Did You See This? 👀

Good morning, Waco! This is The Waco Buzz, the local newsletter that won’t judge you for going to bed early and missing the Northern Lights like the rest of us.

Let’s get to it!
— Sam Harper

Holiday shopping doesn’t have to be chaotic. Swing by Kilwin’s Waco at 323 S 6th St and pick up handcrafted fudge, chocolates, caramels, and brittles — all beautifully packed and ready to gift.

Perfect for:
🎁 Stocking stuffers
🙌 Teacher and neighbor gifts
🏢 Corporate gifts
❤️ That one person who “doesn’t need anything” but definitely wants fudge

Everything is made the old-fashioned way, in small batches, with rich flavors that taste like the holidays should.

Simplify your list. Sweeten someone’s day.

👉 Grab your holiday gifts at Kilwin’s Waco.

Northern Lights Over Waco Earlier This Week 🌌

If you missed it — yes, that glow in the sky Tuesday night really was the Northern Lights. A strong geomagnetic storm pushed the aurora deep into Texas, with sightings from Denton to Fredericksburg and right here in Waco.

📸 The proof: Texans lit up Instagram with greens, purples, and pinks drifting across the sky.
➡️ See the photos.

🌍 Why it happened: A major solar eruption (a CME) reached Earth earlier than expected, briefly giving much of the country a front-row seat to one of nature’s rare shows.

Parsons Sports Ranch Opens Near Waco ⚾

Sports families, take note. The team behind Parsons Roofing and the former BSR Cable Park just opened Parsons Sports Ranch, a new indoor/outdoor baseball and softball complex about 15 miles from Waco.

🏟️ Highlights: year-round hitting + pitching tunnels, training spaces, full outdoor fields, tournaments, and camps.
👟 Who it’s for: everyone from beginners to travel-ball diehards.
🔗 Explore more: parsonssportsranch.com

🐶 Dog of the Week: Speckles

Speckles is a 1-year-old Great Pyrenees/Dalmatian mix with the sweetest spotted coat and the kind of gentle, curious energy that makes you fall in love instantly. She’s still young, still growing, and still figuring out the world which means she’s the perfect match for someone who wants a loyal companion to grow with.

If you’ve been thinking about adding a four-legged friend to your family, come meet Speckles and see if her bright, friendly spirit is the one you’ve been waiting for.

👉 Meet Speckles here.

💬 Community Corner

We’re down to the final spots for the November 19 Dinner Club, and if you’ve been on the fence, here’s your sign to jump in.

If you’re new: Dinner Club is a monthly night where Wacoans get matched with five strangers for a meal at a local restaurant based on a short quiz you fill out. You don’t know the restaurant until the morning of, and you don’t know your tablemates until you arrive. The group meetup afterward is always a highlight.

Prefer not to come solo?
You can bring one friend along.
Fill out the quiz, list their name, and we’ll make sure you’re seated together.

It’s low pressure, high connection, and a really fun way to meet people in Waco.

👉 Grab your spot for the 19th.
PS: We have room for one sponsor for this month’s Dinner Club. If your business wants to be part of a night centered on connection and community, reply to this email and I’ll send details.

🙏 What Are You Thankful For, Waco?

We’re halfway through November and Thanksgiving plans are starting to take shape — travel schedules, grocery lists, who's bringing what pie.

What I love about this community of 9,000+ readers is how many of you are deeply proud to call Waco home. Every day, you point out the good you see around town — the people, the organizations, the small businesses, the services, the moments that make this place feel like more than just a dot on the map.

I’ll share some of the best responses in next week’s edition. For me, I’m thankful to Dr. Chad Conner at Ascension Providence. He has helped with a couple broken bones in my family over the past couple of years including this week for my daughter. Thank you Dr. Conner and all medical professionals serving our community!

Today’s Open House takes us to 3416 Edward Dr, a custom-built masterpiece in the Cloister Addition, one of the most tucked-away, sought-after pockets near Cameron Park.

Inside you’ll find:

This is one of those homes you tour and immediately start planning Thanksgiving, movie nights, and graduation parties.

👉 Take your best guess at the list price, then check out the photos and answer here.

85 years of impact — and a new grant for local nonprofits

If you’ve been in Waco for a while, you’ve likely heard of the Junior League of Waco — the women-powered organization that has spent decades identifying local needs and rallying the volunteers, partnerships, and funding to meet them.

If you’re new here, think of the League as one of Waco’s long-standing “doers.” For decades, they’ve been behind community programs, events like Deck the Halls, and initiatives that quietly strengthen families, neighborhoods, and the everyday quality of life in Waco.

And now, they’re entering a new chapter.

After spending the last couple of years listening, researching, and talking with community leaders and nonprofit partners, the League is reimagining what its next era of service looks like. The result is a broader, more collaborative vision — one that meets Waco where it is today and invests in the needs emerging across the city.

One cornerstone of that shift is a brand-new Community Grant designed to support local nonprofits doing meaningful, hands-on work across Waco.

Think: family support, education, neighborhood resources, health and wellness, community development — and pretty much anything that helps Waco thrive.

This grant is intentionally open and flexible, giving nonprofits room to tell their story, share the impact they’re making, and request funding that helps them take the next step.

This is the Junior League reintroducing itself. New direction. More collaboration. More support for the folks moving the needle in our community.

Any nonprofit serving Waco or McLennan County. Big, small, volunteer-led, established — if you're making an impact, they want to hear your story.

Know a nonprofit that should see this?
Forward this to them — it could be the funding that helps them take their next step.

🎈Friday:

Baylor Lifelong Learning Coffee: Mark Childers @ Mayborn Museum Complex - 9:30 AM

Friends of the Waco-McLennan County Library Annual Book Sale @ BASE - 10 AM

Women of Waco November Networking Meeting @ Baylor Club - 11 AM Registration

The Market @ Kelly Realtors - 4 PM

Heart of Texas Drink ‘n’ Draw @ Union Hall - 6:30 PM

Queen of the Night: A Whitney Houston Tribute @ Waco Hippodrome Theatre - 7 PM Tickets

254 Short Film Showcase @ The Performing Arts Community Center - 7 PM Tickets

Frozen: The Broadway Musical @ Waco Civic Theatre - 7:30 PM Tickets

Nonity @ Lounge ’93 - 7:30 PM


FRIDAY LIVE MUSIC
Monte Rose @ Slow Rise on the Brazos - 6 PM
Maxx “Smokinmaxx” Carter @ The Grape Wine Bar & Bistro - 6 PM
Marty Floyd @ Camp Fimfo - 6 PM
Frank Exum & Jocelyn Smith @ Segovia Wine Bar - 6 PM
Darrell “D-Rail” Ray @ Uncle Worm’s Smoke House - 7 PM
Frank Grocholski @ The Tipsy Lion Bar & Grill - 7 PM
Throwback Tracks: ’80s Night with DJ Eddie Ros @ The Will - 7 PM
Lew Apollo @ Texas Music Cafe - 8 PM Tickets
Colin Dexter @ Blue Pup Wine & Martini Bar - 8 PM
The Bill & Phil Show @ Twisted Sisters Patio Bar - 8 PM
Landon Farrar @ Barnett’s Whiskey House - 8 PM Tickets
William Beckmann with Aiden Logsdon @ The Backyard - 8:30 PM Tickets

🎈 Saturday:

Cars & Coffee @ Black Rifle Coffee Company - 9 AM

Fall Sweep Clean Up by Keep Waco Beautiful @ South Waco Library - 9 AM

Waco Downtown Farmers Market @ Bridge Street Plaza - 9 AM

Orangutan Caring Event @ Cameron Park Zoo - 9 AM

Friends of the Waco-McLennan County Library Annual Book Sale @ BASE - 10 AM

Pop-Up Saturday & Monthly Educational Programming @ Dr Pepper Museum & Free Enterprise Institute - 11 AM

Boutique Brunch @ Lounge ’93 - 11 AM

Eastside Market @ Brotherwell Brewing - 11 AM

Paint & Sip with Dino! @ Marie’s Wine Bar - 1:30 PM

Frozen: The Broadway Musical @ Waco Civic Theatre - 2:30 PM & 7:30 Tickets

College Football: University of Utah vs. Baylor @ McLane Stadium - 6 PM Tickets

Knit Blankets with Hammer & Stain @ Carleen Bright Arboretum - 6 PM

Dungeons & Dragons LIVE SIX @ The Performing Arts Community Center - 7 PM Tickets

Stand-Up Comedy Showcase @ Brazos Theatre - 8 PM Tickets

SATURDAY LIVE MUSIC
Marty Floyd @ Hecho en Waco - 6:30 PM
Dave Innis @ Marie’s Wine Bar - 7:30 PM
Spirits of Mars @ Twisted Sisters Patio Bar - 8 PM
Kinfolk Band @ Barnett’s Whiskey House - 8 PM Tickets
Giovannie & The Hired Guns @ Backyard Bar Stage & Grill - 8:30 PM Tickets

🎈Sunday:

Yoga & Mimosas @ Element Hotel - 9:30 AM

Woodway Farmers Market @ Carleen Bright Arboretum - 11 AM

Friends of the Waco-McLennan County Library Annual Book Sale @ BASE - 12 PM

Homegrown Sunday & Outdoor Market @ The Will - 12 PM

Waco Life Drawing @ The Performing Arts Community Center - 1 PM

Documentary Screening: The American Southwest @ Mayborn Museum - 2 PM

Mahjong Social Play @ Jorge’s Cantina - 2:30 PM $10 Entry Fee

Healthy Kids Running Series Waco @ Brazos Park East - 3 PM

Mics with Benefits Open Mic @ Freight Bar - 8 PM

Mark Your Calendar

🦃 Waco’s Thanksgiving Turkey Trot – Nov 27
Earn that extra slice of pie with Waco’s favorite Thanksgiving morning 5K tradition. Sign up here.

🌾 Homestead Fair – Nov 28–30
Shop handmade goods, watch craft demos, and taste farm-fresh eats at this Waco holiday classic. homesteadfair.com

Thanks for reading The Waco Buzz today. If you found something helpful, please share it with someone who you plan to see on Thanksgiving.

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

1. Promote your business to 19,000 highly engaged Waco locals across our channels: Showcase your brand or business where thousands of local customers are actively spending their time.

2. Dinner Club: Meet dozens of other locals (recent movers and life long Wacoans) over dinner which happens once a month. You’ll make new friends regardless of stage of life and help make Waco a smaller town.

3. Waco Buzz Job Board: The best place to find open roles at growing companies in Waco with opportunities in media, marketing, sales, communication, tech, and engineering.