Gumshoe is slang for detective. It’s also the name of a FUNdraising detective walk held every summer in Seattle’s Phinney Ridge and Greenwood neighborhoods. Since it began in 2006, the Gumshoe has raised over $74,000 for local non-profits such as the Greenwood Senior Center, Greenwood Elementary School PTA and Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church Food Bank.
The Gumshoe’s Year 15 Finale was originally scheduled for July and August 2020. However, due to the pandemic, it was first postponed until 2021 and now it is scheduled for 2022. In the meantime, to keep Gumshoe embers burning, there are two reworked oldie but goodie Gumshoes that diehard fans can print and do this summer for free.
If you haven’t gumshoed before, grab the family or a group of friends to try out the two aforementioned classic hunts this summer (when it’s under 100 degrees, please). Then you’ll be all primed and ready for 2022 to enjoy the final 5k. To get a flavor for gumshoeing, click here to do the 2019 Gumshoe, then lace up your sneakers, don your deerstalker, head to the Phinney Center to start. Solve the 30 clues that lead you through the 5 kilometer roundtrip – that’s roughly 3.1 miles of brain and body exercise! The August Gumshoe will be posted on DoTheGumshoe.org on the first of the month.
Now, fast forwarding to 2022. Unless something similarly nutty happens, next year will be the Gumshoe’s much-delayed 15th and final iteration. The organizer (aka the Answer Man) is hanging up his spyglass to work on a new community kindness project, KinderReminder. So to go out with a bang, the 2022 Gumshoe Finale features not one, but two walks—one in July and one in August.
For 2022, entry forms go on sale Friday, July 8 for the July Gumshoe and Friday, August 5 for the August Gumshoe at the PNA, Couth Buzzard and Ken’s Market. A single entry form is $20, but if you drag kids, friends, neighbors or innocent bystanders along and buy two or more at the same time, they’re just $15 each. Folks who finish will be entered in that Gumshoe’s prize drawing with a chance to win one of ten $100 gift cards to some of our amazing local businesses such as Red Mill Burgers, El Chupacabra, Greenwood Hardware,Ridge Pizza, Nutty Squirrel Gelato and more.
