Welcome to Best of Redmond! Redmond's twice-weekly newsletter and podcast about all the amazing things happening in Redmond for the next seven days!

🚌 Redmond Just Launched a Free Electric Shuttle – And It's Already Running

So Redmond has a new free shuttle service and it launched this week. It's called RedLink, and it covers downtown, Education Hill, and the southeast part of the city. You request a ride through the Circuit app – same company that runs Bellevue's BellHop, which people actually use. The coverage area runs roughly from Willows Road NE on the west to 188th Ave NE on the east. You need to be at least 16 to ride. It's a pilot program running through June 2027, so now's the time to try it. Download the Circuit app and give it a go.

https://www.redmond.gov/2423/RedLink

🏊 Cops Are Jumping in a Lake for Special Olympics – You Can Watch or Join

On Saturday, March 14th, the Redmond Police are teaming up with Issaquah, Bellevue, Sammamish, and the King County Sheriff's Office for the Lake Sammamish Polar Plunge to benefit Special Olympics Washington. It's at Idylwood Park, 3650 W Lake Sammamish Pkwy NE, starting at 9 a.m. You can show up to cheer, donate, or sign up to plunge yourself at polarplungewa.com. Watching a bunch of cops jump into a cold lake in March is honestly pretty good free entertainment.

🎨 Craft Club at SoulFood – Bring Whatever You're Working On

Every other Wednesday, SoulFood CoffeeHouse hosts a drop-in craft club and the next one is Wednesday, March 18th from 4 to 6 p.m. Bring whatever project you're working on – knitting, drawing, embroidery, whatever – and just hang out with other people who make things. All skill levels, no registration, just show up. SoulFood is at 15748 Redmond Way. Good excuse to get out of the house mid-week.

🚲 Bicycle Bling

The big news for Redmond cyclists: the final 1.6-mile stretch of the Redmond Central Connector is done, and it now officially links downtown all the way to the Eastrail, Woodinville, and Kirkland. That's a pretty big deal if you've been waiting on that connection. If you want to test it out, there's a free launch event at 60 Acres Park on Saturday, March 14th – good timing to ride the new trail and see what all the fuss is about.

🕰 Redmond History Minute

Okay, it's time for the Redmond History Minute, where we share an interesting piece of history, trivia, or tidbit about life in and around Redmond.

Marymoor Park was originally called Willowmoor Farm. Why did it get renamed to Marymoor?

A) A real estate developer thought it sounded fancier B) To honor a little girl who died in a bicycle accident C) The county misspelled it on the paperwork D) Mary was the name of the farmer's favorite cow

Answer revealed at the bottom of this newsletter.

🔮 Redmond Rumor Mill: A Woodworker Eyeing Old Redmond?

Okay, this one's unconfirmed, but we've heard something interesting. Word is a local woodworker has been in talks to open a maker studio and retail space somewhere in Old Redmond – we're talking custom furniture, weekend workshops, and a small gallery. Not a craft fair pop-up. More like a destination. We don't know if a lease has been signed, which space it is, or when it might open. So here's our question: have you heard anything about this?

If you've got a guess or have heard something, head to our Facebook page at facebook.com/BestOfRedmond and drop it in the "Redmond Rumor Mill Guesses" post.

🗳 Your Picks: Best Donuts in Redmond

Alright, that's it for this week.

Head on over to facebook.com/BestOfRedmond, find the post called "Your Picks," and drop your vote in the comments. We want to know who you think is the best donuts in Redmond.

📻 Don't Miss the Podcast

If you enjoyed this newsletter, you're gonna love the companion podcast. Find it at bestofredmond.com.

We'll see you in the next one... or maybe before then, walking around Redmond.

🎯 History Minute Answer

The answer is B – To honor a little girl who died in a bicycle accident.

Walter Nettleton leased the farm in the 1930s and renamed it Marymoor in memory of his young daughter Mary, who died in a bicycle accident. The name stuck when King County bought the land for a park in 1962. So every time you go to Marymoor – the concerts, the dog park, the trails – you're walking on a memorial.