🏈 Midway's $14.5M Bet

Good morning, Waco. Spain and Argentina kick off the World Cup Final today at 2 PM Central, the first one ever played at MetLife Stadium. 104 matches across three countries, and it comes down to this one.

In today's Sunday Sip:
🏈 Midway ISD's $14.5M bet on itself
📝 A Waco investor rebuilt from bankruptcy into two Airbnbs
🍑 A new chef's peach and burrata grilled cheese
🏡 Home of the Week: a farmhouse in Robinson

Let's get to it!

— 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 now.

The 2026 Chevy Silverado 1500 is available right now at 0% APR for 5 years through GM Financial, with no monthly payments for 90 days, for well-qualified buyers. That's a deal worth driving to West for.

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Midway ISD just filed paperwork to build a $14.5 million, 23,000-square-foot practice facility at Midway High School. New gym for basketball and volleyball, seating for about 175, new locker rooms for football, wrestling, and volleyball, and a mezzanine level just for cheer.

Construction starts September 8, wrapping by next July. It's on top of nearly $20 million already set aside for other additions.

The push is for capacity. Midway has the largest student body in Central Texas, over 2,700 kids, and could hit 3,000 by 2030. Head football coach Joe Gillespie, who came from TCU and Tulsa, has the Panthers at 16-6 over two seasons after a stretch of just 10 wins in the four seasons before he arrived. Mazanec Construction, based here in Waco, will build it. Read more from Chron.

1. Back to School Bash
Saturday, July 25 | 10 AM-2 PM | Waco Convention Center

Free backpacks, school supplies, haircuts, and immunizations for local kids before the school year starts. Haircuts run until 12:30 PM or while supplies last, ages 5-17.

2. Waco Comedy Jam
Sunday, July 26 | 6 PM (doors at 5) | Waco Hippodrome Theatre

Back for its third year, recorded live for streaming. Central Texas' rising stand-up scene, uncut. Tickets run $30-50.

3. Red, White & Blue Half Marathon
Sunday, July 26 | Indian Springs Park

Bigfoot Running Company's summer race, choose your distance: 2, 4, 8 miles, or the full 13.1. Kids Dash for the little ones, DJ Sasquatch on the mic, and a Bigfoot trophy for top finishers.

Chef Zach Smith brings Grey Wolf Provisions to Marie's Wine Bar opening later this week. He has been a longtime Waco Buzz reader, and he is now our first local chef contributor. He sent over a recipe to share that is perfect for summer.

Peach & Burrata Grilled Cheese
Creates 2 sandwiches

You'll need: 4 slices thick-cut sourdough, 2 tbsp salted butter (softened), 8 oz burrata, 1 ripe Texas peach (thinly sliced), 4-6 thin slices prosciutto (optional), 6-8 fresh basil leaves, 2 tsp Dijon mustard, 2 tbsp hot honey, flaky sea salt, cracked black pepper.

How: Butter one side of each bread slice. Flip and spread Dijon on the unbuttered side of two slices. Tear the burrata over those two slices, layer on the peach, prosciutto, and basil. Drizzle with hot honey, season with salt and pepper, then top with the remaining bread, buttered side out. Cook in a skillet over medium-low, 3-5 minutes a side, pressing gently, until golden and the burrata's warm through. Rest one minute before slicing.

Chef's tip: A simple arugula salad with lemon, Texas olive oil, salt, and pepper cuts the richness.

Grey Wolf Provisions starts service at Marie’s Wine Bar on Thursday, July 23.

Assistant Store Manager at the new TJ Maxx .The hiring sign just went up outside this location. Oversee merchandising, staffing, and day-to-day store operations. 2+ years of retail leadership experience preferred.

Lead Fine Gardener / Garden Design Crew Leader at Noonday Gardens. Lead a small crew on fine gardening and plant styling projects around Waco, no mowing or basic lawn care involved. Weekday mornings. 1-2 years of plant experience, or serious hobbyist-level knowledge, required.

Hiring? Post a Job
Hunting? View all open roles

Good Life in Waco is our series on how real Wacoans build a life here. What you earn, how you're saving, what you've learned about money and health living in this city. 👉 Participate

Age: "61."

Job: "Real estate investor."

Why Waco: "A fixer-upper on a house-flipping show brought us here."

Income: "I make less here than I did in California, but property was so cheap that I was able to buy two income-producing Airbnbs."

Side income: "My wife struggled to find a teaching job in California but found one here easily, and she's had it for 10 years. Between her salary and the two Airbnbs, we're in six figures."

Housing: "We bought a house with a guesthouse and a shop for $149,000, in a great neighborhood. Coming from California, that number still doesn't compute for us."

Debt: "None. Expenses here are so much lower than California that staying debt-free is simple."

Money lessons: "We built a tile business in California, had a $2 million house and seven vehicles, then lost it all in the 2007 crash. Now we drive reliable older vehicles and don't spend money we don't have."

Investing: "Almost entirely real estate. We bought two tax-deed lots when we moved here, one for $2,700 that we sold last month for $45,000, another for $7,500 that we've been offered $100,000 for and haven't taken. We also bought a house at auction for $59,000 that's now one of our Airbnbs."

Worst money decision: "Pulling $500,000 in equity out of our California house over four years to travel and buy season tickets. We lost all of it."

Rich in Waco: "There's a difference between rich and wealthy. We were rich in California, and it got taken away fast. Wealthy is income-producing investments you don't have to rebuild constantly."

Freedom number: "We can live comfortably on $100,000 a year. We learned we don't need more than that."

What I wish I knew at 25: "Trust in the Lord to provide, and don't chase money or use credit cards to pay for things you don't have the money for."

Best Waco money tip: "Woodway Park. Free lake access with incredible sunset views. Took us a year and a half to find out about it."

Best restaurant tip: "Baris. A spaghetti dinner for $6.99, and it's the only place in town I know of where you can bring your own wine with no corkage fee. Huge for us since we're big into wine."

👉 Got lessons worth sharing? Share your story.

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Welcome to Home of the Week, the only newsletter section that thinks a modern farmhouse beats a penalty shootout. A few facts, then you guess the list price.

Built in 2022 in the Waters Edge neighborhood, zoned to Robinson ISD.

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

Thanks for reading The Waco Buzz today. If you found something helpful, share it with whoever you watch the World Cup Final with this afternoon.

Three ways to be part of The Waco Buzz:

1. 15,000+ neighbors are reading this right now. If you're a local business owner, one of them is your next customer. Here's how to reach them.

2.Got an event worth showing up to? We'll put it in front of the people most likely to actually be there. Get it featured.

3. Dinner Club: Meet five other locals (recent movers and lifelong Wacoans) over dinner on July 28. You’ll make new friends regardless of stage of life and help make Waco a smaller town.