With rains hitting the Santa Ynez Valley in the days leading up to Jan. 1, organizers of the second annual Copenhagen Countdown on New Year’s Eve at Solvang Park had concerns about whether the event would come off.

However, Solvang Parks and Rec Marketing and Events Coordinator Candice Libera said a conversation with the day’s booked entertainment, the local ‘80s tribute band the Molly Ringwald Project, put to rest any thoughts that the Countdowns would be canceled.

“With the rain coming down earlier in the week and forecast throughout today, we really wondered about having to call it off,” said Libera, who added that many attractions and vendors, like face painters, had to be eliminated. “However, when we talked to the band, they said ‘we’ll be there, no problem,’ and I figured, OK, if they can come here and play, then we can go forward with it.”

And so it was, as the six-piece Molly Ringwald Project entertained a loud and enthusiastic crowd on the afternoon of Dec. 31 in the newest part of the city’s Julefest Celebration.

Starting at 2 p.m., band played their customary 1980s favorites such as “Don’t Stop Believing,” “Heartbreaker,” and “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” as the audience cheered and danced up a storm — so to speak — and those who chose to sit could do so in canopies provided to protect them from any rains, which during the show were at a minimum.

The City of Solvang began the new tradition of a Copenhagen Countdown in 2024, the idea being to bring families to a New Year’s celebration without having to stay up until midnight, and have something to bridge the gap between Christmas and the Solvang Tree Burn that signifies the end of the city’s Julefest.

It was an event that was welcome by locals as well as out-of-towners. A group of Solvang residents, led by Kim and Matt Farris were celebrating in style, having a table set up in their little spot in the park, with food and drink at the ready.

“This is such a great event, and it’s a really good crowd here,” Kim Farris said while enjoying the music. “All the things they’ve done this month have been good for everyone here, and I’m glad Solvang has found its niche as a holiday destination.”
Visiting from out of town was Sophia Hsu, from LA County, who was celebrating her birthday, and was even invited by the band to say a few words.

“I just want to say ‘God Bless America’ and please pray for America,” Hsu said to a rousing ovation.

After the event, Hsu, who could be seen dancing to the music with her husband, Cliff, said her words came from her religious faith and love for her adopted country.

“I came here 40 years ago, and I feel the spirit of this country and the holiday spirit,” she said. “God came back into my life, and I went back to my native Taiwan to spread his word, and have come back, and I just wanted to let people know this is a wonderful country and we need to stay united.”

Halfway through the band’s set, its members stopped at 3 p.m., when it officially became the new year in Solvang’s sister city of Copenhagen, Denmark, to count down to zero and celebrate the “new year” in Solvang. After that, the MRP played some more of the ’80s hits, ending with “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” by Simple Minds, which was in the movie “The Breakfast Club,” which co-starred, of course, Molly Ringwald.

Afterward, as the band started packing up for a gig in San Luis Obispo later that night, members of the MRP expressed how much it meant to play in the event.

“Solvang’s always been good to us,” said Rob Cantrell, who in addition to being the bass player is also a teacher and girls soccer coach at Santa Ynez High. “We started out here in the Valley and we always loving playing here. We would have come for this show no matter what the weather.”

Guitarist/vocalist Ian Musgrove echoed those thoughts and pointed out the crowd for the New Year’s Eve afternoon event.
“The crowd was great today; they were really into it and there was dancing all over the place,” he said. “That’s what makes it super-special to come to play in the Valley.”

With the success of the first two Countdowns, there’s no doubt that people will be around for the next one on Dec. 31, 2026.

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For the fourth year, the Santa Ynez Valley Botanic Garden was the backdrop of colorful holiday displays over the first three weekends of December, as the Holiday Lights Festival was held at the garden next to Buellton’s River View Park.

On Fridays, Saturdays, and Sunday from Dec. 5-21, visitors could walk the paths from 5 to 9 p.m. and see glittering display along with the usual flora. Holiday displays were shown along with likenesses of forest creatures, butterflies, and mushrooms, among others — all in a wide variety of colors.

Lighted displays also covered makeshift tunnels to walk through as well as makeshift huts and tents that kids could go into.

And there was even live entertainment for anyone waking through the enchanted holiday garden.

On Dec. 20, the next to last day for the festival, a choir with the PCPA Youth & Community Arts program, based at Allan Hancock College, were singing Christmas carols on a temporary stage amid all the lights. It was one of a few programs the group were doing this holiday season.

“We started rehearsals for this, maybe three weeks ago,” said Samantha Nakagaki, intern for the Youth & Community Arts program. “We actually had three shows: One was an hour-long show we did at the Santa Maria Inn, a 10-minute version for the Rotary Club, and this 30-minute show that we’ll do for the last time tomorrow.”

Nakagaki said Youth & Community Arts is an offshoot of the main PCPA theater group which aims to reach the public.

“Our main thing is to come out to the community and do outreach, and just connect with the people,” she said. “Earlier in the fall, we did a local school tour where we did performances for about 8,000 kids total.”

In addition to the live performances from the PCPA group, there were other attractions at the park in addition to the lights, as food and drink was available with local food trucks set up, and a holiday market was set up, with local vendors ready to sell their seasonal treats and gifts. Also, Santa Claus was available for photos, and numerous musical performers got to play for the crowds depending on what night they came.

The Holiday Lights Festival was held with the help of numerous sponsors: Gold sponsor The Woods-Claeyssens Foundation, Silver sponsor Rio Vista Chevrolet, Bronze sponsors VisitSYV and the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, and Ornament sponsors Discover Buellton, Nancy and Gary Brown, Mechanics Bank, Santa Ynez Valley Rotary, Santa Barbara Lights, and En Fuego Events.

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PART ONE OF TWO

The Santa Ynez Valley spent 2025 maintaining a lot of traditions, welcoming its usual crowds of tourists while trying to keep the things that make the area livable for its residents. Longtime annual events like Danish Days, the 4th of July fireworks show, and Julefest continued to roll along, while newer yearly staples like Buellton’s Fall Fest, the Holiday Lights Festival and the Viking Classic Car Show in Solvang solidified their footprints into the local culture. Cities also saw some transition as new City Council took over in Buellton and Solvang, and people looked to the future with projects taking shape and (hopefully) moving slowly but surely. Here’s a look at 2025 for the Santa Ynez Valley, from Month 1 to 12.

January

Solvang Senior Center Executive Director Ellen Albertoni got a little choked up as her and seven other city leaders shoveled some dirt to constitute the groundbreaking of the new Solvang Senior Center by the Veterans Memorial Hall. The new 5,500-square-foot, two-story building, which will double the size of the current facility, is taking shape and should be ready sometime in 2026.

Meanwhile, Buellton and Solvang were installing their new City Councils under new mayors David Silva and David Brown, respectively. Solvang would immediately appoint a new City Councilmember, Louise Smith, to fill an election-caused vacancy, but Buellton opted for a special election to fill their vacancy (see August). In Buellton, the local SYV Humane Society helped out in the Palisades Fire effort as it housed some pets who had to be evacuated from Malibu, and back in Solvang, people got to check out youngsters’ business savvy in the annual Jr. Entrepreneur Fair.

February

Five years after purchasing the former Willemsen Dairy property for public use, the City of Buellton and its residents got to see a big result of that acquisition on Feb. 8 with the grand opening of the new Buellton Library. City leaders got to cut the ribbon, and residents got to see the inside with a cozy reading area, a fireplace, conference rooms and a picture window that allows patrons a full view of the hills south of Buellton.

Also in February, we got to hear about Los Alamos meatcutter Ray Williams, who earned a spot on Team USA for the World Butcher Challenge (WBC) in France, and the California Nature Art Museum in Solvang reopened with a new tenant, a wooden troll named Lulu Hyggelig, a creation from Danish artist Thomas Dambo, who has several other trolls he completed all over the world. Lulu, however, is his first in California.

March

The Santa Ynez High girls basketball team made a memorable postseason run in 2025, not only making it to the CIF Central Section Division IV championship game, where the Lady Pirates lost in Fresno to Immanuel High, but because of that title-game berth, made it into the state playoffs. SYHS would beat Serra High of Gardena at home, but then get eliminated by Granada Hills Charter to finish with a 21-13 overall record. Head coach Jennifer Rasmussen said of her players, “I’m incredibly proud of their achievements and the dedication they’ve shown throughout the season.”

Other SYHS students were also getting attention: The school’s drama department put on a production of “Andrew Lloyd Webber’s School of Rock,” on the weekend of May 14-16, with students put on engaging performances in a show that saw the cast members coming off the stage and into the audience for some numbers.

April

For the first weekend in April, Solvang became Legoland as the city hosted the first Bricks & Builds event for avid Lego builders, a fitting designation since the Lego brand did originate in Denmark. The two-day event saw all kinds of Lego builds displayed across the Veterans Memorial Hall, a contest for the best build based on a Hans Christian Andersen character, a pop-up Lego store and so much more. Organizer Allyson Gail expressed her desire to make the event an annual one to make up for the lack of a Lego-style convention in the state of California.

At the same time as, but unrelated to, the Lego event, over 100 people gathered in front of the Veterans Hall along Mission Drive to participate in a national day of protest against President Donald Trump’s policies. The “Hands Off” was part of a nationwide protest that drew over 3 million to demonstrations across the nation. Othern happenings in the Valley later in the month included the Buellton Easter Egg Hunt at Riverview Park on April 19, and the annual Cachuma Lake Fishing Derby on April 26-27.

May

The end of the month saw Santa Ynez High School say goodbye to 211 graduating seniors during the Class of 2025 commencement at Rio Memorial Field. SYHS Superintendent/Principal Dr. Kimberly Sheehan lauded the school’s alumni for always ready to support the current students and reminded the 2025 grads that they’re “once a Pirate, always a Pirate.” The next day, 28 students got their diplomas at the commencement for Dunn School in Los Olivos, a ceremony highlighted by the annual poem recited by Head of School Kalyan Balaven, sprinkled with references to members of the graduating class.

Other May highlights included the opening of the Chumash Cultural Museum, the Valley’s newest jewel of Highway 246, the Santa Ynez boys volleyball team winning a CIF Central Section championship after a thrilling five-set win over Sanger High of Fresno in the Division II title match, and the return of the Ranchos Visitadores riders, in their annual ride from Santa Barbara, and down Alisal Road on their way to the meet-up at Mission Santa Ines.

June

As the summer season started coming into view, there were a number of celebrations and events bringing people outdoors, including the Los Olivos Olive and Jazz Festival on June 7, the fourth annual Pride Parade in Solvang, and the Santa Ynez Old Days weekend event, which included a parade and rodeo on June 21-22.

Solvang also got to host the movers and shakers of the Valley with the Santa Ynez Valley Economic Summit, where local figures in government, business, and tourism discussed how to make tourism work with a community’s desire to maintain a regular life for its residents. Much of the same kind of discussion could be heard later that month with the Buellton State of the City address.

See the Year in Review for events from July to September in our next issue Jan. 16.

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Staff Report

The 34th Annual Solvang Tree Burn, which usually signals the end of the city’s holiday Julefest celebration and scheduled for Friday, Jan. 9, has been canceled because of the flooding on the lawn next to Mission Santa Ines, the site of the burn.

“Due to extremely poor field conditions caused by recent rainfall, the 34th Annual Solvang Tree Burn has been cancelled,” reads an email sent by the City of Solvang. “After careful evaluation, it was determined that current conditions present significant concerns for participants, staff, and emergency personnel.

“In addition, this event requires extensive logistics and coordination among multiple agencies. To allow adequate time for planning, staffing, and safety preparations, a decision needed to be made sooner rather than later while continuing to monitor field conditions. Unfortunately, conditions have not improved to a level that would allow the event to proceed safely. We appreciate the community’s understanding and cooperation.”

The city said people can drop off their decoration-free Christmas tree at the Tree Burn site through Friday, Jan. 9. The trees will be hauled away for chipping.

This is the second time in four years Solvang has had to cancel the tree burn event because of rainy weather. In 2023, the grass area on the east part of the mission’s parking lot was extremely wet after heavy rains in two days preceding it.

The tree burn and resulting bonfire, when held, has given community members a chance to get rid of their Christmas trees after the holiday, while also providing a training opportunity for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, and a chance for the department to advocate for fire safety. The event has also included live entertainment along with refreshments for purchase.

The tree burn will be back next year, weather permitting, presumably on Jan. 8, 2027.

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The Buellton City Council were ready to discuss policy on renting out two meeting rooms in the city’s library at 202 Dairyland, and eventually passed the item give direction on limits on renting out the rooms for meetings, but not before some contentious dialogue entered into it.

In the business item during the Thursday, Dec. 11, meeting staff brought up a subject that was touched upon during a June City Council meeting.

With the completion of the new library at 202 Dairyland, two meeting rooms were constructed with the anticipation of use for public and community meetings. Council discussed the potential for community meeting room rentals and types of use in the June meeting. In that discussion, council determined that the meeting room use should start with just meeting uses and not for public parties and events. Staff prepared  a revised draft rental application package for discussion at this meeting. The rental application provides rules, regulations and requirements, along with requested information for the rental use details. The application package is based on the templates from CJPIA, the City’s insurance and risk management agency, as well as applications from other similar publicly owned rental facilities in the area. The areas available for potential rental are the two meeting rooms and the south lawn.

Councilmember John Sanchez brought up the first objection when he saw that one of the regulations was “no music” in the meeting rooms.

“No music at all? That seems extreme,” said Sanchez, who pointed out that he saw a violin recital there earlier this year.

Buellton City Manager Scott Wolfe answered that the rule was in there to prevent people in the lobby from being bothered, but also pointed out that it would be very easy to circumvent that with a special event permit if the music was acceptable.

It wouldn’t be the last time Sanchez raised an objection.

A few minutes later, Councilmember Carla Mead stated she wanted to have a policy about who to let rent the rooms, fearing that they could potentially be controversial.

“I would like to see this policy more defined about who is using the space and the purpose of using the space,” she said. “For example, in my mind, this space will be used for education, youth development, civic engagement, social services, stuff like that. Things we might want to exclude are partisan politics.”

Mead said she was concern that renting out the space a politically active group could lead to more extreme “hate groups” wanting to use the space.

Her words got some pushback from Vice Mayor Elysia Lewis who asked if that would open up the city to “legal liability, just picking and choosing who can use it.” And City Attorney Greg Murphy said “I’ll have to look into that to see where the guardrails are on that.”

Sanchez was more adamant in his opposition.

“We shouldn’t have restrictions on people we don’t like,” he said. “If the NRA wants to have a meeting they should come, if the Democratic Women of Santa Barbara want to come, we should let them. You can’t tell people you can’t do it because you don’t like their politics.”

Later, Wolfe suggested they could for an ad hoc committee to hammer out a policy, which Sanchez objected to saying any talk on policy should be discussed with the council at large instead of two people, although Silva and Hornick pointed out to him that it would be discussed.

Mayor David Silva later suggested limiting the rental of the rooms, once they are available, to 501(c)3 nonprofits and government entities, and the city could monitor the policy to see how it works.

Hornick moved to accept Silva’s proposal with rentals not being taken until the new parking lot behind the library is done. The motion passed 4-1 with Sanchez dissenting.

In other business, being that this was the last meeting of 2025, the council did its staff reorganization, assigning committee representative assignments, and appointing a new vice mayor. As Wolfe stated, the appointment was solely the choice of Silva, and he first asked Hornick if he wanted the position. Hornick refused, and then when Lewis turned down a chance to stay on as vice mayor, Silva asked Mead, who accepted the appointment, with the council approving on a 5-0 vote.

The council also OK’d the $500,000 pledge toward the Santa Ynez Valley Aquatic Center, ending a back-and-forth with the City of Solvang, where both agreed to pledge that amount for the project.

The City Council will meet next on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, at 6 p.m.

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During its regular meeting, the last one of the calendar year, the Solvang City Council passed an item authorizing city engineering firm Tetra Tech to study the possibility of making Fredensborg Canyon Road in the north part of Solvang a one-way road.

Also, with the new year approaching, the council also re-evaluated its members’ committee responsibilities and needed to appoint a new mayor pro tem. Councilmember Claudia Orona had that role in 2025, but city policy requires the council to appoint a new one at the start of a calendar year.

City Attorney Chelsea O’Sullivan, participating in the meeting on Zoom, reminded the council that members Claudia and Elizabeth Orona, Mark Infanti, and Mayor Dave Brown had all been mayors pro tem in the past and according to city policy can’t serve in the position again unless all members have served at least once. That left the newest councilmember, Louise Smith, who was appointed last January as the default choice.

Smith said she would like to serve in that position, but that city policy also says that a councilmember must serve at least a year before taking the position; O’Sullivan said the rule of everyone getting the position at least once supercedes the one-year requirement.

After that, Infanti moved to appoint Smith as MPT, with Brown seconding, and the motion passed 5-0.

Then Brown said council needed to decide on seating arrangement on the dais for 2026. While everyone said they were content to sit in the same seats, Brown pointed out that the MPT should sit next to the mayor, which would require Smith, currently at far right to switch seats with Claudia Orona (second from right) effective the first meeting of 2026. The new arrangement will also have the councilmembers sitting in order of district number — Infanti (1), Claudia Orona (2), Smith (3), and Elizabeth Orona (4) — with Brown in the middle.

Finally, the council was required to set the committee representatives, and agree to keep them unchanged from last year. In the appointment of two members to the Ad Hoc Budget Committees, Infanti suggested keeping Elizabeth Orona and Smith on the committee, but O’Sullivan suggested they should make at least one change to keep each committee distinctive from the year before. With that, Orona offered to step down and Claudia Orona agreed to take her place on the committee with Smith.

After that, the council heard the item on Fredensborg Canyon Road, one that extends from Chalk Hill Drive near Hans Christian Andersen Park to Viborg Road.

Public Works Director Bridget Paris gave the report and said the city is currently in the design phase of the Fredensborg Canyon Road MPT Project. During a community event, a community member brought an idea to city staff suggesting an alternative to constructing significant infrastructure specifically, a retaining wall to widen the right-of-way, to adequately accommodate both two-way traffic and the multipurpose trail. The suggestion proposed using the existing right-of-way instead, which would require converting Fredensborg Canyon Road between Chalk Hill Road and Viborg Road from two-way traffic to one-way operation.

In response, staff requested a proposal from Tetra Tech to modify the scope of their existing agreement to evaluate this alternative. The scope modification removes previously scoped construction administration services and adds new tasks to perform an operational traffic analysis and develop conceptual design options reflecting the one-way conversion concept.

Tetra Teach proposes additional services for lump sum of $30,600, funded through reallocation funds previously budgeted for construction admin services ($33,932), would leave remainder of $3,332 to be retained for optional tasks under project’s existing agreement.

During council questions, Brown was asking what direction a one-way road would go on Fredensborg Canyon, with Paris saying that might depend on plans to make the road a part of the pedestrian and bike trail planned for the area. Brown said he believed the road should go south, toward Chalk Hill Road, for safety and emergency exit purposes.

“It’s a question of direction during an emergency,” he said. “I don’t think they’re hurrying to go in, they’re hurrying to go out.”

Infanti asked if staff consulted police or fire on a possible one-way road and how it would affect them.

“We haven’t spoke to them,” Paris said. “In an emergency, you can go in any direction; it would be a good location for local fire station.”

In public comment, Solvang resident Dennis Beebe said the council is missing the point on what needs to be studied.

“The reason we’re considering this is cost, and we need more analysis either way, north and south,” he said. “However, the biggest problem on Fredensborg is speeding, and this isn’t addressing that.”

When the item went back to council, Elizabeth Orona addressed Beebe’s comments and said she believed if they made it part of the trial and there were pedestrians there all the time and active, drivers will slow down. Paris said, “When you narrow the road, they’ll slow down as well. I hear analysis both ways.”

Ultimately, Infanti moved to approve the amendment to include scope of work, to see impact to speed, emergency response or residents being impacted, and determining north or south direction. Claudia Orona seconded and motion passed 5-0.

The Solvang City Council will meet next on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026 at 6:30 p.m.

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Whenever a town holds a Christmas parade, you can just about bet at least a few of the entries going down the route will take on the persona of The Grinch, the character famous for trying to “steal Christmas.”

The Solvang Julefest Parade, which starting late morning on Dec. 6 was no different as at least a couple appeared at the parade dressed in the green, furry costume recognizable as The Grinch.

But, then there was a third moving along Mission Drive on this sunny Saturday, but this one was a little different: This one had four legs, and with the green fur came a couple of long horns painted like candy canes.

Jesse Taylor has made a habit of entering local parades with his prized steer, but this year he decided to get it into the Christmas spirit. Ergo, the bright green dye job on the fur and paint job on the horns.

“Well, I ordered a Grinch costume to wear today, but it didn’t get delivered in time, so I figured I’d turn the animal into The Grinch,” Taylor said. “It’s definitely getting noticed.”

Taylor’s entry, dubbed “Beefer the Grinch-Cow” was one of 48 for the parade, which was held under sunny skies and witness by a huge crowd lined along the streets as the entries started west down Mission Drive, with a left at 4th Place, another left at Copenhagen Drive, east down Copenhagen, and a left at Alisal Road and back to the staging areas at Mission Santa Ines and the Veterans Hall.

As usual, there was quite a mix of entries walking or motoring down the route, including vehicles (vintage, classic, military, and cycles ridden by the Nimbus Motorcycle Club), performers (Ua Noe Polynesian Dance, Pacific Flips Gymnastics, Fossemalle Dance Studio), school groups (Santa Ynez High cheer and boys basketball, SYV Family School, Lucky Clover 4-H, Mechapirates SYHS Robotics team) and much more.

And, of course, the parade’s last entry came through with a big “Ho, Ho, Ho” as Santa and Mrs. Claus made their usual appearance in a vehicle that included wodden likenesses of his famous reindeer.

Meanwhile, the Vikings of Solvang were there riding their Viking ship and throwing candy out to the kids watching (as did many other entries). and decided once around the route wasn’t enough, as they went Mission a second time and completing a second lap around the parade route.

“We were going up Alisal to the end of the route, and we had some candy left, so we figured ‘why don’t we just stay in the parade?’” said Joe Tyson, the Viking chief for 2025. “So, once we got to the intesection, somebody let us in and we took a left to get back in the parade. We’d actually did it a few times in the past, so it was no big deal.”

After the parade was done, award were giving out the best entries, they were: Best Family Group — Pirate Youth Football and Cheer; Best Musical — Santa Ynez Valley Jazz Band; Best Equestrian/Animal — Lucky Clover 4-H; Sweepstakes — Santa Ynez Valley Family School.

The parade, and the Solvang tree-lighting ceremony the previous set the Solvang Julefest in full swing. For a list of activities and events through December and into January, go to solvangusa.com/things-to-do/solvang-julefest/

Full list of parade entries:

#1 SBC Fire Dept- Engine & Fire Truck 30
#2 American Legion Post 160- HONOR GUARD
#3 Flat Fender Friends
#4 41 Mack Fire Truck
#5 Boy Scouts- Solvang City Banner
#6 Santa Ynez High School Cheer
#7 Pirate Youth Football and Cheer
#8 Vikings of Solvang
#9 Danish Maid 2025
#10 Solvang Elementary School
#11 Lemos Feed & Pet Supply
#12 Premier Heating & Air
#13 Parties and Paint by Kate LLC.
#14 Ua Noe Polynesian Dance
#15 KIZA Internet

#16 Pacific Flips Gymnastics
#17 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
#18 LUCKY CLOVER 4-H
#19 Old Mission Santa Ines
#20 Fossemalle Dance Studio
#21 SYHS Boys Basketball Team
#22 Santa Ynez Pet Hospital
#23 The Zee & Georgie Jingle Brigade
#24 Santa Ynez Valley Presbyterian Church
#25 SYV Humane Society/ DAWG
#26 Solvang Senior Center
#27 Solvang Theaterfest
#28 Solvang Spice Merchant
#29 Santa Ynez Valley Family School
#30 Highline Adventures
#31 Krampus
#32 Santa Ynez Valley Transit
#33 Mechapirates SYHS Robotics Team
#34 Santa Ynez Valley Jazz Band
#35 California Nature Art Museum
#36 Julia Tipolt State Farm Insurance

#37 Growing Goodness: A Nordic Yule
#38 Stuart C. Gildred Family YMCA
#39 Rick & Ninni Lemus- Buellton Self Storage
#40 Krazy Country 105.9
#41 Sanger Family of Wines
#42 BEEFER THE GRINCH-COW
#43 Morgantini Christmas tree farm
#44 Paula Albrecht- 1961 Corvette & Yellow HotRod
#45 Nimbus Motorcycle Club
#46 Padilla Tile & Construction
#47 Hidden Wings
#48 Santa Claus

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Good things come to those who wait”is an appropriate adage for the Christmas season, as many count down the days to when they can open their pres- ents; however, it was also apt for this year’s Winter Fest in Buellton, but for different reasons.

During the annual event on Sunday, Dec. 7, which capped a four-day period of Christmas events all over the Santa Ynez Valley, folks arriving to River View Park to enjoy the “20 Tons of Snow” — a trademark of the Winter Fest — came upon workers from the snow supplier halfway through spraying the white stuff on the corner of the park lawn as a line formed.The ice company that supplied the snow was held up at a previous assignment, according to Buellton Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kathy Vreeland. 

Fortunately, the crew was able to complete the “20 ton” layer pretty quickly and locals were able to enjoy their own temporary winter wonderland for the evening. 

Later, the lighting of the now-permanent tree in the middle of the park also hit a snag. As Buellton Mayor David Silva and Councilmember Carla Mead counted down to the lighting, when it hit zero, the tree stayed unlit. As someone tried to fix the connection, Silva did what he called his “best crowd work,” and then led a sing-along of “Jingle Bells,” and in the middle of that, the lights came on, revealing a colorful display with Santa and Mrs. Claus, present to pose for pictures, applauded. 

Despite those two hiccups, the Winter Fest was considered a success. Attendees not only enjoyed the snow and the tree-lighting, but also a small amusement area with a few rides, including a small train on wheels that went through the park, rows of vendor booths, and good grub offered by some food trucks that rolled in. 

“Despite the temporary problem with the lights, I think this Winter Fest is going well, and everyone seems to be enjoying themselves,” Silva said. “There were a lot of events going on all around the Valley, and we wanted to close the weekend with something that our Buellton locals could get together for.” 

The Winter Fest was put on jointly by the Buell- ton Chamber of Commerce, Buellton Parks and Rec, and SYV Community Outreach. 

The weekend saw a couple of other tree light- ing events, as well as the Solvang Julefest Parade, starting on Thursday, Dec. 4, which heralded the start of the holiday season. 

On Friday, Dec. 5, Solvang kicked off its Julefest monthlong holiday celebration with its annual tree-lighting ceremony, drawing a huge crowd to Solvang Park. Those in attendance were treated to a concert from the Santa Ynez Valley Wind Ensemble, performances from the Fossemalle Dance Studio, singers from the Joyce Michaels Voice Studio, and musician Dewey Roberts. 

Father and daughter Dean Klitgaard and Susan Lee, both of the Solvang Visitors Center, again served as emcees for the ceremony.The two addressed the crowd on the Danish customs and terms like “hygge,” defined as a quality of coziness and comfort that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being.” Klitgaard also reminded the crowd the correct pronunciation of Julefest (that’s “yoo-la-fest” not “jewel-fest”), and he and Lee conducted a crowd chant where half yelled “yoo- la” and the other half yelled “fest.” 

Finally, Klitgaard and Lee led the crowd in a countdown that ended with the lighting of the tree, which cycled through different colors as the crowd cheered. 

Of course, the tree-lighting is just part of the annual Julefest, which lasts until the Christmas tree burning at the mission on Jan. 9. For a schedule of event, go to solvangusa.com/things-to-do/ solvang-julefest/. 

The run of holiday events began on Thursday, Dec. 4, as the Santa Ynez Chamber of Commerce held it tree lighting on Sagunto Street. The event featured the Santa Ynez Valley Jazz Band playing outside on its bandwagon, while the Fossemalle Studio dancers performed inside the Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum. Those attending were also welcome to stop in the local stores, and food and drink was offered inside the museum, and horse carriage rides were offered through town before the crowd gathered at approximately 5:30 to light the 55-plus-foot tree. 

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Amid a few other items of business, the Buellton City Council took the first step in establishing a more thorough ordinance on the planting and care of trees on public property, at its Thursday, Nov. 13, regular meeting.

The meeting, the City Council’s only one for the month of November, included Vice Mayor Elysia Lewis attending remotely from home because of what was termed a “contagious illness.”

The meeting was also marked by a proclamation from the council recognizing National Native American Heritage Month. In the Council Chambers audience were several members of the Valley’s Chumash community. Some also spoke to council, among them Chris Stephenson, who spokes of the tribe’s work with the Buellton Rotary to put on a wellness event in town.

“We were able to share our cultural healing ideas with the public,” he said. “They were given to us to share. You guys have given us that opportunity to do so. We thank you.”

Mayor David Silva then read the proclamation, which culminated with “Today, as we honor National Native American Heritage Month, we celebrate the enduring spirit, wisdom, and contributions of Native peoples — past, present, and future.”

The council moved Item 8, business item Deep Dive: Tree Policies, Procedures, and City Ordinance Information up in the agenda because of its relevance to Item 6, the tree planting ordinance. City Manager Scott Wolfe said he moved it up because he wanted the council to discuss existing policy on the planting of trees on public property. Planning Director Andrea Keefer, who presented the report, said it was to “let council know policy, and see if you want to change anything.”

The crux of the questions and discussion was that the current policy on trees was rather broad and seemed to be based mainly on guidelines rather than requirements. Councilmember Carla Mead noted that there was a list of acceptable trees to be planted in the city, and that she didn’t realize the list existed. Councilmember Hudson Hornick referred to a guideline that a tree be planted at least 50 feet from a structure and believed that was too long. “Fifty feet is a couple doors down in my neighborhood,” he said.

Lewis said she was fine with guidelines in the policy, as long as they were considered suggestions. “I’m against anything leaning toward requirement,” she said. “I’d lean away from telling people what to do.”

Silva, however, express a caveat toward that thinking. “I don’t like the idea of ‘should,’ when many think it means ‘I don’t have to.’”

From there, council went to Item 6, which covered not only the planting and care of trees, but the removal of trees on private property that invade and can possibly damage public property.

Wolfe said a new tree ordinance is part of Buellton’s effort to get designation as a Tree City USA, a program that sets the framework necessary for communities to manage and grow their public trees.

“We have a template from National Arbor Day Foundation for our ordinance,” he said. “To get a Tree City USA designation, the city must have tree ordinance; our code doesn’t have that.”

Wolfe also said that a tree and landscape committee is being formed with the Planning Commission toward getting that designation.

During discussion, Hornick asked whether the removal of trees on private property could have a conflict of jurisdiction between the planning and public works director. Wolfe said there would be no conflict, as with a tree being on private property, it would be the responsibility of the public works director.

Silva said in the case of removal, a requirement that the tree be replaced should be included. Wolfe said that was not on the current proposed ordinance, but it could be added by council at the second reading.

Ultimately, Lewis moved to approve the ordinance, with Hornick seconding, and the item passed 5-0. The item was a first reading of the ordinance, which means it will be back before council in the next meeting to be officially approved.

In other business:

The council OK’d consultant contracts for Sargent Town Planning, Atlas Planning Solutions, and Circlepoint for further research into the city’s General Plan update. Circlepoint’s contract was for a community survey on uses for the Hundred Hills school site by the library for $5,855, a cost that did not sit well with Councilmember John Sanchez.

“We’re pending money on something that we don’t know what will happen in five years,” Sanchez said. “It’s a changing thing by the day. And we’re spending money for consultants on this?”

Wolfe replied that the survey was being done to see what the public wanted to do with the land. In the approval of the Hundred Hills School site earlier this year, many residents expressed their objections to them not being informed of details of the use of the former Wilhelmsen property.

“Not keen on throwing away money,” Hornick answered. “However, the public feels they are not involved of the process, and we need to let them know they’re being informed, and a part of this process.”

Ultimately, after Silva moved to approve the item, and Hornick seconded, the item passes 4-1 with Sanchez dissenting.

The next Buellton City Council meeting will be on Thursday, Dec. 11, at 6 p.m.

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In a further step toward the Santa Ynez Valley Community Connector trail, more familiarly known as the River Trail, the Solvang City Council approved a $30,000 payment to help find pathways and connectors through the project’s segment through Solvang during the council’s regular meeting on Monday, Nov. 24.

The River Trail project proposes the development of a 10-mile Class I multi-use path connecting Camp 4, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians (SYBCI) Reservation, Santa Ynez, Solvang, and Buellton

SBCAG requested a $30,000 contribution from Solvang to support the regional planning phase. City staff strongly recommends participating in this valley-wide effort, as the project aligns with the City’s Active Transportation Plan and General Plan goals to enhance multimodal connectivity for residents and visitors. 30% Conceptual Design and Public Outreach The 30% Conceptual Design will include:

• Engineering and surveys to meet design objectives

• Development of corridor strip maps and segment design options

• Typical cross-sections and right-of-way impact analysis

• Identification of ADA requirements, utilities, and structural needs

• Project cost estimates by segment and overall

After giving the item report, Solvang Public Works Director Bridget Paris introduced Michael Becker of SBCAG, who gave a presentation on the River Trail and Solvang’s role in it.

Becker began by describing the trail as something that can be a transportation resource, recreation resource, and tourist attraction. Becker recalled a personal observation that brought about the idea of a trail while staying at Buellton’s Flying Flags RV Park with his family for his daughter’s birthday.

“While were there, I saw all these RVs with bicycles attached to them, and I figured every one of them went to Solvang at one point while they were there,” he said. “And I thought ‘wouldn’t it be great if they could go there and back on bicycle.’”

Becker said the $30,000 would give Solvang “some skin in the game,” to find some solutions.

During council questions, Councilmember Mark Infanti asked how they would go about finding connectors and paths through Solvang.

“The biggest question for Solvang: any path has to go through city streets, $30,000 is nice, but it’s going to cost a bloody fortune. How do we work on that?” Infanti said.

Councilmember Elizabeth Orona brought up grants sought by Solvang in the past that were rejected, and asked why there was trouble getting them.

“The problem with that is the state program where we would get most of our money focuses on disadvantage communities, and this area doesn’t have many disadvantaged communities,” Becker said.

During Public Comment on the item, two people spoke.

Dennis Beebe noted that talk on the project is focused on constructions costs, but no one is talking about who’s going to do maintenance once the project is done.

And Mike Hecker, who is a “life-long” bicycle rider and said he is very much in demand as a bicycle race announcer, strongly advocated for the project to encourage bike riding.

“In my travels as an announcer, I see outstanding, beautiful bike paths — all sorts of people enjoying them,” he said. “The reason we don’t have kids riding bikes here is there’s no infrastructure. We’re here in Solvang, the Danish capital of the U.S., and we have 50% of people in Copenhagen — your sister city! — commuting solely by bike. Embrace the bicycle, like Denmark. Stop jabbering!”

When the item went back to council, Mayor David Brown asked City Manager Randy Murphy if there were funds available, and Murphy assured that their were.

With that, Elizabeth Orona moved to approve the funding, with Claudia Orona seconding. The motion passed unanimously.

The City Council will meet next on Monday, Dec. 8, at 6:30 p.m. It will be the last meeting of the year, as there will be none on Dec. 22.

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