🐶 Costumed Dogs, a Parade, and a Rescue Pup Who Might Go Home With You

Picture a pirate, a bumblebee, and a hot dog, all on leashes, marching through Redmond Town Center. That's the 3rd annual Redmond Howl-O-Ween Pup Parade and Party, this weekend on Saturday. Check in at noon at the Archer Hotel, 7200 164th Ave NE, for the pre-party. The parade steps off at 1 p.m., and there's a costume contest with prizes. From 2 to 4 p.m., the after-party at the Hilton Garden Inn, 16630 Redmond Way, has snacks, drinks, and adoptable dogs from Motley Zoo. You might go home with one more dog than you brought. Dogs need to be leashed, friendly, and vaccinated. Registration and costume-judging details are in the show notes and the newsletter. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/3rd-annual-howl-o-ween-tickets-2000052858941

🏫 These UW Students Have to Badge Through Microsoft Security to Get to Class

About 150 University of Washington grad students just got a very strange new commute. Their program, the Global Innovation Exchange, or GIX, now meets inside Building 92 on Microsoft's Redmond campus. That building started out as Eddie Bauer's headquarters. Microsoft spent $42 million turning 48,500 square feet of it into classrooms, and UW gets the space for 15 years with no base rent. Both sides say Microsoft gets no say in what's taught. It's an unusual setup for a public university, and the Daily UW dug into it. Their story is in the show notes and the newsletter. https://www.dailyuw.com/article/uw-moves-inside-microsoft-s-redmond-campus-testing-the-boundaries-of-corporate-partnership-20261009

🎃 Your Kid Gets a Pony Ride and a Pumpkin, You Get Fresh Cider

At some point this Saturday, your kid is going to make butter and then eat it on a biscuit. That's one stop at the Farrel-McWhirter Park Harvest Festival, this weekend on Saturday at 19545 Redmond Road. There's also a tractor-pulled wagon ride, a forest trail scavenger hunt with a prize, farm animals to visit, and a spooky potion to mix. Kids 12 and under get a pony ride and a pumpkin to take home. Grown-ups get the fresh-pressed cider. Pick a session, 10 a.m. to noon or 1 to 3 p.m. Passes are $30 to $36, for ages 2 and up. Registration is in the show notes and the newsletter. https://www.redmond.gov/Calendar.aspx?EID=3559

🎭 Can One Cast Pull Off Three Shakespeare Comedies in a Single Night?

Technically Thespians is betting they can. Their show, Love & Misdirection, packs fast, stripped-down versions of Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, and A Midsummer Night's Dream into one evening. It has three directors and the same cast in all three. If you never finished these plays in high school, this is your shortcut: three plays in about two and a half hours. It's at SecondStory Repertory, 7325 166th Ave NE, Suite F250, in Redmond Town Center. Shows are Friday at 7 p.m., then this weekend on Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are in the show notes and the newsletter. https://www.technicallythespians.com/love-and-misdirection-fall-2026

☕ The Coffee's on the House. The Catch Is a Trash Bag.

This weekend on Sunday, SoulFood CoffeeHouse is trading coffee for cleanup. Walk around, pick up litter, and they'll pour you a free 16-ounce drip coffee or tea. It's called the Walk & Talk Litter Pickup Party, so plan on chatting while you clean. Meet at 11 a.m. at SoulFood, 15748 Redmond Way. It runs until 2 p.m. They supply the bags, so just bring gloves and a grabber if you have them. It happens the second-to-last Sunday of every month, so if you like it, you've got a standing date.

📝 Redmond's Poetry Night Turns 20, and It's Bringing a Bonus Poet

SoulFood started a poetry night back in July 2006. It's still going, now in its 20th year, and Thursday's lineup comes with an extra. There are usually two featured readers. This time there are three: Katy Ellis, Susan Landgraf, and Cindy Veach of MoonPath Poets. They read first. After a short break, the mic opens up to anyone. Got a poem sitting in a drawer? Sign up when you get there and bring three or four minutes of it. It's 6 to 8 p.m. at SoulFood CoffeeHouse, 15748 Redmond Way, and admission is free.

Simply Leak Detection

A lot of people put off calling about a leak because they're scared of what it'll cost. But fixing it costs money no matter what. The question is whether you're guessing or you actually know. Simply Leak Detection finds the exact spot first, so you can decide whether a repair makes sense or the line needs replacing. Either way, you're deciding with real information. Over 300 five-star reviews on Google. Redmond, Kirkland, Bellevue and the whole Eastside. Call 253-800-1412 or visit SimplyLeakDetection.com.

📞 (253) 800-1412

🌐 https://simplyleakdetection.com/

🍷 Most People Can't Describe Grenache. By Sunday, You Could.

Certified sommelier JR Seebach is pouring Grenache and explaining it this weekend on Sunday at SAMĀ Cellars. It's called Grenache Uncorked, part of the winery's every-other-Sunday Taste & Talk series. You taste as you go and learn where the grape comes from and how it does in Washington soil. It runs 3 to 4:30 p.m. at the wine lounge, 7425 166th Ave NE, Suite C-110. Tickets are $25 for wine club members and $35 for everyone else. The best part: buy at least two bottles per ticket that day, and your ticket price gets credited toward the wine. Reserve through the link in the show notes and the newsletter. https://samacellars.com/winery-events/

📜 Redmond History Minute

It's time for the Redmond History Minute, where we share a piece of history, a tidbit, or some trivia about life in and around Redmond. Today's trivia question is... Redmond didn't get its very first traffic light until what year? A) 1932 B) 1951 C) 1966 D) 1978 The answer is at the bottom of this newsletter.

👂 Redmond Rumor Mill: Late-Night Basque Pintxos in Redmond?

We've heard a Basque pintxos bar is being developed for Redmond, the kind that does late-night counter service with jamón, anchovies, and good txakoli. The chef behind it apparently cooked at Seattle's Lark and has been living in San Sebastián. Redmond keeps coming up, apparently because the rents here make the math work. None of this is confirmed. We don't have a name, an address, or an opening date. So what's the first thing you'd order at the counter? 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

And while you're at our Facebook page, find the Your Picks post and answer this question... We want to know what you think the best tapas bar is.

🎧 Love the Newsletter? There's a Podcast Too

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

✅ History Minute Answer

C) 1966. That's the year Redmond put in its first traffic light, at the corner of Leary Way and Redmond Way. Until then the town simply didn't have enough cars to need one. What changed was the SR-520 floating bridge, which opened in 1963 and started sending people over the lake in a hurry. Locals took to calling the new intersection "Walk and Don't Walk." Three years after the bridge opened, Redmond went from zero traffic lights to needing one.

✨ This Week's Best of Redmond Partners

Simply Leak Detection — Know what you're dealing with first — simplyleakdetection.com/

Welcome to The Best of Redmond.

I'm Jennifer Davis

And I'm Dan Schultz, and this is Redmond's twice weekly newsletter

and podcast about all of the amazing things happening right here in and

around Redmond for the next seven days.

Jennifer, what's the top story?

Well, costumed dogs, a parade, and a rescue

pup who might go home with you.

Picture a pirate, a bumblebee, and a hot dog all on leashes marching

through Redmond Town Center.

That's the third annual Redmond Howl-O-Ween Pup Parade and

Party this weekend on Saturday.

Check-in is at noon at the Archer Hotel for the pre-party.

The parade steps off at 1:00, and there's a costume contest with prizes

00 to 4:00, the after party at the Hilton Garden Inn on

Redmond Way has snacks, drinks, and adoptable dogs from Motley Zoo.

You might go home with one more dog than you brought.

Dogs need to be leashed, friendly, and vaccinated.

Registration and costume judging details are in our show

notes and in the newsletter.

These University of Washington students have to show their badges through

Microsoft security to get to class.

About 150 University of Washington grad students just

got a very strange new commute.

Their program, the Global Innovation Exchange, or GIX, now meets inside

Building 92 on Microsoft's Redmond campus.

That building started out as Eddie Bauer's headquarters.

Microsoft spent $42 million turning 48,500 square feet of it into classrooms, and

the University of Washington gets the space for 15 years with no base rent.

Both sides say Microsoft gets no say in what's taught.

It's an unusual setup for a public university, and The Daily UW dug into it.

Their story is in the show notes and the newsletter

Your kid gets a pony ride and a pumpkin.

You get fresh cider.

At some point this Saturday, your kid is going to make butter

and then eat it on a biscuit

Good to know.

I'll write that down so it doesn't come as a complete surprise

That's just one stop at the Farrell McWhorter Park Harvest

Festival this weekend on Saturday at the park out on Redmond Road.

There's also a tractor-pulled wagon ride, a forest trail scavenger

hunt with a prize, farm animals to visit, and a spooky potion to mix.

Kids 12 and under get a pony ride and a pumpkin to take home.

Grown-ups get the apple cider.

Pick a session, 10 to noon or one to three.

Passes are 30 to $36 for ages two and up.

Registration can be found in our show notes and in the newsletter

Can one cast pull off three Shakespeare comedies in a single night?

Technically Thespians is betting they can.

Their show, Love and Misdirection, packs fast stripped-down versions of Much Ado

About Nothing, As You Like It, and A Midsummer Night's Dream into one evening.

It has three directors and the same cast in all three.

If you've never finished these plays in high school, this is your shortcut.

Three plays in about two and a half hours.

It's at Second Story Repertory in the Redmond Town Center.

Shows are Friday at 7:00 PM, then this weekend on Saturday at 2:00 and 7:00.

Links to get tickets are in the show notes and in the newsletter

The coffee's on the house.

The catch is in a trash bag.

This weekend on Sunday, Soul Food Coffee House is trading coffee for cleanup.

Walk around, pick up litter, and they'll pour you a free

16-ounce drip coffee or tea.

It's called the Walk and Talk Litter Pickup Party, so plan

on chatting while you clean.

Meet at 11 at Soul Food.

It runs until 2.

They supply the bags, so just bring gloves and a grabber if you have one.

It happens at the second to last Sunday of every month, so if you

like it, you've got a standing date

Redmond's Poetry Night turns 20, and it's bringing a bonus poet.

Speaking of Soul Food, Soul Food started a poetry night back in July

of 2006, and it is still going on.

Now in its 20th year, and Thursday's lineup comes with an extra, by the way,

there are usually two featured readers.

This time there are three, Katie Ellis, Susan Landgraf, and

Cindy Viack of Moonpath Poets.

They read first.

After a short break, the mic opens up to anyone.

Got a poem sitting around in a drawer?

Sign up when you get there and bring three or four minutes of it.

It's 6:00 to 8:00 PM at Soul Food Coffee House.

Admission is free.

Most people can't describe Grenache.

By Sunday, you could.

Certified sommelier J.R.

Seebach is pouring Grenache and explaining it this weekend on Sunday at Sama Cellars.

It's called Grenache Uncorked, part of the winery's every other

Sunday taste and talk series.

You taste as you go and learn where the grape comes from and

how it does in Washington soil.

It runs from 3:00 to 4:30 at the Sama Wine Lounge in Redmond Town Center.

Tickets are $25 for wine club members and $35 for everyone else.

The best part?

Buy at least two bottles per ticket that day and your ticket price

gets credited towards the wine.

Reserve through the link in the show notes and in our newsletter.

A lot of people put off calling about a leak because they're

scared of what it's gonna cost.

We ask Lincoln Spencer from Simply Leak Detection about that.

No matter what, it's gonna cost some money to fix this issue.

But the fee that you pay us is well worth it just to at least be informed

in your options, because you might find that based on the information from us,

it makes a lot of sense to do a repair, and that saves you a lot of money

compared to replacing the whole line.

So in that case, you're still money well spent versus 10,000 plus or whatever

that's gonna be to replace the line.

In other cases, you might find out that it's actually the better decision to

replace the line based on what we find.

But either way, we're giving the homeowner more information, and then

they can make that next decision that's right for them based on their

budget, the age of the line, the age of the home, things like that.

Find out what you're dealing with before

you spend a dime fixing it.

Call 253-800-1412 or go to simplyleakdetection.com

and tell them The Best of Redmond sent ya.

It is time for the Redmond History Minute where we share a piece

of history, a tidbit, or some trivia about life in and around Redmond.

Today's trivia question is, Redmond didn't get its very first

traffic light until what year?

Jennifer, those of you playing along at home, your choices are A,

1932; B, 1951; C, 1966; D, 1978.

your time starts now.

All right.

Well, it shouldn't be too hard to figure out 'cause a traffic light you need cars.

Cars came in in the '20s.

Redmond was a little town.

I think 1932 might be a little early.

I'm gonna go early but not too early.

I'm gonna guess B, 1951

Y- you haven't seen how people drive around here?

Would it not shock you if they did not get traffic lights around here s- until 1978?

it, it would be shocking.

It'd be shock- I, I-- Redmond was a little bigger than that, Dan.

I-- you can't…

Nah.

That would be too late.

People, there'd be crashes all over the place

Jennifer, I am so sorry.

The answer is actually C, 1966.

I'm telling you, they got light so late.

The people here are maniacs

that's pretty late in the game.

That is the year Redmond put in its first traffic light at the

corner of Leary Way and Redmond Way.

Until then, the town simply didn't have enough cars to need one.

What changed was the, uh, State Route 520 floating bridge, which opened

in 1963, and that started sending people over the lake in a hurry.

Locals took to calling the new intersection Walk and Don't Walk.

That's what they called it, Walk and Don't Walk.

You gonna go down by Walk and Don't Walk?

Three years after the bridge opened, Redmond went from zero traffic lights

to needing one, and I hear that they're gonna be getting their third

traffic light sometime next year

Wow

We've heard a Basque pintxos bar is being developed for Redmond, the kind

that does late night counter service With jamón, anchovies, and good txakoli.

The chef behind it apparently cooked at Seattle's Lark and has

been living in San Sebastián.

Redmond keeps coming up apparently because the rents here make the math work.

None of this is confirmed.

We don't have a name, an address, or an opening date.

So what's the first thing you'd order at the counter?

If you've got a guess or have heard something, head over to our Facebook

page at facebook.com/bestofredmond

and drop it in the Redmond Rumor Mill Guesses post.

And while you're at our Facebook page, find the post called

Your Picks and answer this question.

The rumor mill got me hungry, Jennifer.

We wanna know where you think the best tapas bar is

If you've enjoyed this podcast, you're gonna

love our companion newsletter.

Find it at bestofredmond.com,

and we'll see you in the next one

Or maybe before then, walking around Redmond.