The next offering in a series of talks presented by the Vashon Heritage Museum and Vashon Community Care will be “Strawberry Festival Luminaries: Two Women Who Shaped Vashon,” taking place at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 8, on Zoom.

The panel for the talk will be two island leaders who have shaped the business and social life of Vashon — Bettie Edwards (2013 Strawberry Festival Grand Marshall) and Melinda Powers (2005 and 2006 Unofficial Mayor). During the July talk, moderator Susan McCabe will explore what these two innovative leaders did to build a community around their businesses, discussing their philosophies on the role of business in a small community and the highlights and challenges of operating small businesses.

“Edwards’ and Powers’ legendary contributions to the community grew out of their businesses, and took shape based on their individual personalities,” said McCabe. “With The Little House, Bettie created a community around fun, training young people in business without their realizing it, and extended her devotion to the community through her volunteer work with, for instance, Vashon Community Care. With The Hardware Store Restaurant, Melinda built a community around a gathering place, a sophisticated neighborhood restaurant. And, she involved herself deeply in the business community through her volunteer work with the Chamber of Commerce, YMCA and Rotary.”

“Lives Well Lived,” a speaker series produced by Vashon Heritage Museum and Vashon Community Care, explores current events through the eyes of islanders who are making a real difference in this community and the world at large. The talks are inspired by the popular “Telling Stories” series, produced by VCC almost a decade ago.

To register to attend the talk, visit vashoncommunitycare.org or vashonheritagemuseum.org.