of parenting — and where they can support one another not only as dads, but as people.
“This is not about being perfect,” he said. “It’s about authentically showing up and having presence, having patience, having strength, and having a lot of emotional intelligence.”
He said many of the group’s guiding principles are still emerging and will likely be shaped by the people who take part. But he expects the core values to center on honesty, presence, mutual support, and a willingness to grow.
“Some days it means an adventure,” Bhanos said. “Some days it’s an honest conversation.”
He also hopes the group can expand beyond social connection alone, finding ways to contribute to the wider Park City community through collaborations, service projects, and family-centered events.
Among the ideas he is exploring are brunch gatherings, fatherhood interviews, cultural cooking experiences, arts-based collaborations, and partnerships with local organizations.
Constantine Bhanos joins family and friends at a youth hockey game, one of the everyday community spaces that helped inspire his vision for Park City Dad Gang. Photo: Constantine Bhanos
For now, the project is growing through word of mouth and social media. Park City Dad Gang is on Instagram and Facebook, and Bhanos said a website is also in the works. He is also handing out flyers and QR codes around town and said he plans to personally connect with those who reach out.
He said he hopes moms, dads, and other community members will help spread the word, especially to fathers who may be interested but reluctant to step into something new.
“There is a sense that people want community,” Bhanos said. “Men are maybe a little more apprehensive to join until there’s a real sense of safety or something built. But we’re just going to continue to do the reps.”
For him, the effort is about more than organizing events. It is about creating a culture of connection around fatherhood in a town where many families are looking for ways to feel more supported.
What Bhanos wants to build, he said, is simple: a place where fathers can show up as they are, find one another, and grow stronger in community.
“It’s about real brotherhood through fatherhood,” he said. “Stronger dads build stronger families and stronger communities.”
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