Weekend highlights include aebleskiver eating, Lego building, juggling, dancing, and just overall fun

The 87th annual Solvang Danish Days, a three-day cultural event, was held Sept. 20-22 in celebration of the establishment of Solvang by Danish Americans in 1911. The multiple weekend events were well attended and filled with fun, food, Æbleskiver Eating and Lego Building Contests, axe-throwing, street vendors, multiple festivities, parades, the Danish Maid, live entertainment, street dancing, and family activities, offering attendees a total Danish experience. The theme of this year’s event was “Det Dansk, Det Dejligt” — “It’s Danish, it’s delightful!”

One of the highlights of the event was the Danish Days Parade. Approximately 30 floats, festooned in Danish flags, with participants wearing colorful Danish garb, took part in the parade. The Color Guard was in the lead, ushering in the Danish Maid, Kaeley Reid, who was followed by the Nordhoff High School Rangers Marching Band. John Clark, riding in a vintage pink Thunderbird portrayed the celebrated author, Hans Christian Andersen, wearing his top hat. He was followed by a group of young dancers from Cruz Dance Production performing the Mexican Hat Dance.

The Carlsberg Pilsner Beer Wagon passed by filled with members of the Solvang Village Band, while the Danish bakers float titled “Danish and Delightful” passed out Danish cookies to the crowd. The parade continued with float entries by the Solvang Visitors Center, Bethania Lutheran Church, Viking Charities, the Vikings of Solvang Ship, Rio Vista, and Figueroa Mountain Brewery carrying a band playing rock and roll, along with the Figueroa Mountain Brewery’s colorful bus following behind.

Residents of the Atterdag Village of Solvang waved to the crowd while the Solvang Trolley played Judy Garland’s “The Trolley Song” from the 1944 film, “Meet Me in St. Louis.” A float featuring the Marguerite Daisy, Denmark’s national flower, came next with its members passing out small bouquets of daisies. Members of the Solvang Rotary followed with music played by the Santa Ynez Valley Jazz band and a tiled float created by Padilla Tile & Construction depicting Hans Christian Andersen’s classic stories.

Students from the Solvang Charter School waved enthusiastically as an array of scooters fluttered Danish flags. Next came Highline Adventures, motorcyclists wearing Viking helmets, groups of people walking, and bringing up the rear, was an enormous Karoline Cow float which is one of the Danish Dairies’ most famous trademarks along with several “cows” in costume.

Photography by Devyn Marseilles and Mike Chaldu

Awards were handed out for a variety of categories:

Bethania Lutheran Church — Best Family/Group entry
Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. Band — Best Musical entry
Carlsberg Beer Wagon — Best Equestrian/Animal entry
Solvang Visitor Center — Best Miscellaneous entry
Nielsen Building Materials, “Karoline the Cow,” —Sweepstakes winner (Best Overall)

“It’s always fun to be Danish for a day,” hollered a young woman wearing a Viking helmet, skipping down the sidewalk draped in a Danish flag that was blowing in the wind.

The parade on Saturday was not the only one for the weekend: On Friday evening, the first of the Danish Days, attendees were invited to take part in the Torchlight Parade, in which participants marched through town in a candlelight procession. On Sunday was the children’s parade with kids and their families going from Atterdag Road to Copenhagen Drive, andending in Solvang Park.

On both Saturday and Sunday, the event saw the renewal of the annual Danish Days Æbleskiver Eating Contest. Bothdays, competitions were held for those 16 and under, and then for contestants 16 and up, with anyone invited to sign up.There was a little twist this year: On Saturday, contestants were allowed to use their hands to feed themselves the delicious balls of pancake dough topped with with jam, but on Sunday, they were prohibited from using their hands.

Saturday’s contests saw 13-year-old Clayton Johnson, from Santa Maria win the 16-and-under contest by downing 12 aebleskiver, while Maxi Von Wedczeck, 25, from Germany by way of San Francisco, won the adult version by eating 14 aebleskiver.

The adult contest included competitive eater Naader Reda, who downed 12 in the adult contest. Reda admitted he was”disappointed” in his performance, although he entered it on an informal basis, rather than a contracted competitor, but hesaid he is open to return.

On Sunday, 8-year-old Valerie Roylance, of Buellton, won the 16-and-under contest with six aebleskiver eaten, while Robbie Theis, 22, of Lompoc, and Lawrence Marston, of Buellton, who each ate 10.

Marston competed in the adult competition after his two children, Channing and Hunter, took part in the kids’ contest.

“I wasn’t really planning to go up there,” Marston said. “But then, my kids came over after being in their contest and convinced to go do it too.”

Another staple of Danish Days has been the Lego Building Contest (as Legos are a Danish product) between professional builders.

In this year’s contest, organizers assigned each of the three builders a specific windmill in town to base their work around.

Jesse Gros, of Venice Beach, captured first-place honors for the second year in a row with his Solvang Brewing Co.-inspired windmill packed with Solvang and Santa Ynez Valley icons, landmarks, and nods.

The other participants were Suzanne Hansen (who tied with Gros for first place last year, who created a Hamlet Square-inspired windmill, with a Danish Christmas theme inside and out, and Chris Wight, with his build inspired by the bigAlisal Road windmill.

Danish Days was an event that had a little something for everyone. Kids were enjoying building at the Lego table or at the play area at the other end of Solvang Park. People of all ages were entertained by acts such as comedy jugglers Scott and Trink (aka Scott Meltzer and Katrine Spang-Hanssen), bands like Terry and the Ripleys on the park gazebo, or the Danish dancers on Copenhagen. And, anyone craving some aebleskiver (perhaps with a side of sausage) could go over to the outdoor kitchen and get a plate.

For all, the weekend definitely lived up to its theme, “It’s Danish, it’s delightful!”