🧊 10 summers in Waco taught me this

Good Morning Waco! This is The Waco Buzz, the local newsletter that is more refreshing than a glass of ice cold lemonade from the kid down the street with the hand-painted sign and the fold-out table.

In this edition:

🏆 Nominate someone who's earned it.
❄️ 10 summers here taught me this about AC bills
🎓 Baylor Line named best in the country
🎶 Your full weekend game plan
💼 3 Waco jobs worth a look

Weekend Weather: 97° Friday, 98° Saturday & Sunday. Starbucks brought the Pumpkin Spice Latte back this week, which is either optimistic or delusional depending on how you feel about a hot fall drink in weather that will still make you sweat through your shirt on the walk back to the car. Bold strategy, Starbucks.

Let's get to it!

— Sam Harper

🏆 Nominate Someone Who's Made a Difference

What's happening: Two nomination windows are open right now, and both are for people who've earned a thank-you.

Baylor Athletics wants to send one Waco area principal, plus 49 guests, to the Bears' home opener against Prairie View A&M on Sept. 12, watching from the Magnolia Suites. It's called the 254 Endzone Experience.

Separately, H-E-B is marking 25 years of its statewide Excellence in Education Awards with more than $1 million in prizes this year. Any teacher, counselor, principal, school board, or early childhood educator qualifies, not just principals.

Why it matters: One's a tight window, one's a bigger pot of money. Worth nominating someone for both if you've got a person in mind.

👉 Nominate a principal for Baylor tickets here (deadline: Monday)
👉 Nominate a teacher or staff member for H-E-B's awards here (deadline: Sept. 30)

❄️ 10 Summers in Waco Taught Me This About AC Bills

I moved here from Michigan ten years ago, and my electric bill that August was a number I still don't say out loud. A decade and a lot of trial and error later, here are a few ways to keep the local HVAC company off speed dial and your bill down to a reasonable number:

Set it to 78°F instead of fighting it lower during the day. Cranking it to 60 doesn't cool the house faster. It just runs the compressor into the ground.

Hose off your outdoor unit. A light spray clears the dirt clogging the fans so the system isn't fighting itself all summer.

Run ceiling fans counterclockwise on high, then turn them off when you leave the room. Fans cool people, not empty rooms, a lesson that took me too long to learn.

Change your filter monthly through the worst of it, and leave a couple feet of open space around the outdoor unit so it can actually breathe.

Close the blinds on your west-facing windows in the afternoon. That's where the real heat gets in.

I wish someone had handed me this list back in 2016. Also, here’s a guide for what to do when it’s this hot outside in Waco.

📌 Quick Hits

🎮 New Wacodle game is live. DaveyP is still undefeated on the Silo Ball leaderboard, if anyone's brave enough to try dethroning him.

🧱 Got a LEGO kid? Or, let's be honest, are you a LEGO adult? The Brick Convention is back at BASE all weekend with massive builds, hands-on activities and enough bricks to make your living room “artwork” look normal. Tickets here.

🎭 Final weekend for Dear Evan Hansen. Waco Civic Theatre's Tony-winning musical wraps up its run this weekend, so this is your last chance to catch it. Get tickets.

Who's hiring in Waco? 3 Waco jobs worth a look 👀

Director of Sales & Marketing at CareCo. Lead sales and marketing for a growing multi-office caregiving company. Own lead volume, marketing spend, and the strategy behind bringing in new business. $100K–$115K.

Agency Sales Executive at Mallory Horn Agency. Sell auto, home, life, and health insurance with a base salary plus commission. Build relationships and turn conversations into clients. Full time.

Part-Time Sales Associate at Club Pilates Woodway during evenings and weekends. No Pilates experience needed, just a friendly personality and a knack for connecting with people.

Hiring? Post a Job
Hunting? View all open roles

Most of us are somewhere between “I should probably figure this out for my job” and “Look at this recipe I got after taking a picture of the inside of my refrigerator.”

The YOU × AI Summit on Sept. 12 is built around a more useful question: How do we use AI to make our work better, without making people less important?

It’s a full day of practical conversations about using AI for impact, productivity and growth, whether you’re a business owner, marketer or simply curious about what all of this means for the way you work.

(No, you don’t need to be a tech person.)

📍 The PACC
🗓️ Saturday, Sept. 12
👉 Get your ticket here before the price jumps after Sunday.*

🎈 Friday, Aug. 28:

Lunch with a Legend Ricky Thompson @ Hurd Welcome Center – 11:30 AM

Zombies' Revenge Nerf Battle @ South Waco Library – 5:30 PM | Ages 10–17

Upward Soccer League Evaluations @ Community Fellowship Church - 6 PM

Art to Table Fundraiser @ AC Hotel Downtown – 7 PM | $150/couple, benefits Cultivate Waco

Dear Evan Hansen @ Waco Civic Theatre - 7 PM

Friday Live Music
Johnny Joe Ramos @ The Grape Wine & Bistro – 5 PM
Nikki Heath @ Blue Pup Wine & Martini Bar – 7 PM
Tea Aguilar & Landon Jayroe @ Encore Rooftop Bar - 8 PM
Charlie Gunn & Jo El Wood @ Twisted Sisters Patio Bar – 8 PM
The Sloppy Joe Trio @ The Will – 8 PM
Pecos and the Rooftops @ Backyard Bar Stage & Grill – 8:30 PM

🎈 Saturday, Aug. 29:

Waco Downtown Farmers Market @ Bridge Street Plaza – 9 AM

Lego Brick Convention @ The BASE, Extraco Events Center – 10 AM - 5 PM

Summer Showcase art market and exhibition @ Cultivate Waco - 1 PM

Dear Evan Hansen @ Waco Civic Theatre - 2 & 7 PM

Build Your Own Candle Workshop @ Marie's Wine Bar – 3–4:30 PM | $25

Waco Washer Tournament @ The Will of Waco – 4:30–8 PM | $50/team

Mahjong & Mimosas @ Marie's Wine Bar – 4:30 PM

Texas Ranger Hall of Fame 50th Anniversary Dinner – 5:30

The Science of Spirits @ Bledsoe-Miller STEAM Center - 6 PM

Lock In at Nexus Gaming Waco – 10 PM | $20/person

Saturday Live Music
Keegan McInroe @ Texas Music Cafe – 8 PM
The Texas Heatwave Band @ The Will – 8 PM
Southern Junction @ Twisted Sisters Patio Bar – 8 PM
Giovannie & The Hired Guns @ Backyard Bar Stage & Grill – 8:30 PM

🎈 Sunday, Aug. 30:
Lego Brick Convention @ The BASE, Extraco Events Center – 10 AM - 5 PM

Mom and Pop Card Show @ Anthem Stories – 11 AM–5 PM | Kids 7 and under free, $5 at the door

Homegrown Sundays @ The Will of Waco – Music noon–5 PM, market 1–5 PM

Dear Evan Hansen @ Waco Civic Theatre - 2 PM

🐾 Pups at the Pitch: Baylor Soccer vs. Pepperdine @ Betty Lou Mays Field – 7 PM | Free, first 100 fans with a dog get a bandana

🎉 Special for Waco Buzz readers: Get $75 off a Basin Climbing birthday party with code BUZZ75.

🔥 Waco Buzz readers can join HOTWORX Woodway for their first workout free. If you are a teacher, you can get one WEEK for free through September 30.

🚗 Your neighbors at Chevy of West have been taking care of Waco drivers for years with new and pre-owned trucks, SUVs, and cars just 20 minutes up I-35 in West, TX. Stop by or browse their inventory today.

✨ Skin & Body Refinery delivers top tier injectors and natural looking results. Botox to Bellafill, they've got you covered.

💧 Need a boost? IViT Hydration & Wellness offers IV therapy and wellness treatments to help you feel better, recover faster, and boost energy. Waco Buzz readers get $35 off.

Thanks for reading The Waco Buzz today. If you found something worth doing this weekend, share it with the neighbor who's already putting out Halloween decorations.

Whenever you're ready, here are three ways to get more involved:

1. Dinner Club: Meet five other locals (recent movers and lifelong Wacoans) over dinner on September 17. You’ll make new friends regardless of stage of life and help make Waco a smaller town.

2. Have an event you want to promote? Get it featured leading up to the event. Reserve yours here.

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