A Japanese Knife Shop for Old Redmond? Smoke on the Sound & Best Med Spa in Redmond?

Welcome to the best of Redmond. This is Redman's twice weekly newsletter and podcast about all of the amazing things happening in and around Redmond for the next seven days.🍖 Redmond's First Barbecue Competition Lets You Judge the JudgesRedmond's first-ever barbecue competition fires up this weekend, and you get to eat the evidence. Smoke on the Sound brings Kansas City Barbeque Society teams to Marymoor Park, 6046 West Lake Sammamish Parkway NE. The contest runs Saturday and Sunday, but it's open to the public this weekend on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tasting tokens are $2 each. Buy at least five and you get a People's Choice token to vote for your favorite team. There's also live music and a beer garden. Show up hungry, and check the link in the show notes and in the newsletter for details. https://www.smokeonthesound.com🐟 The Best Wildlife Show in Town Is Under a Bridge DowntownSalmon are swimming right through downtown Redmond this month, and you can watch them from a bridge. The city says Chinook, coho, and sockeye are heading up the Sammamish River and local streams to spawn. Two good spots are the Redmond Trestle on the Redmond Central Connector trail and the Redmond Way bridge over the Sammamish River. Wear polarized sunglasses to cut the glare, move slowly, and stay out of the water. Salmon often move during or right after rain, so a gray day is your best bet. The city's salmon viewing map is in the show notes and in the newsletter. [Salmon viewing map](https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/779f2239705a42fba71f198d958da479/?data_id=dataSource_2-Salmon_viewing_sites_8034%3A7)📚 A Hugo Winner With a Creepy Doll Collection Is Coming to TownA fantasy author who lives in Seattle with a vast collection of creepy dolls is coming to Redmond Tuesday. Seanan McGuire, whose Wayward Children series won the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards, will be at Brick & Mortar Books, 7430 164th Ave NE, Suite B105, in Redmond Town Center, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. She's celebrating A Divided Duty, the newest book in her October Daye series. The event is free and includes a book signing. Preorder the book and you'll get a signed copy with an exclusive pin. The link's in the show notes and in the newsletter. https://www.brickandmortarbooks.com/events🎭 What Happens When a 50-Year-Old Finally Snaps? Find Out Tomorrow NightA bitter 50-year-old camera repairman has a full-blown midlife crisis on stage, starting tomorrow night in Redmond. Linda Vista, by Tracy Letts, the Pulitzer-winning writer of August: Osage County, opens at 8 p.m. at SecondStory Repertory, 7325 166th Ave NE, Suite F250, in Redmond Town Center. There's a second show this weekend on Saturday at 8 p.m., and the run continues through October 11. Tickets are $35 with all fees included. It's rated PG-13 for adult content, so leave the kids at home. Grab tickets through the link in the show notes and in the newsletter. https://www.secondstoryrep.org/product-page/linda-vista💃 Got the Nerve and a Great Outfit? SoulFood's Stage Is OpenAnyone with the nerve and a great outfit can take the stage this weekend on Saturday at SoulFood Drag Night. The Haus of Enby hosts the show from 7 to 9 p.m. at SoulFood CoffeeHouse, 15748 Redmond Way. It's an open stage, so performers of any experience level can sign up, and everyone else gets a front-row seat. Admission is $10. It happens the last Saturday of every month, so if you can't make this one, there's always next month. Event details are in the show notes and in the newsletter. https://soulfoodcoffeehouse.com/events/🚗 Cars You Only Saw on Posters Park in Redmond Every SaturdayEvery Saturday morning, a parking lot at Redmond Town Center fills up with supercars. The Exotics Car Show runs this weekend on Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. at 7525 166th Ave NE. Organizers bill it as the largest weekly car gathering in the country, so expect everything from classic muscle to cars you've only seen on a poster. It's a fun one for kids who are into cars, and for the adults who never grew out of it. It's weather dependent, so check the link in the show notes and in the newsletter before you head over. https://redmondtowncenter.com/events/917-exotics-car-show💧 Sponsored by Simply Leak DetectionEver open your water bill and think, that can't be right? No puddles. Nothing dripping. But the number doubled.Turns out that's completely normal. We asked Lincoln Spencer from Simply Leak Detection, and he told us most of their calls come from people who can't see any water at all. It just drains straight down into the ground, especially in gravelly soil. It takes a big leak and a lot of pressure for water to make it up three feet to the surface.So if your bill jumped and you can't find a reason, that doesn't mean there's nothing there. It means you need someone who can hear it.Simply Leak Detection. 253-800-1412 or SimplyLeakDetection.com. Tell them Best of Redmond sent ya.🎒 Redmond's Asking Teens to Design Their Own HangoutRedmond wants to build a teen center, and they're asking actual teenagers what should go in it. The first teen-only drop-in is Wednesday from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Redmond High School Library, 17272 NE 104th St. It's for ages 12 to 18, or anyone in middle or high school. There's free food and hands-on activities, and no names get collected, just ideas. Can't make Wednesday? A second session is Thursday, October 1, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Redmond Community Center at Marymoor Village. More info is in the show notes and in the newsletter. https://www.redmond.gov/2494/Teen-Center-Project📜 Redmond History MinuteIt'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... In 1928, the city bought the land for Redmond's very first park. How much did they pay? The answer's at the bottom of this email.A) $500B) $1C) $10,000D) They traded a fire truck for it🔪 Redmond Rumor Mill: A Japanese Knife Shop for Old Redmond?Rumor has it a specialty knife shop is eyeing a small space in Old Redmond. Think Japanese blades, custom handles, a sharpening service, and the occasional demo night. It's the kind of place where you walk in for one chef's knife and walk out an hour later. The owner apparently spent three years training with a bladesmith in Seki, Japan. None of this is confirmed. We don't know who the owner is, which space it is, or when it might open. Would you actually get your knives sharpened there, or are you still using the one from your first apartment? 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 PicksAnd while you're at our Facebook page, find the Your Picks post and answer this question... We want to know who you think the best med spa in Redmond is.🎧 Hear It on the PodcastIf you enjoyed this newsletter, you're gonna love the companion podcast. Find it at bestofredmond.com.✅ History Minute AnswerThe answer is B, $1. The Redmond School District sold the land to the city for one dollar. It became Redmond City Park, and for 30 years it was the only park in Redmond. In 1938, the WPA built two log cabins and a picnic shelter there. A man named Albert "Andy" Anderson became the park's first superintendent and spent years volunteering to keep it up. The park was later renamed Albert Anderson Memorial Park in his honor, and it's now on the National Register of Historic Places. Redmond's whole parks system started with a buck.