Three island organizers — Rick Wallace, Wendy Aman and Beth Lindsay — have been selected as the grand marshals of the 2024 Strawberry Festival parade this year.
Lindsay, Aman and Wallace comprise the volunteer steering committee of Islanders for Ferry Action (IFA), a working group convened by the Chamber of Commerce in September to research and lobby for improved ferry service on Vashon.
The Chamber also hosts Strawberry Festival, the island’s largest celebration of the year.
”Every life on Vashon is touched by the ferries and the ongoing crisis in our marine transit,” the Chamber said in a statement. “…With a deep understanding of that impact and an incredible love of their community, Rick, Beth, and Wendy stepped up to fight to fix our ferries. Each has already given countless hours of time and expertise to plan and implement effective strategies to address Vashon’s ongoing ferry woes.”
The grand marshal, who has a role of honor in both the Grand Parade and the Tom Stewart Memorial Classic Car Parade at the Strawberry Festival, is selected by the chamber.
Aman “brings an irreplaceable wealth of subject matter expertise” to IFA’s efforts, according to the Chamber, while also sitting on the island’s Ferry Advisory Committee. Lindsay’s “ability to connect IFA with the right people at the right time has made all the difference,” according to the Chamber, and she has also worked with the Vashon Schools Foundation and Vashon Community Scholarship Foundation. Wallace, the “cornerstone of IFA’s communications, fundraising, and political work,” is already well-known on the island for his leadership in emergency management.
The grand marshals said it was a great honor to be selected — and said the community deserves praise, too.
“The work we have accomplished is more a testament to our community’s countless phone calls, emails, and letters written to our elected officials, and the ability of those officials to turn our ‘suggested solutions’ into action,” Aman said.
Wallace concurred: “We all need to keep in mind that 2024 has been one step on a long path aimed at clawing back the level of ferry service we all remember from years past.”
“We came together and asked our elected leaders to help us find solutions,” Lindsay said. “They did! Thanks to every community member who joined us and to our legislators and King County Council member who heard us and responded. There’s more to do. Let’s keep it up!”
This year, efforts by islanders along with Vashon’s local, county, and state representatives have helped procure expanded Water Taxi hours and payments to compensate stranded walk-on passengers, and influenced the legislature to invest in ferry staff recruitment and scheduling improvements.
IFA is communicating with other communities and working on goals for the 2025 legislative session, Wallace said.
Along with the current steering committee, the Chamber acknowledged “the important early contributions” of Cheryl Lubbert of Nashi Orchards, Erin Kieper of Vashon Adventures, and Laura Cherry of Dragon’s Head Cider.
Strawberry Festival kicks off July 19 and runs through July 21 this year. Check next week’s edition of The Beachcomber for a full guide to the festivities.
Learn more about IFA at fixourferries.org.
