🪜 Waco is climbing 110 flights this morning

Good Morning Waco! This is The Waco Buzz, the local newsletter that's cheaper to read than what a McLane Stadium hot dog used to be.

In this edition:

🪜 Waco Climbs the Stairs Together, 25 Years Later
🎭 Come From Away Is Running at Waco Civic Theatre
🏈 $11 Tickets, $2 Food at Baylor's Home Opener
💼 4 Waco Jobs Worth a Look
📸 Where Are We?!

Let's get to it!

— Sam Harper

🪜 Twenty-Five Years Later, Waco Climbs the Stairs Together

This morning, Wacoans can walk into McLane Stadium and climb 110 flights of stairs in honor of the 343 firefighters and other first responders who died on 9/11.

Expect to see firefighters, local residents, college students and plenty of people who simply decided to show up. It runs 6–8 AM at the northeast entrance. No ticket. No registration. Just show up and climb.

Then, last night at Waco Civic Theatre, Come From Away opened, telling the true story of 7,000 airline passengers stranded in a tiny Newfoundland town after 9/11, and the strangers who welcomed them into their homes.

Two very different ways to remember the same day: by showing up for each other.

👉 Tickets and showtimes at Waco Civic Theatre

📌 Quick Hits

🏈 Baylor's home opener against Prairie View A&M is Saturday, 7 PM, and it's the best deal in town this weekend. Tickets start at $11, concessions at McLane start at $2. Tailgating and sailgating start three hours early at Touchdown Alley. Get tickets here.

⚽🥎 Still need a team for fall? Adult Kickball and Flag Football leagues are looking for a few more teams, but the deadline is today. Kickball starts September 21; flag football starts September 27. Register here.

🍰 Waco to Treviso? The Tiramisù World Cup is looking for judges, and applications open Saturday ONLY. If you have strong opinions about mascarpone, this could be your calling. Apply here. If nobody from Waco gets selected, I’ll take it as a sign we need a Tiramisù event here.

🍽️ Two big endurance events hit Waco this weekend: The Beast of the Brazos open-water swim takes over the Brazos on Saturday, followed by the Skittles Waco Wild West 100 bike tour on Sunday. If swimming 2+ miles or biking up to 100 miles sounds like “fun”, this one's yours. Beast of the Brazos | Wild West 100

🍽️ Dinner Club Next Week Take a quiz, get seated with five strangers at a Waco-area restaurant, then meet even more people at the afterparty. Making new friends as an adult is harder than it should be. Join us.

🧠 When the world's problems feel too big to fix, how do you keep caring, showing up, and doing something about them? Come hear Baylor's Dr. Andy Hogue tackle that question at Social Studies on September 24. Get a ticket here.

🎨 🎨 Our first-ever Pottery Night is September 26 at Outpost Pottery. Grab a ticket here.

I’ve gotten to know Dr. Smith and the team at Skin & Body Refinery, and what stands out is the care. It’s a white-glove experience without feeling stuffy, with treatments built around you rather than a one-size-fits-all menu.

They offer everything from GLP-1s and Botox to fillers, laser treatments and skincare, with aesthetic and wellness treatments tailored to each patient.

That personal approach shows up in their 4.9-star rating across 344 Google reviews, where patients consistently mention how knowledgeable, kind and attentive Dr. Smith and his team are.

If GLP-1s are on your radar: semaglutide is now $199/month and tirzepatide $299/month, with the same price at every dose. Physician care and labs are included.

👉 Call or schedule at (254) 235-0605*

Who's hiring in Waco? 4 jobs worth a look

Chef de Cuisine at STORIES Bistro & Banquets. Downtown Waco. Run the kitchen for Anthem Group's new bistro-to-banquet concept. Interviewing now.

Director of Operations at Central Texas Food Bank ($80K-$104K). Help launch a brand-new 65,000 sq ft Waco branch.

Merchandise Coordinator at TJMaxx. Help get Waco’s newest TJ Maxx ready to open its doors.

After School Counselor at Mentoring Alliance ($11-$13/hr, part-time). Work with elementary students at schools across Waco.

Hiring? Post a job
Hunting? View all open jobs on the Waco Buzz Job Board

🍷 Woodway Wine and Food Festival: Around the World brings artisan food vendors, a mobile art gallery from Art Center Waco, and a full night of tasting to the Arboretum.

📍 Carleen Bright Arboretum
🗓️ Saturday, Sept. 12 | 6-9 PM
👉 Tickets: $55 GA, $525 VIP table for 8*

🤖 If you run a small business in Waco, come out to the PACC on Saturday for a full day of learning what AI can actually do for you, and starting to use it yourself. Founders, marketers, and Baylor experts will walk through how to build with it, get discovered, and create content that still sounds like you, not a chatbot.

📍 The PACC, 924 Austin Ave
🗓️ Saturday, Sept. 12 | 9 AM-5 PM
👉 Get your ticket here*

🎈 Friday, September 11:

🇺🇸 9/11 Stair Climb @ McLane Stadium — 6 AM

⛳ Express Classic Golf Tournament @ Cottonwood Creek Golf Course — 7:30 AM

🏊 Waco Pool Splash Bash @ Hawaiian Falls — 5–8 PM

🎭 Analog: Being Held @ Art Center Waco — 7:30–9:30 PM

🎭 Come From Away @ Waco Civic Theatre — 7 PM

Friday Live Music
Monte Rose @ Slow Rise on the Brazos - 6:30 PM
Greg & Evan @ Segovia Wine Bar - 7 PM
Emily Callender @ The Feed Lot - 7 PM
TexXxas Trouble @ Twisted Sisters Patio Bar - 8 PM
Phil Hamilton with Drew Garcia @ The Will of Waco - 8 PM
Dead Love Club @ The Backyard Bar Stage & Grill - 8:30 PM

🎈 Saturday, September 12:

👶 Need childcare tonight? Parent’s Night Out @ Midway HS Dance Room — 6–9 PM
The Panther Pom Squad is hosting a fundraiser with pizza, games, a movie and crafts for kids ages 4–12 while you’re at the Baylor game or Wine Festival. $25 per kid, $20 each sibling. Register through MySchoolBucks.

🏊 Beast of the Brazos Open Water Swim — 7:35 AM

🤖 YOU x AI Summit @ The PACC — 9 AM–5 PM

🤝 Mission Waco Community Serve Day @ Creekside Community Village — 9 AM–12 PM

👨‍👩‍👧 Family Place Learn & Play @ Hewitt Public Library — 10–11:15 AM

🥕 Waco Downtown Farmers Market which will include family friendly activities from Art Center Waco @ Bridge Street Plaza — Saturday morning

🎨 Coping with Crafts @ Hewitt Public Library — 11 AM–12:30 PM

🎸 Texas Music Cafe’s 2nd Annual Guitar Swap — 11 AM–5 PM

🏈 Splashdowns & Touchdowns @ Hawaiian Falls — 11 AM–5 PM

🎨 Teen ArtVenture @ Art Center Waco — 2—4 PM Tickets

🏛️ Percy Jackson Craft @ Hewitt Public Library — 3–4 PM

🍫 Candy Engineering with Mars Snacks @ Central Library — 3–4 PM

🧩 Extreme Puzzle Competition @ Cultivate Waco — 6–8 PM, $50/team of 4

🍷 Woodway Wine & Food Festival @ Carleen Bright Arboretum — 6–9 PM

🏈 Baylor vs. Prairie View A&M @ McLane Stadium — 7 PM
Tailgating and sailgating start at 4 PM in Touchdown Alley, now with a rock wall, cornhole, giant Jenga and free Growl Towels for the first 500 fans.

Saturday Live Music
Suede @ Baylor Backyard Tailgate Series - 4 PM
Megan Urby @ The Feed Lot - 7 PM
The Teacher's Lounge @ Twisted Sisters Patio Bar - 8 PM
Deep Blue Something @ The Backyard Bar Stage & Grill - 8:30 PM

🎈 Sunday, September 13:

🚴 Skittles Waco Wild West Bike Tour @ Heritage Square — 7:30 AM
6–100 mile routes. Register here.

🏈 Splashdowns & Touchdowns @ Hawaiian Falls — 11 AM–5 PM

🎶 Homegrown Sunday & Outdoor Market @ The Will — 12–5 PM
Vendors 1–5 PM, music 12–5 PM.

🎭 Come From Away @ Waco Civic Theatre — 2 PM

🔴 Try Waco's Full-Body Red Light Bed: Waco Bodymend has a TheraLight 360+ Bed that surrounds you in red and near-infrared light in a private treatment room. Built for muscle recovery, circulation, sleep, and skin health.

🚗 Silverado Selldown: Chevy of West has serious numbers on 2026 Silverado 1500s, 0% APR for 5 years for well-qualified buyers, or $6,000 cash allowance plus another $2,000 bonus cash on select models.

💧 A Better Way to Beat September Colds: I-Vit's Immune Boost IV supports immune function, hydration, and overall wellness. 20% off for the month.

🎯 This Weekend's Dare: Bake something and share it with a neighbor you haven’t met yet. You might just meet someone you wish you’d known sooner.

Thanks for reading The Waco Buzz today. Share it with the friend who's entire Saturday will only consist of college football.

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