✈️ BUCKET LIST

Good morning, Waco. Happy Father's Day to every dad, grandfather, father-in-law, foster dad, and father figure in this city who shows up for the people who need them most.

In today’s Sunday Sip:
🍝 Meatballs and a summer happy hour worth knowing about
🌿 Kids sleeping on floors in Waco — and how to help
🏠 House of the Week: 3601 Hillcrest Dr
✈️ A big idea I've been sitting on

I'm writing this one from the Rocky Mountains, where I'll be for the next week. I’ll share a big update when I get back to Waco going into July (and the two year anniversary of The Waco Buzz).
— Sam Harper

If you've been waiting for the right time to pull the trigger on a new truck, this is a pretty good argument for doing it before Labor Day.

The 2026 Chevy Silverado 1500 is available right now at 0% APR for 5 years through GM Financial — and no monthly payments until after Labor Day, for well-qualified buyers. That's a deal worth driving to West for.

👉 View inventory at chevyofwest.com^*

If you grew up wishing your family was Italian, Moroso on Bosque is what I imagine nonna's kitchen would taste like — if I had an Italian grandma.

This summer they're running happy hour Tuesday through Thursday, 5 to 6 p.m.: half off select cocktails, wine, small bites, and pizza. Good excuse to go on a night you'd otherwise stay home.

What to order: The meatballs. Then whatever pizza sounds right (highly recommend the pesto pizza if you’re a pesto person like me).

Where: 4700 Bosque Blvd | (254) 235-6000 | morosoitalian.com

Six words: Order the meatballs. Bring someone nice.

The tiramisu is house-made and I've heard good things. It's got me thinking: who has the best tiramisu in Waco? I'm going on a quest. Hit reply and tell me where to start.

📍 Closed Mondays. Reservations recommended on weekends.

1. USA vs. Turkey Watch Party at Barnett's — Thursday, June 26
The U.S. beat Australia 2-0 on Friday and has already clinched the top spot in Group D. Thursday's game against Turkey is essentially a free shot.

That doesn't make it less fun to watch. Kickoff is at 9 PM. Barnett's patio at 420 Franklin Ave is showing it live, along with every game all week long. If you want to watch with a crowd that actually cares, that's your spot.

2. National Square Dance Convention — June 24-27, Downtown Waco
Thousands of visitors from across the country are in town this week for the National Square Dance Convention. I don’t know what to expect, but I think that thousands of people who love to dance will bring some fun energy around town this week.

3. TriWaco Triathlon — Sunday, June 28, Indian Spring Park
Swim the Brazos, ride around town, run through Cameron Park. Whether you're racing or cheering from the riverbank, it's a great way to close out the weekend. Register at triwaco.org. If you’d like to volunteer, spots are still available from set up to handing out water along the course.

Since Dinner Club launched last October, nearly 600 different people have shared a meal at one of our events. I regularly get pictures from people who are now out together — grabbing drinks, catching games, just hanging out with friends they met at a dinner table.

At one of the after-dinner meetups, someone pulled me aside and said: "We should help get people together to do something outside of Waco."

I've heard that from enough people now that I'm starting to take it seriously.

Here's the idea: one trip per year, somewhere you've probably always wanted to go but wouldn't book on your own. The kind of trip that's better with a group of people you’ll see again around town. By yourself, with a friend, as a family.

First destination I have in mind: Alaska, summer 2027

Welcome to Home of the Week, the newsletter section that believes every Sunday should end with a price-guessing game.

This week's home is a 1903 estate on 1.92 acres that Chip and Joanna Gaines fully reimagined. It comes completely furnished and styled — you'd walk in and not need to change a thing.

Highlights include:

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

I learned about this local nonprofit at a Rotary Club event this past week and it stuck with me.

Sleep in Heavenly Peace is a national nonprofit with a Waco chapter doing something simple and urgent: building beds for kids who don't have one. Not donating money toward beds. Actually building them, by hand, with volunteers, then delivering them directly to families in need.

A child sleeping on the floor affects everything: sleep quality, school performance, development. The Waco chapter is actively building and delivering beds to families across McLennan County.

The next public event is a bed build on July 11, hosted by the Lions Club. No tools or woodworking experience required. You show up, they teach you everything. In a few hours, a pile of lumber becomes a real bed for a kid who's never had one.

New twin sheets, pillows, and bedding donations are accepted year-round.

👉 Find the Waco chapter and sign up at shpbeds.org

Still looking for something for the kids that isn't a screen? The Waco Buzz Summer Camp Guide is live, put together with Basin Climbing and Fitness. Basin has camp sessions open through July, and code WACOBUZZ saves $25 at checkout.

👉 Check the guide here

Thanks for reading The Waco Buzz today. If you found something worth sharing, send it to the dad in your life who has always talked about going to Alaska someday.

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

1. Want to reach Waco? This newsletter lands in 14,300+ local inboxes every Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday. If you're a business owner looking to get in front of people who actually live here, reply to this email.

2.Feature Your Event: Get attention and buzz around your event by placing it in front of thousands of locals who care about what’s happening and want to be there.

3. Dinner Club: LAST CALL! Meet five other locals (recent movers and lifelong Wacoans) over dinner on June 24. You’ll make new friends regardless of stage of life and help make Waco a smaller town.