Friday is the kickoff for the fifth annual Gumshoe 5K Walk, a fundraiser for the Greenwood Senior Center that runs Aug. 13-22. Follow a series of clues that takes you on a three-mile walk around the neighborhood, getting you up close and personal with some of the quirky sights in Phinney and Greenwood.
Entry forms are $20 at the Phinney Market (5918 Phinney Ave. N.), Phinney Neighborhood Center (6532 Phinney Ave. N.) and Ken’s Market, (7231 Greenwood Ave. N.) You can purchase your entry form at any time during the 10-day event, and do the Gumshoe whenever you want to (although daylight hours are recommended).
After you turn in your completed entry form, contest organizers will randomly select a few questions for fact-checking. Then, forms with all those random questions answered correctly will be entered into a drawing for three Fred Meyer gift cards: $100, $150 and $250.
This year, organizers have added GPS coordinates to the clues (that’s Gumshoe volunteer Kelly Walker in the photo taking measurements of longitude and latitude), hidden a geocache along the route (more of Kelly’s handiwork) and started a Facebook group.
Last year 400 people participated, raising $4,000 for the senior center.
Besides the main Gumshoe, you have another chance to win with the Eatsy Street Game. Correctly identify the nine neighborhood restaurant signs from the small snippets shown on the Gumshoe entry form, and be entered to win a $25 gift certificate to each of those restaurants.
Also 31 businesses are holding MiniGumshoe Contests inside their stores.
To do a MiniGumshoe, stop by a participating business and ask for a MiniGumshoe Contest entry form. Find the three special Gumshoe stickers placed around the store, write the word associated with each sticker and the SPECIAL CONTEST WORD on your entry form, drop it into the MiniGumshoe Contest box and you’re entered for the store’s prize drawing.
What’s the SPECIAL CONTEST WORD? Here’s a not-so-subtle-hint: it’s MONK.
It costs nothing to enter a MiniGumshoe, but you can enter only once at each store. Sure, that limits your chances of winning at a particular store, but there are 31 stores for heaven’s sake! Do each store’s MiniGumshoe and, trust us, your odds of taking home a prize are significantly greater than winning the state’s Mega Millions jackpot!
Prize drawings will be held Tuesday, August 24. If your entry form is drawn and you’ve filled it out correctly, someone from the store will notify you of your good luck by close of business the following day.
For the list of participating stores, prizes and all the info you need, click here.
(Disclosure: the Gumshoe 5K Walk is a PhinneyWood sponsor.)
