Camp Caylor celebrates National Dog Day

By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press 

On Sunday afternoon, Camp Caylor Wine and Beer Yard held a celebration of National Dog Day, inviting dog owners to bring their four-footed friends for a time of treats and entertainment for all. 
Shannon Caylor and her husband, Jonathan, own the “day camp for grownups” and wanted to hold a National Dog Day event to welcome the dogs and their owners. 
Lauren and Matt Croom came from Killeen on Sunday afternoon and brought their dog, Letty, along with them for some treats, and so she could meet up with her other four-footed friends, a Great Pyrenees named Scarlet and a shepherd mix named Lucy.
Lauren said this was their second time coming to Camp Caylor and she found out about it from other military spouses in an online group. 
“This is so exciting, because we love to come to breweries and to be able to bring the dogs is awesome,” said Lauren. “This is really good for Letty. She was a year old in January. We’ve been bringing her to breweries in Salado since she’s been a puppy, and it’s just good for her social skills. She’s nervous, but she’s good around other dogs.” 
Yes Chef food trailer from Salado was on site Sunday afternoon, as it is every Thursday through Saturday at Camp Caylor, said food truck owner Renee Richardson.
The truck provided free frozen watermelon slices for the dogs, and also sold jars of dog treats made by K-9 Candy, with a portion of the proceeds going to benefit local no-kill animal shelters. For the humans, the truck’s owners provided diners with a variety of specialty burgers, sandwiches, fried pickles and more. Camp Caylor’s Space Between Tasting Room also served up a variety of Texas wines and Texas beer. 
The afternoon’s entertainment came from Matthew Butter, who gave a vocals and guitar performance in the outdoor performance area.  
The National Dog Day event came about after the Caylors heard from one customer who’d left their dog at home. The Caylors not only made plans for the event and entertainment, but they also installed two doggy clean-up stations at the camp, and from now on, dogs on leashes are welcome at Camp Caylor.  
Sunday’s event was just one in a lineup of events to be held at Camp Caylor, which is also available for private events. 
“We’ve had a very busy August. We’ve had a number of events in our outdoor pavilion and the tasting room,” said Shannon Caylor. “We get ideas from our customers as to what kind of events they’d like to have, such as our tea party on September 9. No alcohol, just tea! We always have live music on Saturday nights.”
This weekend, the band MorningStar will take the stage again for a repeat performance starting at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 1, with s’mores roasting also on the agenda for the evening. On Thursday, September 6 the camp will celebrate National Read a Book Day at 7 p.m., with a Tea Party day on September 9 in the afternoon. Then on Friday, September 14, Camp Caylor is holding a “Murder Among the Mateys” mystery dinner party with a three-course meal by Yes Chef, along with wine pairings.
Located on the corner of West Highway 190 and County Road 4814, Camp Caylor is about one-half mile on the left after the Big Divide Road intersection. The venue has corn hole, horseshoes, washers, bocce ball, yard chess, yard checkers, giant Jenga, giant connect 4, yard dice, with board games and more inside the tasting room.