Waco recently has been awash in news about movie theaters, and a local real estate agent provided a tidbit that contributes to the intrigue.
Waco Premiere Cinema 6, the longtime discount movie house at 410 N. Valley Mills Drive, pulled the plug on operations months ago. There was abundant speculation the space would become available to retailers.
But Gregg Glime, with Coldwell Banker Commercial Jim Stewart Realtors, said he toured the space with someone who had in mind a luxury theater, where attendees relax on nice furniture and have food and drinks delivered to their viewing areas. Prices and comfort levels would be above average.
Glime said talks have gone beyond the tire-kicking phase.
Meanwhile, Cinemark confirmed Friday it will introduce its new 14-screener to the community Oct. 7, just in time to showcase “No Time to Die,” the longest and most expensive James Bond thriller in 007 history.
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Dutch Bros. Coffee
Dutch Bros. Coffee seemingly is wrapping up construction of a drive-thru coffee shop at Sixth Street and Cleveland Avenue in the downtown area.
The growing chain began in 1992 as a pushcart operation in Grants Pass, Oregon and last week launched an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange, the Associated Press reported. Its stock price began the day at $23, but shares rocketed to $37 by day’s end.
The Pacific Northwest also gave rise to Starbucks, which launched in Seattle in 1971 and now sits on corners from coast to coast. Dutch Bros. is 100% drive-thru, and Texas and Oklahoma represent the eastern frontier for its shops marked with windmill logos.
Chamber lunch
Consistently one of the more popular events hosted by the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce, the State of the City & County lunch is scheduled for 11:30 to 1 p.m. Oct. 7 at the Baylor Club.
Mayor Dillon Meek and McLennan County Judge Scott Felton will discuss community issues. Tickets are $50 for members, $100 for nonmembers and available at WacoChamber.com.
TSTC regent
Waco resident and good guy Curtis Cleveland has been reappointed to the Texas State Technical College System Board of Regents.
Cleveland, as vice president of Central Texas Iron Works, has actively pursued customers along the Texas Gulf Coast, where construction of chemical plants and oil refining infrastructure has been hot and heavy in recent years. Some remember Cleveland as a crackerjack recruiter for the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce, helping to land Allergan and Mars Wrigley Confectionery.
AC Hotel permits
SRH Hospitality continues to assemble building permits for its AC Hotel by Marriott at South Sixth Street and Mary Avenue downtown, near both Magnolia Market at the Silos and Baylor University.
Most recently, SRH secured a permit valued at $4.9 million to build a five-story parking garage with 332 spaces, and another valued at $1.6 million for a commercial building shell accompanying the 182-key AC Hotel Waco.
All the pieces are being assembled under the direction of Texas-based Rogers-O’Brien Construction, whose resume includes The Shops at Park Lane, a 33-acre open-air shopping plaza in Dallas; The Shops at Legacy West in Plano, with its beer garden, 2 million square feet and five parking garages; Shops at Clearfork in Fort Worth, anchored by a two-story Neiman Marcos; The Saltillo in Austin; and The Hill Country Galleria in Bee Cave, near Austin.
Health fair
The Jubilee Food Market health fair will return from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 23 in the parking lot of Jubilee at 15th Street and Colcord Avenue.
Mission Waco/Mission World founder Jimmy Dorrell said events will unfold under five tents. Visitors may avail themselves of health services, displays, games, giveaways and Zumba. Everyone who attends will receive a free T-shirt, Jubilee Food Market reusable grocery bag and more, Dorrell said. Children with parents are welcome.
The nonprofit Jubilee Food Market began five years ago as a ministry to eliminate hunger in a North Waco food desert. Using donated labor, materials and funding, Dorrell and his team transformed a vacant convenience store into a fully stocked market within walking distance of many in the neighborhood.
Entities committed to offering on-site services and displays include Ascension Providence, Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest, the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District, Waco Family Medicine, Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service, Woodway First Baptist Church and Aramark.
Mandi Garcia will supervise Zumba-related activities, according to a press release.