🏰 Should we buy a Castle?

Good morning, Waco! This is The Waco Buzz, the newsletter that reminds you of the good stuff around you, just look at how these Europeans are going absolutely crazy for Buc-ee's, ranch dressing, and Waffle House.

In this edition:
🌧️ Waco got hit hard Sunday night
🏰 Cottonland Castle is for sale
🔨 Circle Hardware closing after 81 years
✈️ Waco to Denver for $250 roundtrip

Let's get to it!
— Sam Harper

Most guys don't quit on their health because they stopped caring. They quit because something shifted and nobody told them why.

Energy fades. Sleep gets worse. The weight sticks around no matter what they do. And the default explanation is just: that's what getting older looks like. For a lot of men, that's not the whole story.

Skin & Body Refinery at 2210 Austin Ave works with men and women on the stuff that's actually driving those changes. Bioidentical hormone therapy, testosterone treatment, and medically supervised weight loss, all tracked with real lab work so you're not guessing. The guy in the photo above is a real client. That transformation came from getting his levels right.

Father's Day is next weekend. If you're a dad who's been running on fumes, or you know one, a consult at Skin & Body Refinery is worth the hour. They'll pull labs, look at what's actually going on, and tell you honestly what they can help with.

Schedule a consult at skinandbodyrefinery.com^*

🌧️ Sunday Night Was No Joke
Sunday night reminded us who's really in charge here. Hint: it's not us.

A severe storm dropped three to five inches of rain on central and southern McLennan County in a matter of hours. I-35 southbound flooded between Waco and Hewitt, stranding multiple cars in water while first responders ran rescues.

Social media filled up with videos of cars submerged across Woodway. Flooding hit neighborhoods all over the city: Sanger Ave, Wooded Acres, Bosque Blvd, Lake Air and Valley Mills, N. 19th, and Hewitt Drive, among others.
If your neighborhood took water, the MyWaco app is the fastest way to report damage to the city and get roads repaired.

🏰 Part Owner of a Castle Has a Nice Ring to It

Cottonland Castle is back on the market. Chip and Joanna bought it in 2019, spent three years renovating it for their Magnolia Network series. Now it's listed at $2,699,000.

Four bedrooms, five baths, 6,700 square feet, built in 1890. Eight fireplaces. Honduran mahogany millwork. A tower. A conservatory. About 130 years of Waco history baked into the stone. Here's the listing.

Here's a thought: what if we crowdfunded it? You'd officially be a part owner of a castle. That's something you could tell people at parties for the rest of your life.

If $2.7M feels steep, Chip and Jo just put a couple other properties for sale like the one from their cooking show at 401 Avenue A in Valley Mills which is listed at a considerably more mortal price.

🍽️ Dinner Club Is Back June 24
Making new friends as an adult can be weirdly tough. The Waco Buzz Dinner Club makes it easier.

Take a short quiz, get matched with five Wacoans, go to dinner at a Waco restaurant (location revealed that morning), then meet all the other groups at the after-party. The next one is June 24.

👉 Grab your seat here.

Waco to Denver, $250 roundtrip, end of July.

Denver in late July runs mid-70s while Waco is doing what Waco does in July. Mountains, good beer, and a long weekend reason to get out of the heat. Check the deal here.

If this flight deal caught your eye, Denae at Traveluxe can handle the flights, hotels, and insider perks at no cost to you. Just email [email protected] and she’ll take it from there. ✈️
*_{^{Price is subject to change and may no longer be available at the time you check the link.}}

🔨 Circle Hardware Is Closing After 81 Years
Larry and Norma are retiring, and that means Circle Hardware Supply at 2504 LaSalle Ave is done. Eighty-one years in business. Last day is June 24.

Everything is on sale, including fixtures and equipment. You can also register to win one of ten prizes with no purchase required. If you've ever called them for a plumbing fitting or gotten glass cut there, now is the time to go say goodbye.

🌮 The Feed Lot Is Open in Hewitt
A new food truck park opened this past Saturday at 153 Regal Dr in Hewitt. Opening day lineup: Frenchie Daddy French Toast, Armstrong's Bayou Cafe (authentic Creole), Fat Boyz Tacos, Lefty's Burgers, and Beach Bums for drinks. Live music, live DJs from 104.9 Shooter FM, plenty of seating, pets welcome.

If you drove past a packed parking lot on 35 this weekend and wondered what was going on, that was it.

🎱 Encore Billiards Opens at the Hippodrome
The team behind Encore Rooftop Bar just took over the second floor of the historic Waco Hippodrome. Encore Billiards is open now, which means you can start downstairs with a game of pool and end the night on the roof without ever moving your car. Check it out here.

🏺 Outpost Pottery Opens Today
Outpost Pottery, Waco's family-run pottery business, opens its first brick-and-mortar studio today off Valley Mills and Cobbs Drive, right next to Salty Dog and The Grape.

They offer first-time lessons for families, couples, and friends, plus birthday parties, multi-week classes at every experience level, and three-day kids camps running all summer. Day classes for kids, evening classes for adults.

If you have kids at home this summer looking for something that isn't a screen, this is worth a look. outpostpottery.com

City Council meets today at 3 PM (work session) and 6 PM (business session) at the Bosque Theater, Waco Convention Center.

A few items on the agenda:

🏘️ Brookview Hills gets another shot. Council votes on a deal to redevelop the old shopping center at 3400 Bosque Blvd into a mixed-use project. The city would put up to $1M in TIF funds toward it in exchange for a minimum $4.5M private investment. That corner has sat vacant too long.

🏠 More affordable housing downtown. Two agreements on the table for Historic Waco Lofts at 815 Columbus Ave, supporting 100 affordable units with a $20M+ investment. Residents would get tutoring, financial literacy, and workforce programs built in.

✈️ Airport runway money. The city is applying for a $9.5M federal grant to rebuild a runway at Waco Regional. Local match is about $476K. This will help in the process of getting another airline here.

🌧️ Drainage fee increase, maybe. Council is setting a public hearing for August 4 on raising the monthly drainage fee from $5.55 to $5.75 per household. After Sunday night, the timing feels about right.

Full agenda here.

Tuesday, June 16:

Wednesday, June 17:

Thursday, June 18:

Want your event featured? Reserve an upcoming Featured Event listing here.

🔥 Waco Buzz readers can join HOTWORX Woodway for $1 in June and get your first workout free.

🧗‍♀️ 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.

🚗 Your neighbors at Chevrolet of West have been taking care of Waco drivers for years with new and pre-owned trucks, SUVs, and cars just 20 minutes up I-35 in West, TX. Stop by or browse their inventory today.

✨ Skin & Body Refinery delivers top tier injectors, advanced treatments, and natural looking results that help you look and feel your best. They’re offering 15% off the Event Ready treatment plan right now.

💧 Need a boost? IViT Hydration & Wellness offers IV therapy and wellness treatments to help you feel better, recover faster, and boost energy. Waco Buzz readers get $35 off by clicking the link.

💪Move better. Recover Faster. Live Stronger. Waco Bodymend is a world class space built for everyday movers, athletes, and anyone who wants to feel their best.

Thanks for reading The Waco Buzz today. If you found something useful, share it with your neighbor who has a whole house generator. It’s time to become friends.

Before you go — two things worth knowing about:

1. Job Board: The best open roles at growing Waco companies across media, marketing, sales, tech, and engineering. Hiring? Get your open role featured in front of thousands of locals.

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