By Raiza Giorgi

Publisher@santaynezvalleystar.com

The Solvang City council will hold a special meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, to discuss the RFP’s that were submitted from three event organizers to bid on Julefest management services contract.
One of the three applications received was from IDK Events, a San Francisco-based company that produces street fairs and festivals such as the Union Street Fair and the annual San Francisco Pride Parade. Their contract bid came in at $100,000 to complete the objectives outlines in the RFP. 
The second bid came from Daniel Lahr, a Santa Ynez Valley native and special programs manager for the Solvang Conference and Visitor’s Bureau. He organized the Julefest event for the past two years and was the creator for several of the new events including the Nisse Adventure, Glogg Contest and VIP tours. His proposal includes two new events including a Julefest Market to showcase local merchants and the Godt Nytar (New Year) celebration on the Danish time zone (2 – 4 p.m. PST) as a family fun event. His proposal came in at $62,833. 
The last bid came from Kevin Rock of Pink Cadillac Entertainment of New Orleans, La.. The firm has produced events in Santa Barbara and Carpinteria while also running the Hollywood Christmas Parade and the Culver City Centennial Ceremonies. They proposed executing all the events and possibly adding a New Year’s celebration and Santa Lucia Day on Dec. 13. They proposed additional events such as music in the streets and an ice-rink. Their proposed budget came in at $122,730. 
To read the entire packet and proposals visit www.cityofsolvang.com and click on Agendas and Minutes for the Sept. 25 special meeting.