Julefest officially came to a close on Jan. 4 when a Friday night crowd got a little toasty standing near the pile of Christmas trees that were set ablaze by members of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.

“My favorite part is the community all coming together for a communal bonfire. The music, the food, and seeing all your friends is a fun away to wrap up the holiday season,” said valley resident Mikki Robinson.

The event is coordinated by the Solvang Parks and Recreation Department and supervised by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department. It is billed as one of the largest fire safety demonstrations and community holiday gatherings on the Central Coast.

“Most importantly it is a really good fire safety demonstration for kids and adults. It is a great way for the community to connect with the fire department and to be able to thank them for their service this year,” Robinson added.

The past year has been busy for the various county and city fire departments as they worked tirelessly during many disasters that included the Thomas Fire and Montecito debris flows in January 2018 to the Woolsey, Hill and Camp fires that ended the year.

The bonfire event included free entertainment and refreshments for purchase.

The post Tree burn closes holiday season in the valley appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

Katie Pearson has been playing Turkey Bingo since she was a little girl, and now her husband Justin and her daughter Stella, 5, are happy to be a part of the annual tradition at the Solvang Veterans Memorial Hall.

“I love that my daughter will grow up playing as I did — and I’ve never won yet, but I am always hopeful,” Pearson laughed.

The Vets Hall was packed with hundreds of people who waited in line to get in and take their seats in hopes of winning the 60 available turkeys.

Turkey Bingo has been around in the Santa Ynez Valley for more than 100 years, and this year’s event was held on Saturday, Nov. 18. (The prizes are frozen, not live, as they were in the beginning.)

Turkey Bingo hasn’t changed much since the beginning. It still costs just a dime to play a game, although the turkeys are bought frozen from El Rancho Marketplace. The final turkey won during the event also comes with a basket full of Thanksgiving goodies.

The event was begun in 1913 by the Hejls Minde 23 chapter of the Danish Society of Dania of California and Nevada. The wives of the Dania men started the Danish Ladies Society, Dannebrog of Dania, and took over the event in 1937. The Alpha Pi sorority then took over in the late 1980s and has run the event since.

In the days when live turkeys were awarded as prizes, “we would take the turkey home and hang it from the laundry line until dad could take care of it, in other words,” said Kathy Kelsey of Alpha Pi.

There are no more live turkeys, as there were in the days at Dania Hall, which stood on the site of the current Petro’s Cafe in Solvang. But hundreds of people still flock to the event in hopes of winning a frozen bird for Thanksgiving dinner.

“This is our first time coming and I am surprised at how many people showed up. We will definitely be back,” said Jody Williams of Solvang.

“As long as we can keep it 10 cents we will. We want anyone to be able to come and play no matter what their situation in life might be,” Kelsey said.

There were also other prizes to win, including gift baskets and certificates to local shops. Snacks and dinner were served by local organizations.

For more information, including ways to contribute to next year’s event, call Kelsey at 688-5804 or Shirley Hernandez at 688-4607.

The post Turkey Bingo brings generations of families together appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.