Staff Report
Solvang Mayor Ryan Toussaint will welcome guests to the annual Solvang “State of the City” event on Friday, Feb. 28, which will be held as two separate presentations this year.
This 2020 theme is “Spirit of Solvang, History and Vision.”
A free public meeting from 10:30-11:30 a.m. will be hosted at the Solvang Veterans Memorial Hall, 1745 Mission Drive, followed by a ticketed State of the City address and luncheon from 12:30-2:30 p.m. at the Hotel Corque, 400 Alisal Road in Solvang.
Tickets for the afternoon luncheon are $35 and on sale at eventbrite.com/e/state-of-the-city-luncheon-tickets-93149922927?aff=city. Tickets include lunch. Advance reservations are required.
The morning section will include a presentation by the mayor, featuring the past year’s accomplishments and an introduction of upcoming city initiatives, followed by guest speakers — Esther Jacobsen Bates, executive director of the Elverhøj Museum of History and Art; René Gross Kærskov, co-CEO of Hirsch Bedner Associates and owner/developer of The Copenhagen House; Ken Hira, president, Kosmont Companies; and Niels Brock Copenhagen Business College students currently visiting from Denmark.
The afternoon address and luncheon will include the presentation by Toussaint, followed by guest speakers Monique Limón, California State Assembly member; Jacobsen Bates; Gross Kærskov; Kosmont Companies on the topic of economic development; and Jim Knell, SIMA Corp., on redevelopment of the local PAR building.
The luncheon will be followed by breakout sessions from 2:30-3:30 p.m., when city, county and industry professionals will be available to discuss infrastructure topics. These sessions will take place in separate banquet rooms at Hotel Corque.
Contact Angie Aguirre, 805-419-5666 or events@solvangusa.com, for more information or to reserve seats for the afternoon event. For more about the events, visit www.CityofSolvang.com.
