Redmond Kids: Color a Halloween Page, Win a Gift Card

I'm Holli Cobb, a REALTOR® here in Redmond, and this month I'm running a coloring contest for local kids. It's free, it takes one afternoon, and three kids are going to win a gift card to Herringbone Books.

No house questions. No sales pitch. I just like this town, and I think kids should get a reason to sit down with a box of crayons before Halloween.

Here's the whole thing, start to finish:

1. Download the free Halloween coloring page and print it.
2. Let your kid color it in however they like.
3. Text a photo of the finished page to (541) 640-3800 before October 20.

That's the entry. There's nothing to buy, and no purchase is necessary to win.

A five-year-old and a twelve-year-old shouldn't be judged against each other, so the contest is split into three age groups:

• Ages 3 to 5
• Ages 6 to 9
• Ages 10 to 13

One winner comes from each group, and each winner gets a $25 gift card to Herringbone Books. Winners are notified directly during the week of October 20.

This isn't a random drawing. I pick winners based on creativity and effort. A page colored with big, bold, slightly outside-the-lines enthusiasm can beat a neat one. What I'm looking for is a kid who clearly had a good time and put real thought into it.

If your child wants to turn the pumpkin purple or give the ghost a hat, let them. That's the kind of page I want to see.

A few small things that make entry easy:

• Print the page on regular paper. Crayons, markers, and colored pencils all work.
• Let the kid choose the colors. Hands-off is the best help.
• Take the photo in good light, with the whole page in the frame, so it's easy to see the work.
• Include your child's first name and age group when you text it, so I know which group to put it in.
• Don't wait until the last day. Text it in as soon as it's done.

I spent thirty years in emergency medicine before real estate, and the thing I learned there is that a community is made of small, ordinary moments, not big ones. A kid proud of a page on the fridge is one of them.

I'd rather be known in Redmond for showing up than for a sign in a yard. This is one way of showing up.

If you'd like the contest page again, it's right here. And if you ever want to talk about a move, whether it's this year or five years from now, say hello. It's All Figure-Out-Able.

Remember, that's Holli with an "i."