This started in a Waco tour van

Good morning, Waco. Somehow we're already staring down the final week of July. If you've still got a few things on the summer bucket list, this is your reminder to stop saying "we should do that" and actually go do it.

In today's Sunday Sip:
🍌 From Waco tour guides to prime time ESPN
📅 Three events to circle this week
🥃 A new $35 steak night downtown
📝 A Waco couple in their 50s says they already hit their "freedom number"
🏡 Home of the Week: 124 Bluffview Cir

Let's get to it!

— Sam Harper

By the end of July, summer has a way of showing you what you really need in a vehicle.

More road trips. More luggage. Kids, coolers, bikes, and somehow always one more thing that needs to come along.

If you've been thinking about a larger SUV for the family, Chevy of West currently has the 2026 Traverse available at 2.9% APR for well-qualified buyers through GM Financial.

Worth taking a look before the next road trip comes around.

👉 View inventory at chevyofwest.com^*

Drake Toll and Cam Stuart met in 2021 driving Sprinter vans around Waco as tour guides with Waco Tours, showcasing what makes Waco special and all the places worth seeing around town. Both were Baylor sports media guys chasing bylines and broadcasting opportunities on the side. Stuart graduated in 2019, Toll in 2023.

Years later, they're both back in front of a camera, just with a much bigger audience. Toll calls play by play for the Savannah Bananas' Party Animals. Stuart just signed on as the new broadcaster for the Indianapolis Clowns, one of two teams the Banana Ball league added this year. Banana Ball, the trick-play, no boring baseball league that's turned into one of the hottest tickets in sports, has a 25-game deal with ESPN and Disney+ this season, with stops at Yankee Stadium and Wrigley Field.

Before Banana Ball, they were co-hosting a Waco radio show on ESPN Central Texas and covering Baylor sports for the Lariat and Sports Illustrated's Baylor site.

One shows up in the booth wearing a leopard print fur coat.The other's in a full suit and tie. Somehow it works, and it started with a Sprinter van full of tourists in Waco.

👉 Follow along: @drakectoll and @thecamstuart

1. Summer on Turner Plaza: Soccer Night
Thursday, July 30 | 6-8 PM | Turner Plaza at Foster Pavilion | Free

The final Summer on Turner Plaza of the summer brings Baylor soccer to Turner Plaza. Meet Baylor soccer players and coaches, grab dinner from local food trucks, and let the kids loose on the inflatables and yard games. Free and open to everyone.

2. Summer Soundwaves Pool Party
Saturday, August 1 | Doors 6 PM, DJ set 7-10 PM | AC Hotel Waco Downtown | 21+

Downtown's pool turns into a party with DJ88 on the decks, themed cocktails, and a sunset that'll make your camera roll jealous. Tickets required, this one's grown-ups only.

3. Collect 'Em on the Brazos
Saturday, Aug. 1, 10 AM-6 PM & Sunday, Aug. 2, 10 AM-5 PM | Waco Convention Center

Central Texas' largest card and collectibles show is back with around 150 vendor tables of sports cards, Pokémon, and Magic: The Gathering to dig through. Bring cash and a plan.

Barnett's somehow turned Thursday into steak night.

For $35, you get a filet, two sides, a salad, and a whiskey pour.

How it works: Thursday nights only. Reservations are required.

What to order: The Steak Night special. That's the whole point.

Where: Barnett's Public House, downtown Waco.

Cost: $35

Pro tip: Split one of the half-price bottles of wine and you've got one of the better date nights in town without spending a fortune.

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 how you're building a healthy life in this city.
👉 Participate

Age: "Mid-50s."

Job: "Remote Human Resources Management."

Why Waco: "My husband retired from emergency management and was offered an adjunct professor position here."

Income: "I earn around $65,000 a year. I remember being excited to make my first salary, $21,000 with benefits. I've worked part-time over the years to be home more with our kids, so advancing my career wasn't the priority. My husband, a paramedic and firefighter, could pick up overtime to balance the budget."

Household income: "Between us, we've averaged $175,000 to $225,000."

Housing: "We own. New construction, for a lower interest rate, and we moved here eight months ago. We pay about $1,700 a month for a 2,200 square foot house. We sold our old house outside Houston, 2,400 square feet, for $430,000. The market here is great."

Worst money decision: "We ran up credit cards early in our marriage. We never want to live under that pressure again."

Freedom number: "We've hit it. We have enough in retirement to travel and not work if we choose. We love what we do, so we'll keep building the nest egg, but we're happy with family, friends, and health."

What I wish I knew at 25: "Trust God, wisely pick a spouse, and invest your time in your people and in taking care of yourself."

Best Waco money tip: "The free museum passes through the library. We learned about those from Waco Buzz. We also love JD's BOGO burger on Tuesday nights."

Best restaurant tip: "Slow Rise Pizza on the Brazos. Get the Texas Gold on a gluten-free crust with grilled chicken, $16, and it's more than one meal."

👉 Got lessons worth sharing? Share your story.

Welcome to Home of the Week, where we give you the details and let you take your best shot at the price.

Built in 2018 on 2.34 acres in China Spring's Bend of the Bosque. No HOA.

👉 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 the friend who still can't believe Banana Ball is a real professional sport.

Three ways to be part of The Waco Buzz:

1. 15,600+ 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 over dinner Tuesday. New to Waco or born here, it's an easy way to meet people you probably wouldn't otherwise cross paths with.