Do the Gumshoe!

In the late 1800s, shoes with gum rubber soles were invented - a stealth technology quickly adopted by the bad guys of the era to facilitate skulking about. The bad guys came to be known as "gumshoes." By 1908, "gumshoes" had switched meaning, referring to the good guys in the quiet footwear who chased the bad guys.

Now "gumshoe" is the name of the annual FUNdraising "detective" walk held every August in Seattle's Phinney-Greenwood Neighborhood. (For a taste of Gumshoe's latest meaning, click here for the clues and answers to last year's walk.)

So how do you do the 2010 Gumshoe? It's as easy as 1, 2, 3!

Step 1 (pun intended): Buy a Gumshoe entry form at one of the following locations. They go on sale Friday, August 13 (the day of Greenwood's Summer Streets Party).

Phinney Market

5918 Phinney Ave N

Phinney Neighborhood Association

6532 Phinney Ave N

Ken's Market

7231 Greenwood Ave N

 

Buy a single entry form for $20 and do the Gumshoe solo. Or better yet, Sherlock, recruit your own Dr. Watsons - your kids, friends, neighbors - buy your entry forms together for just $15 per person and make the Gumshoe a group experience!

Step 2: Once you have your entry form, solve the clues that lead you through the 5 kilometer walk. That's roughly 3.1 miles of brain and body exercise with fun stuff to see along the way! Do the Gumshoe in one day or over several - experienced gumshoes report it takes about three and a half hours.

Step 3: Return your entry form to one of the above locations by 6 pm Sunday, August 22, to be entered for the Gumshoe prize drawing and a chance to win a Fred Meyer $250, $150 or $100 gift card.

Who Benefits?

All proceeds from the sale of Gumshoe entry forms go to local non-profits. This year, all proceeds go to the Greenwood Senior Center.

Other Chances to Win

Besides giving you the opportunity to win one of three Fred Meyer gift cards, the Gumshoe gives you 32 other chances to win - the Eatsy Street Game included with every Gumshoe entry form and 31 MiniGumshoe Contetsts at participating businesses up and down Phinney-Greenwood.

New This Year

The 2010 edition of the Gumshoe provides GPS coordinates with each clue so you can use your smart phone or a GPS thingy to confirm you're on route and, as a special bonus, a geocache has been hidden along the route for the techno-geeks among you. What do you win if you find the cache? Absolutely nothing except the smug satisfaction that comes from knowing something others don’t!