☀️25 Ways to Beat This Heat

Good Morning Waco! This is The Waco Buzz, the newsletter that's as helpful as the one shade tree to stand under during an H.O.T. soccer game in August.

In this edition:

🚧 Twin Bridges Do the Cupid Shuffle This Weekend
🌡️ It's About to Get Even Hotter (Here's What Actually Helps)
🍦 Free Ice Cream, For a Good Cause
🎬 A Documentary Worth Clearing Your Saturday For
🎶 Your Full Weekend Guide

Last night, Social Studies made its return, and more than 100 of you showed up. Thanks for making it such a fun night. I’m working on the September speaker and venue now, so stay tuned.

Let's get to it!

— Sam Harper

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🌡️ It's Hot, Hot, Hot

We've officially hit the point in the year where Waco starts to lose it. A couple weeks of 100° is one thing. Two months of it with barely any rain? That'll do us in. We're looking at 105° today and 106° tomorrow. The breeze stopped feeling like relief a while back. Now it's just a hair dryer that won't turn off.

If your weekend plan is starting to look like "find the best AC, order queso, repeat," I get it.

But there are actually a ton of things to do around Waco when it's this hot that don't involve sitting in a restaurant. I spent way too much time going through them and put together 25+ verified spots to cool off, make something, catch a show, get competitive, or just get out of the house.

It's built mostly for dates and friend hangouts, and I intentionally left the usual restaurant lists and kid-zone fun out of it.

Here's the guide → What To Do In Waco When It's 100°F Outside

🚧 Twin Bridges Will Become a Solo Bridge for a Year

On Sunday at 7 p.m., every car crossing Lake Waco on Highway 6 will start doing the cupid shuffle, sliding to the left, more or less. It's the start of a $114 million rebuild of the Twin Bridges, which have carried traffic since the 1960s.

By the following Saturday, that one bridge carries two lanes, one for each direction and stays that way through fall 2027 while crews demolish and rebuild the southbound side. A couple of ramps close for about a year too: the southbound exit to Midway Park and the northbound on-ramp past Fish Pond Road.

🥡 The Takeaway: Cha cha real smooth and give yourself some extra time if this is part of your regular drive. 👉 Full details here

📌 Quick Hits

🐻 Baylor football's season officially starts Saturday with Meet the Bears, a free autograph event for the 2026 roster at the Allison Indoor Practice Facility, 1 to 2:30 p.m., doors open at 12:30. Stick around for a free Baylor Volleyball exhibition against UTSA at 3 p.m. at the Ferrell Center. Worth it if you've got kids or just want the great AC.

🥬 Sprouts Farmers Market throws its grand opening at Central Texas Marketplace this weekend. Friday's ribbon cutting is 6:45 a.m., first 200 shoppers get a free tote, first 400 get a free rose, and Sprouts Rewards signups get 20% off through Sunday with code WACO20.

🪑 Laverty's Antiques & Furnishings, the Sanger Heights shop that only opens a handful of weekends a year, is open this weekend.

Graphic Designer at WPromo. Creating designs across screen printing, signage, and embroidery. Wants a strong portfolio and solid Adobe Creative Suite skills.

Director of Sales & Marketing at CareCo. Owns lead volume, ad spend, and a team of brand managers and lead response coordinators across every CareCo office.

EHS Director at VanTran Industries. Be the top safety voice in the building, the person leadership calls first. Wants 8 to 10 years of safety experience, with at least 5 leading a team, plus a bachelor's degree in safety, engineering, or a related field.

Executive Director at Taylor Museum of Waco & McLennan County History ($90K to $110K). Run the whole museum, budget, staff, fundraising, and help decide what it becomes next as they plan a "Museum Reimagined" overhaul.

Hiring? Post a Job
Hunting? View all open roles

🍦 Free Ice Cream, For a Good Cause

Kilwins’ Fill a Tub, Feed a Family drive runs through the end of August. Stop by, grab a bucket to fill with non-perishable food for the Central Texas Food Bank, bring it back, and they’ll reward you with free ice cream.

It’s a pretty great weekend activity that gives back and ends with free ice cream. I highly recommend the Lemon Meringue Pie.

📍 323 S 6th St. | Through the end of August

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🎈 Friday, Aug. 21:

Disco in the Desert @ Lucky Buck's, 319 S. Fourth St. – 4 PM to midnight, DJ BabyJoe ThaKing 7-9 PM

Last Call Before Football @ Baylor Club – 5-8 PM

Sherwood Forest Faire & Pint Night @ Fabled Bookshop & Cafe – 6-9 PM, $5 glass

"Dear Evan Hansen" @ Waco Civic Theatre - 7:30 PM

Live Music
Darrell Ray & Stan Wilfong @ The Grape Wine & Bistro – 5 PM
D-Rail @ Slow Rise on the Brazos – 5:30 PM
Steve Dansby @ Camp Fimfo – 7 PM
Tyler Hill @ Blue Pup Wine & Martini Bar – 7 PM
Missile Annie @ Twisted Sisters Patio Bar – 8 PM
Breaking Bad Company @ The Will of Waco – 8 PM
GN'R Reloaded: A Tribute to Guns N' Roses with Kidd Sixx @ The Backyard Bar Stage & Grill – 8:30 PM

🎈 Saturday, Aug. 22:

National Model Aviation Day Fly In @ Max Blose Field – 8 AM-3 PM, $25 to participate

Park Clean Up @ Cameron Park Zoo, Mouth of the Bosque – 8-11 AM, bring gloves and water

Waco Downtown Farmers Market @ Bridge Street Plaza – 9 AM

Robin Hood Readers Theatre (Fabled's birthday) @ Fabled Bookshop & Cafe – 10:30 AM, Sir Hiss the snake visits at 11 AM

Summer Sips Tasting Experience @ Downtown Waco - 11 AM - 4 PM

Meet the Bears @ Allison Indoor Practice Facility - 1 PM FREE

The Great Handmakers Market @ The BASE, Extraco Events Center – 1-7 PM, $10, kids 12 and under free

"Dear Evan Hansen" @ Waco Civic Theatre - 2:00 PM & 7:30 PM

Culinary Collective: Flavors of Germany @ Waco STEAM Center – 2-4 PM

Baylor Volleyball vs UTSA @ Ferrell Center - 3 PM FREE

⭐ Buzz Pick: If you only make one stop Saturday night, make it the Good Fite Documentary Premiere at the Waco Hippodrome. It's a red carpet look at Waco native Louis Fite's story, with Pro Football Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson, coach Johnny Tusa, and the Waco voices who lived it. Doors open 5 PM.

Hula Fest 2026 @ Hawaiian Falls – 4-5 PM

Live Music
Nelson Rue @ Segovia Wine Bar – 7 PM
Frankie G @ Camp Fimfo – 7 PM
Ronnie & The Redwoods @ Texas Music Cafe – 8 PM
The Rewind Party Band @ The Will of Waco – 8 PM
Piano Man @ Twisted Sisters Patio Bar – 8 PM
Ghosts of Hill County @ The Backyard Bar Stage & Grill – 8:30 PM

🎈 Sunday, Aug. 23:

"Dear Evan Hansen" @ Waco Civic Theatre - 2:00 PM

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