A Dallas favorite is moving in next to Foster Pavilion 🍺

Good morning, Waco! This is The Waco Buzz, the local newsletter that feels like catching every green light down Valley Mills.

In this edition:
🎮 Baylor esports goes 20-0 in Year Zero
🎨 Vote for the sidewalk obstacle course your kids will actually use
🌎 The biggest flourishing study ever drops, and Waco shows up in the takeaway
🏛 Four big decisions at council tonight
🎶 The Best Midweek Live Music and Events

Early voting started yesterday, Baylor baseball drew its biggest crowd since 2017, and there's a lot to cover. Let's get to it!
— Sam Harper

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🎮 Waco Keeps Making Noise on the National Map

While we wait for Baylor football to claw back to national championship contention, other Baylor sports teams keep putting Waco on the map. Acrobatics and tumbling is a dynasty. And now esports is in on it.

Baylor's brand-new Rocket League varsity team went 20-0 and won the Power Esports Conference title in Las Vegas this month. From April 30 to May 3, Waco hosts the Texas state high school esports championships and the Collegiate Esports Commissioner's Cup. Nearly 11,000 competitors and families will roll through downtown and Baylor's campus. That's a lot of hotel rooms and Dr. Pepper.

🎨 Vote for the Sidewalk Obstacle Course Going in Your Neighborhood
Students across McLennan County submitted designs for a Sidewalk Obstacle Course Challenge, simple playful prompts to get people moving. Hop, jump, spin, the kind of thing that turns a regular walk into a small adventure. Five winning designs will be painted in local parks by professional artists. Your vote picks which ones get built.

👉 Cast your vote here

🌎 The World's Biggest Flourishing Study Just Dropped
Baylor and Harvard released the results of the Global Flourishing Study last week, the largest investigation of human flourishing ever attempted. 200,000 people across 22 countries, now free for anyone to check out.

Three early findings stand out: young adults report lower well-being than older generations, wealthier nations report lower sense of meaning, and faith communities are one of the strongest predictors of well-being worldwide.
🥡 The Takeaway: The data confirms what a lot of Wacoans already live. Show up in your local community. Stay connected to neighbors. Root yourself in faith. Read it for yourself here.

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🍺 Manhattan Project Beer Wants to Land Next to Foster Pavilion
Something on tonight's council consent agenda caught our eye: a possible lease approval for Manhattan Project Beer to move in on the ground floor of the Pavilion Parking Garage right next to Foster Pavilion.

Three founders started a homebrew project that turned into an award-winning Belgian Dark called Inception. They formalized as Manhattan Project Beer Co. (nodding to their experimental approach and the chance to name beers like Hoppenheimer and Half-Life) and took first place in American IPA at their very first competitive festival in 2013. They distribute throughout Texas and have a popular taproom in Dallas.

Landing them next to Foster would be a real win for that whole corner of downtown.

🍸 Maria's Mezcaleria Is Moving, Let’s Give Them a Full House
One of downtown's favorite spots has to be out of its current location on May 24th. No new address yet. A packed dining room over the next six weeks gives them more runway to land the next spot and keep the team working through the transition. Go get the tacos. Get a mezcal flight. Tip well. Post about it.

If you know of downtown commercial space that might fit, reply to this email and I'll pass it along.

🧸 Small Business Spotlight: Cottontail Jones

Robert and Jessica Lim brought Cottontail Jones with them when they moved from California to Waco, and smartly reshaped it along the way. What started as a traditional children’s boutique is now an upscale resale shop built for how families actually shop today.

Inside, it’s not your typical resale rack. You’ll find preemie to size 10, plus shoes, toys, books, and baby gear, all handpicked with a focus on simple, well-made pieces that last. It’s built for parents who care about quality and sustainability, without paying full retail. And if you stop by, there’s a good chance Debbie’s the one welcoming you in.

Their take on starting a business in Waco is simple: make sure there’s real demand, avoid crowded categories, and don’t show up with something people have already seen.

📍 1025 Austin Ave | cottontailjones.com

🗳 Early Voting Is Open
Early voting for the May 2 election started Monday and runs through April 28.

🏛 City Council Preview

Work session 3 PM, business session 6 PM, Bosque Theater at the Waco Convention Center. Public welcome. Full agenda here.

🔥 Downtown Waco Strategy Roundtable on Wednesday
Last month's room included downtown investors, city leaders, nonprofit directors, and business owners who are shaping what Waco looks like in five years. If you have a stake in the future of downtown Waco, grab a seat at Humidor on Austin at 5 PM on Wednesday. Free, registration required. Register here.

Tuesday:

Wednesday:

Thursday:

Looking Ahead

🍽 Waco Buzz Dinner Club, April 29. Take the quiz, get matched with five strangers, and enjoy dinner together at a local restaurant. Halfway through you’ll get invited to an optional after dinner meet up as well. Think of it as an easy way to make new friends in Waco. 84 people have already signed up.

Big thanks to Tex Vet Trees and Landscaping for being our first-ever Dinner Club presenting sponsor. Veteran-owned, 5-star Google reviews, and a 2026 Best of Waco nominee.

Social Studies with Dr. Lenore Wright, May 7
Dr. Lenore Wright, Professor of Philosophy and Baylor Master Teacher, is taking us through 3,000 years of female icons and how they have shaped the way we see ourselves. It’s like a TED talk during happy hour. Get tickets here.

⚾ Baseball: Record Crowd, Split Series
3,505 fans packed Baylor Ballpark Friday night for an 11-4 win over TCU, the largest baseball crowd in Waco since April 2017. Saturday got rained out, and TCU took both ends of Sunday's doubleheader (5-4 and 10-2) to steal the series. Bears are 22-17 overall, 9-9 in Big 12.

🏃 Michael Johnson Invitational @ Clyde Hart Track Stadium, Fri–Sat. One of the country's top track meets, named after the Baylor Olympic legend.

🥎 Softball: Final Home Weekend vs. Oklahoma State

Fri April 24, 6:30 PM – Whiteout (white pom + coffee mug giveaway, courtesy Armadillo Harley Davidson)

Sat April 25, 2 PM – Getty Up! (rope hat giveaway, post-game autographs)

Sun April 26, 1 PM – Senior Day (kids 12 and under free, senior trading cards)

📅 Baylor Fan Fest on April 25 at McLane Stadium
Live music from Sloppy Joe Band, a BBQ cookoff judged by former Baylor QB Seth Russell, a cornhole tournament, 14+ food trucks, and a kids zone. Open practice starts at 1 PM.

🧗‍♀️ This summer, Basin Climbing + Fitness is offering $25 off their summer camp using code WACOBUZZ. If you or your child wants to try climbing before signing up, swing by the gym any day and give it a try together.

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Thanks for reading The Waco Buzz today. If you found something useful, share it with your friend who went to Brazos Nights this past weekend.

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