The 12th annual Gumshoe detective walk through Phinney Ridge and Greenwood happens Aug. 4-13. Buy an entry form and follow the clues to discover interesting yard art, signs, and generally quirky things throughout the neighborhood.

This year, profits will be split equally between the Greenwood Senior Center, Greenwood Elementary School PTA and Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church Food Bank. The Gumshoe has raised more than $49,000 in 11 years for neighborhood non-profits.

Click here to see last year’s clues and answers, so you get an idea of what you’re in for. It’s especially fun with a partner or group to help figure out tricky clues.

Starting Aug. 4, you can buy an entry form for $20 (or $15 each for two or more) at Ken’s Market, 7231 Greenwood Ave. N. (debit or credit card, cash or check payable to “PNA”); Phinney Center, 6532 Phinney Ave. N. (credit card, cash or check); or Couth Buzzard Books, 8310 Greenwood Ave. N. (cash or check only).

Return your entry form to Ken’s, the PNA or Couth Buzzard, and be entered to win one of 10 $100 gift cards to local businesses (see the list on the website).

New this year, Illumination Learning Studio at 7720 Greenwood Ave. N. will let Gumshoers fill up water bottles and use the bathroom if they’re passing by during business hours. And show your entry form at Pete’s Egg Nest for a free drink or Gorgeous George’s for a free hummus appetizer with purchase of a meal — they’re both at the corner of Greenwood Avenue North and North 78th Street.

The annual “Procrastishoe” begins at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 13, at Ken’s Market for anyone who wants to do it last-minute as part of a group. Gumshoe Guy Mike Veitenhans will follow behind, muttering clues if the group gets stuck.

The Phinney Neighborhood Association is re-designing Phinney Center’s Hillside Concept and Master Plan and is looking for community input.

Basic goals include creating accessible connections, gathering spaces, play opportunities, and community gardens on the hillside between blue and brick buildings.

A landscape architect has been hired and will speak with community members, using feedback and ideas to develop a design and update the Phinney Center master plan.

There will be several opportunities for to meet with the landscape architects: Maggi Johnson and Scott Boetjer from Johnson+Southerland, and the first is at this first public meeting from 7-8:30 PM on Thursday, July 27, at the Phinney Campus Blue Building room 6.

Learn more about the project and more opportunities for involvement at phinneycenter.org/hillside.

We’re in the middle of summer, but the Phinney Neighborhood Association is already thinking about its Winter Festival, set for Dec. 2-3.

All artists and craftspeople interested in being a vendor for the annual event, need to apply by Aug. 18.

About 115 vendors will be chosen.

Primary Election Day is Tuesday, Aug. 1. All ballots must be postmarked by midnight, or dropped in a King County Election Ballot Drop Box by 8 p.m. on Aug. 1 (they’re open 24 hours a day until 8 p.m. Aug. 1). See King County Elections’ website for more information.

Ballot Drop Boxes closest to our neighborhood are at the Broadview Library, 12755 Greenwood Ave. N.; Green Lake Community Center, 7201 East Green Lake Drive North; and the Ballard Library at the corner of NW 57th Street and 22nd Avenue NW. See the website for a complete list.

For candidate information:

• The Municipal League’s Candidate Ratings
• Non-partisan Video Voters’ Guide with each candidate giving a prepared statement of up to two minutes.

Remember, the 67th annual Greenwood Seafair Parade starts at 6 p.m. tomorrow (Wednesday) with Grand Marshals the Seafair Clowns and the theme “Clownin’ Around in Greenwood.”

The Seafair Commodores help run all the Seafair events, including staging the entrants in the Greenwood Seafair Parade.

Thousands of people crowd the sidewalks of downtown Greenwood to see about 100 floats, bands, drill teams, community groups and the Seafair Pirates march and perform in the oldest Seafair parade.

The parade starts on Greenwood Avenue North at North 95th Street, heads south to 85th Street, then west to 6th Avenue NW.

Opus Co. Restaurant is opening at 7410 Greenwood Ave. N. on Wednesday. Opus will be open for dinner from 5-10 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday (closed Monday and Tuesday), cooking seasonal foods on a huge wood-fired grill.

Starting Aug. 1, you can make reservations through Open Table.

Its website is just a landing page at the moment, but there’s lots more information and photos of the inside on the restaurant’s Facebook page.

Seattle’s Emergency Operations Center downtown will activate on Saturday, July 29, for a city-wide drill emphasizing communication at 11 hubs. Hubs are designated neighborhood locations where people gather after a disaster to work together and share resources.

Saturday’s “emergency” will be a simulated earthquake.

In our neighborhood, the Phinney Hub will participate from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the upper parking lot of the Phinney Neighborhood Association, 6532 Phinney Ave. N. Participants will use walkie-talkies and will work together to determine the status of Swedish Hospital in Ballard and Northwest Hospital.

Just north of Greenwood, another hub will be at Broadview Lutheran Memorial Church, 13047 Greenwood Ave. N. And to the west, a hub is located at Loyal Heights Playfield, 2101 NW 77th St.

Hub volunteers invite you to stop by to observe and learn how you can help after a disaster. Information will be available and new volunteers are welcome! Part of their practice is to train people to be able to spontaneously step in and assist. You can help as a “citizen actor” or as a new volunteer.

For the seventh year, King County Executive Dow Constantine will recognize the importance and accomplishments of small businesses in our region with the Executive’s Small Business Awards. Nominations are now being accepted through August 5 at: www.kingcounty.gov/smallbusinessawards 

Nomination categories are:

– Overall Small Business of the Year
– Minority-Owned Small Business of the Year
– Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year
– Exporting Small Business of the Year
– Green/Sustainable Small Business of the Year
– Workforce Development Small Business of the Year
– Rural Small Business of the Year

To be eligible for the awards, businesses must be located in King County, have 50 or fewer full-time equivalent employees, and have been in business for at least three years. Previous award winners and last year’s finalists are ineligible for nomination. Small businesses can be nominated in more than one category, but a separate nomination form must be completed for each category.

Nominations close on August 5. Winners will be announced at an awards event in the fall.
Find more information about the Executive’s Small Business Awards, and the nomination form, at: www.kingcounty.gov/smallbusinessawards

Seattle Animal Shelter is offering free adoptions this weekend because it is overflowing with animals.

The Seattle Animal Shelter is bulging at the seams due to a sudden influx of stray, surrendered and case-related animals, which require additional care and attention from shelter staff and volunteers. To help the shelter make space for these incoming pets, adoption fees are waived this weekend on all adoptable pets, including cats, dogs and critters such as rabbits, guinea pigs and birds. This offer is made possible through a grant from the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation.

With this special offer, from July 21-23, adopters pay only the cost of a pet license, if applicable. Regular adoption fees are available online at http://www.seattle.gov/animal-shelter/adopt/adoption-fees. Seattle residents adopting an animal will be required to purchase a pet license, which ranges from $24-$70.
The discount applies to cats, dogs and critters in the shelter and in foster care. For animals in foster care, any application received during the weekend will receive the discounted price, even if the actual adoption happens later. The adoption package includes:
· Initial vaccinations
· Spay or neuter (for dogs, cats and rabbits)
· Microchip with registration
· Feline leukemia/feline immunodeficiency testing (cats only)
· Certificate for a free health exam at local veterinarians
· $20 coupon for Mud Bay
· 30-day pet insurance policy from PetHealth

The Seattle Animal Shelter, located at 2061 15th Ave. W., is open from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday for adoptions. For more information, call 206-386-PETS (7387) or visit http://www.seattleanimalshelter.org.