SOLVANG
Inaugural Copenhagen Countdown set for Dec. 31 at Solvang Park
Join us for our first annual Copenhagen Countdown NYE event. A festive celebration featuring the Molly Ringwald Project, a top drawing ’80s tribute band, performing live from 2 to 4 p.m. in Solvang Park. Ring in the New Year alongside Denmark at 3 p.m. with this European-style countdown to midnight. Enjoy the delectable offerings from Whiskey ‘N Rye Smokehouse, a barbecue-centric restaurant, which will be serving a variety of delicious festive foods along with a beer, wine, and spirits garden. This is a family-friendly event that everyone will love (weather permitting).
Solvang Christmas Tree Burn rescheduled to Jan. 3, 2025
Supervised by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, and one of the largest fire safety demonstrations along the California Central Coast, the Solvang Tree Burn is a powerful safety demonstration at the start of the New Year, heralding the end of the Solvang Julefest celebration. The 2025 Tree Burn, which was announced for Jan. 10 is some publications, is actually scheduled for Friday, Jan. 3, 5:00 PM (weather permitting).
Applications sought for to-be-vacated District 3 City Councilmember seat
On Nov. 12, the Solvang City Council voted to appoint a member to fill the vacant City Council seat of David Brown, District 3, after he was elected the city’s mayor. The position will serve until the next General Municipal Election on November 2026.
The City Council is the legislative body of the city and is composed of five members, one of whom is mayor (serving at large), and four who serve by district. The City Council meets the second and fourth Monday of every month at 6:30 p.m. Special meetings are called as needed.
Interested parties are encouraged to apply for the vacant City Council seat through the application process. To qualify for consideration, you must be a registered voter and residing within the incorporated City of Solvang and withinDistrict 3, and submit a cover letter, application, and resume to the City Clerk’s Office (cityclerk@cityofsolvang.com) no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. Paper copies will not be accepted.
Upon successful submittal of your cover letter, application, and resume, the City Clerk’s Office will verify you are a registered voter within District 3 in the City of Solvang.
Each verified applicant will be invited to interview in front of the City Council at an open televised meeting of the City Council. Council has scheduled interviews for Monday, Jan. 13, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. or as soon thereafter in the Council Chamber, located at 1644 Oak St., Solvang, CA 93463. Each qualified applicant will be allowed ample opportunity to address the City Council.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the City Clerk’s Office at (805) 688-5575 ext. 206 or via email at cityclerk@cityofsolvang.com.
Surrey Night Rides now available for the holidays through Jan. 4
The fun doesn’t stop when the sun sets — it’s just beginning! Wheel Fun Rentals is excited to announce LED-illuminated 4-Wheel Surrey Night Rides in Solvang for the holidays. Surrey Night Rides are available Fridays and Saturday nights from Dec. 6 to Jan 4.
Locals and visitors alike will be able to light up the streets with Wheel Fun Rentals’ flagship Surrey Cycles. Colorful LED lights are mounted onto the canopy and frame of the cycle creating an electrifying twilight experience that pairs perfectly with Solvang’s holiday night sky.
Illuminated Surrey night-time rentals will be available from sunset to 8 p.m. every Friday and Saturday evening through Jan 4 at Wheel Fun Rentals’ Solvang location. Pricing is $35 for a Single Surrey (seats up to three adults and two small children), and $45 for a Double Surrey (seats up to six adults and two small children). For more information on LED-Illuminated Surrey Night Rides, visit wheelfunrentals.com/solvang-night-rides
“It’s hard to believe the Surreys could get even more exciting”, says Brian McInerney, Wheel Fun Rentals’ local Solvang owner. “We’re always looking for fun new ways for guests to enjoy Solvang and our products, and lighting up the bikes really makes for an entirely new adventure.”
Wheel Fun Rentals in Solvang is open six days a week (closed on Tuesdays) and offers an extensive fleet of bike rentals. Available rentals include the flagship 4-wheel Surrey cycles, specialty bikes, multi-speed city bikes, electric bikes, cruiser bikes, self-guided bike tours, and more. For location information, hours of operation, and to learn more about Wheel Fun Rentals in Solvang, visit www.wheelfunrentals.com/solvang.
BUELLTON
Alma Rosa to donate part of wine sales to Mental Wellness Center through rest of 2024
In connection with Giving Tuesday (Dec. 3), Alma Rosa Winery, located in Santa Barbara County’s Sta. Rita Hills AVA, has pledged to donate $10 for every bottle of 2022 Alma Rosa North Slope Pinot Noir ($55) sold online and onsite at the Solvang tasting room to Santa Barbara County’s Mental Wellness Center through the end of 2024. The Mental Wellness Center provides on-the-ground mental health support services within the Santa Barbara community.
Alma Rosa Winery has a strong commitment to giving back, and in 2020, Owners Bob and Barb Zorich, along with General Manager Debra Eagle, launched the winery’s annual fundraising walk, “Peace of Mind: 10,000 Steps in the Right Direction,” to support mental health community services, as well as fund research on the causes, treatment, and potential cures for anxiety and depression. Over the last five years, the winery has raised over $955,000 for the Mental Wellness Center and One Mind. The 2025 Peace of Mind event will be held on Saturday, May 17, 2025. Registration information will be announced in January 2025.
“Anxiety, depression and other mental health challenges continue to negatively impact the lives of many in our community,” says Bob Zorich. “Donations from the 2022 Alma Rosa North Slope Pinot Noir holiday campaign will support the important services that the Mental Wellness Center provides its clients and their families.”
To learn more about Alma Rosa’s “Peace of Mind: 10,000 Steps in the Right Direction” fundraising walk, click here.
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY
Sheriff’s Office welcomes five new sheriff’s deputies
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office welcomed five new sheriff’s deputies and congratulated them upon their graduation from the Allan Hancock College Basic Law Enforcement Academy. The class of 26 recruits completed a comprehensive 22-week course program in California Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), with 862 hours of course instruction. Some of the academy instruction included communication skills, report writing, laws of arrest, search and seizure, firearms, ethics, investigation procedures, patrol techniques, arrest and control, physical training, CPR/First Aid, and emergency vehicle operations.
Just before the graduation ceremony, Sheriff Bill Brown led a swearing-in ceremony where he welcomed new deputies Hector Andrade Jr., Joshua Janecek, Jack Sevier, Melvin Stovall IV, and Christopher Yu. The ceremony, which marks a beginning milestone in each deputy’s career, was shared with their close family members, and included a badge pinning ceremony where recruits have their badges pinned on their uniforms by their mothers, fathers, and significant others. This shared moment marks the culmination of over six months of hard work by the recruit and unwavering support from the family members who stood by them.
During the graduation ceremony, Sevier was honored with the Emergency Vehicle Operations Course Award for demonstrating the best defensive driving skills.
If you are interested in career in law enforcement or know someone who is, please visit our website at SBSheriff.org to apply.
Sheriff’s Office welcomes 15 new custody deputies
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office welcomed 13 new custody deputies upon their graduation from the Allan Hancock CORE Custody Deputy Academy, as well as two lateral-entry custody deputies. All of these new custody deputies were sworn-in by Sheriff Bill Brown on Friday, Dec. 6, just before the Academy graduation ceremony. The graduating CORE Custody Academy Class #18 included Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office Custody Deputies Cameron Binnebose, Benjamin Caudillo, Kimberly Corona-Porras, Ramiro Cortez, Jason Dunn, Hannah Garnica, Isiah Hernandez, Frederick Holland, Alberto Lagunas, Noah Lanier, Ignacio Quevedo Jr IV, Joshua Robinson, and Celeste Sedano. The two lateral-entry deputies were Sierra Selby, who previously served as a sheriff’s service technician with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department and as a juvenile probation officer for Los Angeles County, and Andres Vivanco, who previously served as a jailer with the Lompoc Police Department.
The class of recruits completed 260 hours of instruction. Some of the instruction included emergency planning in a custody facility, report writing, ethics, investigation procedures, classification of inmates, contraband detection, arrest and control, physical training, and direct supervision training.
Lanier was selected as Class Valedictorian, Binnebose was presented the Santa Maria Elks Lodge Leadership Award, Robinson was presented the Ron Battles “Most Inspirational” award from the Santa Barbara Deputy Sheriff’sAssociation, and Dunn earned the Defensive Tactics award.
If you are interested in career in law enforcement or know someone who is, please visit our website at SBSheriff.org to apply.
Sheriff’s Office reminds the community: In case of
emergency, call if you can — text if you can’t
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind the community that they have the option to send text messages to 9-1-1 during emergencies when voice calls are not feasible or safe.
The service operates under the principle, “Call if you can — text if you can’t.” It is especially beneficial for individuals who are speech-impaired, hard of hearing, deaf, or in situations where making a voice call could endanger their safety.
Susan Farley, manager of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office Public Safety Dispatch Center, highlighted an additional advantage: “We have observed that text to 9-1-1 often remains functional during widespread voice cell phone outages.” However, community members are still encouraged to make a voice call if possible and reserve texting for instances when voice communication is not an option.
Critical Information for Texting 9-1-1
The most crucial detail to include in a text to 9-1-1 is the exact location of the emergency. Unlike voice calls, texts do not automatically provide location information to dispatchers.
“The precise location is the most helpful information for us,” said Farley. “Occasionally, texts may be routed to the wrong agency, but we can transfer the details to the appropriate agency.”
Guidelines for Using Text to 9-1-1
- Only use for emergencies. This service is not intended for general inquiries.
- Include a data or text plan. Phones must have an active plan to send messages.
- Avoid roaming mode. Texts will not be delivered when roaming.
- Use plain language. Avoid abbreviations, emojis, photos, or videos.
- Messages can be translated – but it could take a moment. Automated translation is not yet available, so messages are currently manual translated.
- One recipient only. Texts cannot be sent to multiple recipients simultaneously.
All Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office call takers and dispatchers are trained and equipped to respond to 9-1-1 texts. The Sheriff’s Office would like to remind the public of this additional way to reach help during an emergency. For non-emergencies, you can reach the dispatch center at (805) 683-2724 or Sheriff’s Headquarters at (805) 681-4100. Texting is not available for non-emergencies.
‘They Count, Will you?’: Volunteers needed for the 2025 Homeless Point-In-Time Count
Hundreds of volunteers are needed on Jan. 22, 2025, from 5:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. for the countywide 2025 Homeless Point-In-Time Count.
The Point-In-Time Count is the annual count of individuals and families experiencing homelessness on a given day. It is put on by The Santa Maria/Santa Barbara County Continuum of Care (CoC), in partnership with the County of Santa Barbara and The Santa Barbara Alliance for Community Transformation (SBACT).
Teams of volunteers will canvas assigned routes throughout Santa Barbara County and will briefly document who is experiencing homelessness. This information is used to plan local homeless assistance systems, justify funding, and raise public awareness.
All volunteers are required to attend a training session. In this 1-hour session, volunteers will learn more about the importance of the count, review canvassing best practices, explore the Point-In-Time survey tool, go through Frequently Asked Questions and more. To make this training as accessible as possible, online trainings are offered on varied days and times between Jan. 14 and 17. Only one training is required. To volunteer, please sign up at countyofsb.pointintime.info/. Volunteers can register as individuals or in teams. The final day to sign up to volunteer is Jan. 17, 2025. Spanish training is available upon request, please email pit@sbact.org by Jan. 13, 2025.
“The Point-in-Time Count results affect everything from homelessness services offered to how much funding is available. It is important we have an accurate count, and we cannot do that without the help of many volunteers. Homelessness is a community-wide problem, and it requires a community-wide solution,” said Matthew Rector, housing program specialist senior with the County of Santa Barbara Community Services Department.
The Point-In-Time count is only possible with a community-wide effort by the incredible support of many volunteers and partners.
All are welcome; please go to countyofsb.pointintime.info/ and let us know if you plan to participate.
