Bent and Susy Olsen of Olsen’s Danish Village Bakery named as Grand Marshals for 2015 Solvang Danish Days Parade

The 2015 Danish Days Parade Grand Marshals have been officially announced, and they are Bent and Susy Olsen, owners of Olsen’s Danish Village Bakery in Solvang, California.

Since 1970, Bent and Susy Olsen have contributed to the ambient aromas in Solvang, turning out delicious kringles, cakes, cookies and breads at Olsen’s Danish Village Bakery and Coffee Shop. Among the pastries, breads and other treats, you may notice ribbons and trophies along one wall; a total of four gold cups and blue ribbons have been awarded to Bent for the recipes of four generations of Olsen Bakers from faraway Aerøskøbing, Denmark. Learn more about the bakery at http://www.olsensdanishvillagebakery.com.

Mark your calendars for September 18 – 20, 2015

“Solvang Danish Days”, California’s premier Danish heritage festival, celebrates its 79th anniversary in 2015 with a three-day event weekend line-up, Friday through Sunday, September 18 through 20. The 2015 version of the annual Danish heritage festival continues to expand upon its varied activities, melding more modern Danish practices with traditional ways, in an effort to exemplify everything Danish; these efforts have produced a few new tweaks to Danish Days including advance, on-line ticketing for the paid portions of the weekend, new Viking Beer & Wine Garden hours and participants, and some updates to this year’s Danish Days Dinner Dance. Learn more www.solvangdanishdays.org).

2015 Theme is “Cheers to Our Parents’ Children”

Since Solvang Danish Days’ modest beginnings in 1936, when the festival debuted as a celebration of the village’s 25th anniversary, the event has set out to fête Solvang’s Danish heritage with authentic food, music, dancing, parades, live entertainment and family activities. The 2015 Solvang Danish Days theme – “Skål, Til Vores Forældres Børn”, or “Cheers, to our parents’ children” – will be celebrated during this year’s event, which honors the 1911 establishment of Solvang by Danish-Americans.

“Dane For A Day” VIP Ticket Bundle

Solvang Danish Days 2015 will once again provide attendees with a total Danish immersion experience while helping to preserve Solvang’s authentic Danish heritage, and will offer an on-line purchase only “Dane For A Day” VIP ticket bundle, for guests looking to “live like Vikings” throughout the event weekend. In addition to the VIP ticket package, those looking to gain quicker entrance to either Saturday or Sunday’s Aebleskiver Breakfasts, may now purchase tickets for either day’s Breakfast on-line, in advance. Also new to this year’s Danish Days, is an ATM trailer that will be conveniently-located, and will include a phone charging station. All advance, on-line tickets are now available, here: squareup.com/market/solvang-days.

Numerous Offerings and Activities

Solvang Danish Days’ numerous offerings, entailing activities for all ages, range from a fan-favorite eating contest surrounding the iconic Danish pastry rounds, Aebleskiver; to a Danish-style beer and wine garden serving Danish import, Carlsberg beer, alongside local brews, wines and spirits; to a historical reenactment in the form of a Viking Encampment; to chainsaw wood-carving demonstrations, an Old World artisanal crafts marketplace and a contemporary Solvang merchant walk.

Solvang Danish Days 2015 is editing the Viking Beer & Wine Garden portion of the weekend with new hours – Friday, 5:00 PM-10:00 PM; Saturday, 11:00 AM-8:00 PM – and a spirited mix of participants. Pacific Beverage Company will be on-site, pouring the iconic Danish suds, Carlsberg, and Santa Barbara Wine Country will be represented in the Viking Beer & Wine Garden, by local winery, Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards.

Local brew producers, Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co., will also be on-hand, pouring their Danish Red Lager, a Vienna-style lager that pays tribute to the Danish Settlers of Solvang and to Figueroa Mountain co-founder, Jaime Dietenhofer’s, wife Meighan’s Danish heritage. Figueroa Mountain will also be pouring a limited edition Dark Belgian Strong Ale, aged in aquavit barrels named after the home of the Gods from Norse Mythology. Figueroa Mountain will also pour additional beers from their core line-up.

Also new to the 2015 Viking Beer & Wine Garden is local craft distillery, Ascendant Spirits, which will be pouring tasters of their new Aquavit.

Come and Enjoy “Mads Men”

Overall admission to Solvang Danish Days is free, and entertainment options abound during the weekend with three parades, folk dancers and Danish musicians performing in spots scattered about the town, plus three feature events on Saturday evening: the Danish Days Dinner Dance; Solvang 2nd Century Street Party, featuring live music; and a special “MADS MEN” fundraising concert at the outdoor Solvang Festival Theater, with two-time Grammy Award-winning Danish violinist, Mads Tolling, who will blend “old” and “new” as he performs instrumental hits from the 1960s “MAD MEN” era.

The 2015 Danish Days Dinner Dance (Saturday, September 19, 5:30 PM) is “kicking off clogs” with a dance party and a Danish-style barbeque complete with the requisite barbequed pork loin, red cabbage and potatoes, plus beer from Firestone Walker Brewing Company. Guests at the annual Danish Days fundraising event, which supports the Solvang Danish Days Foundation, will be entertained by Santa Barbara’s “hottest dance band”, Area 51. Tickets for the 2015 Danish Days Dinner Dance may be purchased in advance; more information is available at danishdaysdinnerdance.com.

Solvang Danish Days also aims to please the next generation of Danish Days fans with multiple pass-times, including story-telling sessions with Randel McGee as Hans Christian Andersen, and a “Kid’s Korner” in Solvang Park featuring LEGO^®.

More information about Solvang Danish Days, including a full history of the event, updated 2015 schedule and details, parade applications and complete contact information, is available at www.SolvangDanishDays.org; event weekend highlights are included at the end of this release. Solvang Danish Days is on Facebook and Twitter at facebook.com/SolvangDanishDays and twitter.com/DanishDays.

About the Solvang Danish Days Foundation

In early 1995, the Solvang City Council approached Santa Ynez Valley residents from long-established, local Danish families and other interested groups, and recommended setting up a non-profit foundation – Solvang Danish Days Foundation – to formally plan and organize the increasingly popular, annual Danish Days festivities. The original Solvang Danish Days Foundation board members were Ken Andersen, Brenda Anderson, Hans Birkholm, Max Hanberg, Howard Petersen, David Rasmussen and Henry Skytt. The Foundation members meet throughout the year to ready each year’s celebration. Donations and volunteers for the event, are always welcome; please contact the Foundation for more information.

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