🐾 Does Waco Actually Need a Dog Park?

Good morning, Waco. This is The Waco Buzz, the local newsletter that’s as happy to see you as a dog that’s been kept inside all day waiting for someone to finally open the door.

In today's Sunday Sip:
🐾 Why Waco Still Doesn't Have a Dog Park
🎗️ Save the Date: The Cove's Built to Last Gala
📅 Things to Circle This Week
🏡 Home of the Week: A Tudor Bungalow
🍪 Milk Bottle Cookies Says Goodbye
📝 Good Life in Waco: The One Vehicle Family

Let's get to it!

- Sam Harper

🏈 Football season has a way of filling up the family car.

Cleats. Coolers. Tailgate chairs. Kids. More kids. Somehow there’s always one more thing to squeeze in.

Chevy of West has new 2026 Tahoes and Suburbans available with 5.9% APR financing for 60 months for well-qualified buyers through GM Financial, valid through September 30.*

If your third row is basically a storage unit by halftime, Chevy of West has some bigger options.

👉 See current inventory at chevyofwest.com or stop by Chevy of West this week. Owner Leo Pacheco and Sales Manager Mark Varia can help you find the right fit.

Waco did not just lose a dog park in 2024. It lost a small piece of community infrastructure that had quietly been doing a job for years.

H.O.T. Dog Park closed in September 2024 after the private landowner sold the property. More than two years later, Waco still doesn't have a replacement.

That keeps coming up in my inbox, so I started wondering about something bigger:

Do dog parks actually matter in a city like Waco?

A lot of people here have yards. Dogs can walk the trails at Cameron Park. There are private options. So how much demand is there really for a public, off-leash space?

At the same time, Waco is adding new parks across the city, and none of the projects currently underway includes an off-leash dog park.

So I dug into what happened to H.O.T. Dog Park, what the city has considered, what a dog park actually costs, and a few different ways Waco could approach one if the demand is there.

👉 Read the full breakdown here.

Ten years ago, The Cove set out to help homeless youth across the Heart of Texas find stability. On October 3, they’re marking a decade of that work with the Built to Last gala at the AC Hotel Waco Downtown, starting at 6 PM.

Expect live music from the Michael Hix and the Classix Band, an open bar, dinner, live and silent auctions, and a Founder’s Tribute celebrating 10 years of The Cove's work in Waco.

👉 Tickets and tables here.*

🪩 Bingo Loco
Friday, Sept. 25 | Doors 5:30 PM, show 7-9:30 PM | Hotel Herringbone, 319 S 4th St
The world's craziest bingo party is coming to Waco. Think DJs spinning ABBA, Britney and the Backstreet Boys, boozy bingo, vacation prizes, dance-offs, lip sync battles, comedians, and confetti. It's 21+ and, unfortunately, already sold out. You’ll be hearing about this one for a while, I’m sure.

Friday, Sept. 25 & Saturday, Sept. 26 | 6 PM | Cooper House, 1801 Austin Ave
Historic Waco Foundation's interactive 1950s murder mystery runs 2 to 3 hours. General admission includes the show, two drinks, and appetizers. VIP adds a private tour of Madison Cooper's untouched office, and 1950s attire earns you a raffle entry. Tickets at historicwaco.org.

Saturday, Sept. 26 | Kickoff TBD | McLane Stadium
Baylor opens Big 12 play at home against Colorado, and Deion Sanders makes his first trip to Waco since taking over the Buffs. Tickets start at $17.

Another one worth knowing about is happening at the STEAM Center, which keeps finding creative ways to give Waco something new to try.

Starts Wednesday | 5:45–7:45 PM, 12-week series | Bledsoe-Miller STEAM Center
Texas Music Café is teaching digital production, drum sequencing, sampling, and recording in a hands-on course open to 6th graders through adults. Only 12 spots are available.

Welcome to Home of the Week at 2419 Washington Avenue, a 1920s Tudor bungalow in the heart of Waco. We'll give you a few clues, you guess the price.

This one is currently a full-time short-term rental, with an estimated $42.5K in annual revenue.

👉 Take your best guess, then peek at the answer here.

Want to see it in person? Connect with Lezlie Roark for your private tour.
Lezlie Roark is not the listing agent on this one, but represents HBL Realtors and can help if you're buying.

What it is: The Chocolate Chip Cookie, a full quarter pound of it, classic and loaded with three different types of chips edge to edge.

The verdict: My picture struggled to capture the sheer size of this cookie. If you think it almost looks like the top of a massive muffin, you would be getting closer. It's enough to share, but good enough that you think twice about it. The owner confirmed in the comments of one of our Instagram posts last week that they'll be closing for good in December, so this one's got a deadline.

What to order: Classic Chocolate Chip Cookie

Where: Milk Bottle Cookies, 218 S 11th St

Cost: $6

Six-word review: Go before they close in December.

Good Life in Waco is our series on how real Wacoans build a life here: what you earn, how you're saving, what you've learned about money, health, and relationships in this city. This only works if people keep sharing. Got 10 minutes? Tell us your story anonymously

Why Waco: "God led me to Baylor and have lived here mostly since."

Job: "I work for a non-profit." Roughly $65K a year, plus rental income on the side.

Housing: "Own a home, purchase price was $205K in 2020. Put 10% down. Advice is find an older home and fix it up. Most old homes in Waco have good bones and are built to last."

Debt: "Just mortgage."

Credit cards: "Capital One Venture X and Amex Marriott Platinum, benefits for travel."

Budgeting: "Yes, through budget and tracking in Google Sheets."

Where they learned money: "MBA degree and financial advisor."

Best expense: "Doris Miller Community Center pool is the best." Worst: "Media subscriptions."

Best Waco money tip: "If you can swing as a one vehicle family and use a bike for when you need to, Waco has become way more bike friendly and things are not as far as other cities. You can save a ton of money on gas, auto insurance, etc."

Freedom number: "In terms of being truly free, an income of $120,000 in Waco, you wouldn't have to worry about much."

Financial goals: "Save enough to start a side business."

Self-care: "Swim 3 days a week, lift 2 times a week, and being connected to the local church." Their best health decision: "Being disciplined in working out. Minimize any barriers to going. Pay a little more if the commute is less, or whatever makes it easy to get out the door to go."

Social life: "Church community is key. Anything outside of that, like kids' school or work, is bonus. Compared to most cities, you can see people so easily since people don't live that far apart in terms of drive time. Waco makes it easy to be social."

Where they eat: "Helberg's or Terry Black's."

What they wish they knew at 25: "Live simply as long as you can to save the most you can."

👉 Recognize a little of yourself in this? Share your Good Life in Waco story here. Anonymous, takes about 10-15 minutes, skip anything you don't want to answer.

 💧 A Better Way to Beat September Colds: I-Vit’s Immune Boost supports immune function, hydration, and overall wellness, right on time for the season everyone starts trading the same cough back and forth. 20% off for the month.*

✨ For a Skin Refresh: Skin & Body Refinery offers HydraFacials that combine deep cleansing, gentle extraction, hydration and LED light therapy.*

🔴 Try Waco's Full-Body Red Light Bed: Waco Bodymend has a TheraLight 360+ Bed designed to support muscle recovery, circulation, sleep, skin health and overall wellness.*

Waco Buzz Events UPDATE: Pottery Night on the 26th is SOLD OUT, and we’ve got eight tickets left for Social Studies on Thursday night. Meet some new people and learn something new from the Director of Engaged Learning, Dr. Andy Hogue. Hope to see you at one of these events this week!

Thanks for reading The Waco Buzz today. If you found something helpful, share it with your friend who includes their dog in their annual holiday photo.

See you Tuesday.