Current Issue Articles

Centennial Fever
by Ann Blumenthal and staff,

Editors Note: The SYV Guest will have updates in each quarterly issue during the 2011 to keep our readers abreast of Solvang's latest exciting Centennial events.

The traditional Danish Rejsegilde ceremony was held at the new Centennial Plaza on Alisal Road on April 1st. This ceremony celebrates the highest roofbeam of a new building put in place - and that building is then crowned with a wreath. Photo by Maria Bland Hoke		olvang is heralding its Centennial, celebrating special events throughout the year, and the
	atmosphere is electric. Distiguished visitors, ambassadorsand royalty from Denmark are coming to cycle, sightsee and join in the festivities. The American Ambassador to Denmark, Laurie Fulton, has already visited and was touched to receive her first key to a city. The Danish Saxo Bank is sponsoring a cycling team for the Amgen race, Danish TV is featuring reports on the little Danish town in America, and the mayor and school choir of Solvang’s Danish sister city, Aalborg, are coming in September. Both Tracy Farhad, the executive director of Solvang’s Conference and Visitor Center, and Esther Jacobsen Bates, the executive director of the Elverhoj Museum of History and Art, have been working
hard to promote the Centennial as a means to increase public awareness of Solvang’s rich history and culture. Says Farhad, “It is a dream come true to be involved in my town’s Centennial. You know, we get lost in the day to day work and feel like we’re just doing what needs to be done, but we’re actually making history.” Farhad has been attending travel conferences both in Denmark and in the United States, and along with Bates has been working to strengthen Solvang’s ties with Denmark. For example, on their last trip, they were both introduced to the country’s Crown Prince Frederik and his Australian-born wife, Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth. Farhad found them both very down to earth and approachable. To her surprise they have much more freedom than British royalty, doing their own shopping when they like and taking their children to the park. The Crown Prince had planned to come this year, but they’ve just had twins, so it’s not a good time for him to travel.
Danish butter cookies with the Centennial Logo were served at the Rejsegilde celebration on April 1st, in celebration of the new Centennial Plaza. Photo courtesy of SolvangUSA.com	Memorable wine tasting and flaky pastries, hearty smorgasbords and live music enticed participants at this year’s annual Taste of Solvang in mid-March. The March Centennial theme was Culinary, so the third dedication on the Solvang Heritage Trail was the original location of Dania Hall, which was for many years Solvang’s social center. It is currently the location of Mortenson’s Bakery, so all of Solvang’s bakers were honored and given special certificates of appreciation.
On April 1st, the new Centennial Plaza on Alisal was the site of a traditional Danish rejsegilde ceremony where the roofbeam of a new building is crowned with a wreath (see above.) As an homage to the founders of Solvang, and the starting point of the new Solvang Heritage Trail, the plaza is at the heart of the town and its yearlong festivities. Mark your calendar, because on the 3rd Wednesday of each month a new aspect of Solvang history and culture is honored and commemorated, and new locations on the Solvang Heritage Trail celebrated. When the trail is finished it will connect more than two dozen sites on a walking loop around the village, tying together the Chumash, Spanish, Californian and Danish cultures that make the Valley so unique. The Solvang Heritage Trail Project is coordinated by the Elverhoj Museum of History & Art and the Solvang Conference & Visitors Bureau. They hope to have the map of the trail available by July. Count yourself lucky if you were able to view the “Spirit of Solvang: Capturing the Past in Photographs,” exhibit of historical photos going back to Solvang’s founding, at the Elverhoj Museum of History & Art. It was a remarkable opportunity to see how much the town has changed, and yet in some ways stayed the same, from its early beginnings. If you didn’t get in to see the exhibit before it closed, the Elverhoj has produced a companion book with many of the images.

Danish Ambassador Friis Arne Petersen and his wife, Birgitte Wilhelmsen, on their first visit to Solvang last summer. *Photo by Wolcott Schley*	Also, the permanent collection is surprisingly diverse for such a small museum, including not only a rich archive of historical photos, but also such items as an axe head that is thousands of years old, beautiful historical Danish costumes and furnishings, and the art of the artists Viggo Brandt-Erichsen, and his wife, Martha Mott, the building’s original owners and architects. Another centennial is also being celebrated. It’s President Reagan’s 100th birthday this year too, and the Santa Ynez Valley Museum on Sagunto in Santa Ynez is showing a photographic exhibit “that brings you Ronald Reagan as he lived and worked at his beloved Western White House,” until June 5th.
April’s Centennial theme is Cultural Arts, and on Wednesday April 20th Solvang will celebrate Danish and American literature, art and theater at the Solvang Veterans’ Hall/Library complex, as well as the Hans Christian Andersen Museum above the Book Loft on Mission Drive. Hans Christian Andersen’s 206th birthday will be celebrated at his eponymous museum from 1-3 p.m. on Saturday, April 2nd. There will be cake and Randel McGee as Hans Christian Andersen will tell stories and demonstrate traditional Danish papercutting. The Santa Barbara Vintners Festival is happening on April 16th, and it is always a treat and an education. Wonderful wines in an array of varieties are offered up for your tasting pleasure, and the food is delicious. On April 16, at 6 p.m., the Solvang Village Folk Dancers will perform at the intersection of Copenhagen Drive and Alisal Road. As always, you can count on this to be a charming, festive and photogenic event. From April 17th through July 2nd, the Elverhoj Museum is holding an exhibit by a Danish American glass artist entitled “Cultural Fusion: The Art of Helle Sharling-Todd,” featuring stunning sandblasted and fused glass panels, contemporary mosaics, and stainless steel sculptures. A reception for her will be held at the museum on Sunday, April 17 from 3 to 5 p.m. Her work is very dramatic and it should be a great show. Over a million people enjoy Solvang’s hospitality every year, and in May the hotels and services that make them feel at home will be honored as icons of Solvang. On May 18th, the Hospitality theme is being celebrated at 2:30 p.m. at the Solvang Brewing Company in the West End Windmill at 1547 Mission Drive.
Map of the Solvang Heritage Trail will soon be made available to the public.	Solvang was “discovered” by the larger world in a Saturday Evening Post article published in May of 1947 that let people know something extraordinary was happening here. In the 64 years since, tourists from all over America and the world have strolled Solvang’s quiet streets and enjoyed the unique charm of its antique architecture and warm Danish tradition of hyggelig, which means enjoyable, homey, comfortable, etc. On Saturday, May 7 the Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon starts at 7 a.m. and goes 13.1 miles from Santa Ynez to Solvang. The area is so beautiful and fun to run, registration sold out in March. In addition, there will be a wine and music festival from 9 a.m. to noon in Solvang Park.
On Friday, May 20 at 10 a.m., Stage 6 of the Amgen Tour of California– Solvang Time Trial will transform downtown Solvang as spectators gather to watch 19 teams of the world’s best cyclists do their best to win the definitive leg of America’s largest professional cycling event. In addition, Danish dignitaries plan to participate in the “Race of Truth”, an amateur race an hour before the pros on the same course. The day will end with a Gala Celebration at Root 246 Restaurant at 400 Alisal Rd. at 6 p.m. with wine tasting and live music, live and silent auctions and a raffle drawing to win an Allez Comp road bike. You can find out more at: www.tourofcalifornia-solvang.com. On Saturday, May 21 at 6 p.m. the Solvang Village Folk Dancers will again perform traditional Danish dances in downtown Solvang at Copenhagen Drive and Alisal Road. Around Memorial Day there will be two conventions in town. Friday, May 27 through Monday, May 30 there is a Folk Dancing Convention at Bethania Lutheran Church. Attendees will spend the weekend learning dances from Bulgaria and Quebec taught by master folk dance teachers Yves and France Moreau, as well as Scandinavian dances taught by local teacher David Heald. From June 3rd to 5th, the Danish Sisterhood and Brotherhood Lodges of Solvang are hosting the California District Brotherhood and Sisterhood Conventions.

The March 16 ceremony honoring the Danish bakeries of Solvang.
Tracy Farhad, Executive Director of the Solvang Conference and Visitors Bureau, presides over the Wednesday, March 16, ceremony outside Mortensen's Bakery. Honored were Mortensen's, as well as the Danish Mill Bakery, Olsen's Danish Village Bakery and Coffee Shop, and the Solvang Bakery for their ongoing work upholding the tradition of fine Danish baking. Theme for the March Centennial Heritage Trail Celebration was 'Culinary'. Mortensen's Bakery is located on the original location of Dania Hall, which was Solvang's social center for many years.

The Solvang Heritage theme for June is Sports and Recreation, central to the lives of many Valley families. Solvang Recreation has made a profound difference in the quality of family life here, providing lessons, facilities and recreational opportunities that enriched, educated and entertained children and adults alike. This month they will be honored for their contribution to the health and happiness of generations of Solvang residents. Saturday, June 11th, there will be a centennial celebration of Solvang’s library. The story of the library is part of the story of the town. The short presentation will include remembrances from past staff and patrons. All are welome to stay afterward for an Ice Cream Social, and the beginning of the 2011 Summer Reading Program. An historical exhibit showing the progress of the library in its different locations, honoring the many local people who supported and made a free public library possible, will be on display this week and the following month. You can get more information on their website: www.sbplibrary.org. Wednesday, June 15th join the Centennial Committee in Solvang Park for their monthly celebration and help them honor the newest additions to the Solvang Heritage Trail. As always, the public is invited to enjoy the Solvang Heritage site dedications,
In March, the Centennial theme was 'Culinary', so the third dedication was at the site of Dania Hall, one of Solvang's first public buildings. It is now the current location of Mortensen's Bakery. Photo by Wolcott Schley	tours and complimentary refreshments. The Solvang Village Folk Dancers will be dancing Saturday, June 18, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in downtown Solvang, at Copenhagen Drive and Alisal Road. The coming months will be filled with even more festivities, and don’t forget that at the end of the year the Centennial Time Capsule will be interred at Centennial Plaza. If you have ideas about what to add that best represents Solvang in 2011, the Visitor Center would love to hear your suggestions.
Centennial Events-Continuing Coverage To keep up with all the festivities surrounding Solvang’s Centennial year, you can check the following websites for updates: www.solvangUSA.com www.solvang100.com www.syvguest.com www.elverhoj.org www.cityofsolvang.com www.santaynezvalleyvisit.com www.santaynezmuseum.org www.solvangchamber.com Also, each issue of the Santa Ynez Valley Guest magazine will have photos and coverage of the events as they take place.