Meet the 2014 Danish Days Maid in Solvang, California
Angelique Heron has the honor of being Solvang, California’s 78th annual Danish Maid 2014. Angelique’s heritage and family tradition with Danish Days runs very deep. Everyone can actually thank her great grandfather, Axel Nielsen, immigrant son of Marcus and Andrea Nielsen from Mors, Denmark for establishing the first Danish Days in 1925 in honor of Denmark’s Independence Day.
In 1961, before the Danish Maid tradition started, Angelique’s grandmother, Ann Nielsen, although Norwegian, dressed up in Danish costume to help host the day’s events, and the rest is Danish Maid history. Angelique’s mother, Betina Heron, was the Danish Maid in 1988, making Angelique one of the few second-generation maids, since the tradition began.
“I am proud to be a part of this community and desire to keep our Danish traditions and heritage alive,” says Angelique.
Angelique attends Santa Ynez Valley Union High School and will be a Senior this fall. She is active in the YMCA’s Youth and Government Program and works at her family’s store, Nielsen’s Market. She is also an avid dancer, having started dance in preschool.
Angelique has attended and volunteered at the Danish Days Festival since she was two years old, from serving Æbleskiver at her families’ famous Æbleskiver booth to performing ballet in the park then participating in the all the weekend’s parades.
She says, “All weekend long I am in costume. Friday night, I am wearing my Danish costume in the candlelit parade. Saturday morning I am a ballerina performing behind the park. Immediately, after my performance I am transformed into a Danish girl serving or cooking Æbleskiver. I look forward to Danish Days every year,” says Angelique.
Angelique will be the first Maid on Twitter and to tweet Danish Days information and updates as Solvang builds up to the fun filled weekend. By following Angelique on her Twitter account you can receive pictures of Angelique at her various Maid appearances and find out from the Maid’s herself about all things Danish Days! Please follow Angelique @DanishDays
Leading up to Danish Days, Angelique will sell Win A Trip To Denmark raffle tickets at the Solvang Farmers Market on Wednesday afternoons. She will also appear at events for the Danish Brotherhood, the Danish Sisterhood, the Vikings, and at Valley Rotary meetings to talk about the upcoming Danish Days weekend events and represent her Danish heritage.
The non-for-profit charitable Solvang Danish Days Foundation celebrates its 78th Annual Danish Days from Friday, September 19 through Sunday, September 21, 2014. The three-day event honors the establishment of Solvang by Danish-Americans in 1911 and helps preserve Solvang’s authentic Danish heritage. Admission is free and thousands of residents and visitors enjoy the celebration each year.
To review the most current, complete schedule of all events during Danish Days weekend, download parade applications and more, visit www.SolvangDanishDays.org
About Danish Days
In 1936, the first Solvang Danish Days festival emerged in honor of the village’s 25th anniversary. Ever since, Danish Days celebrates Solvang’s heritage with authentic food, music, dancing, parades, live entertainment and family activities. In 1946, a reporter from the Saturday Evening Post (an influential magazine of the day) visited during Danish Days and the article that appeared in January 1947 put Solvang on the national map. It stated, in part, “Solvang . . . a spotless Danish village that blooms like a rose in California’s charming Santa Ynez Valley. Old country charm and customs have been successfully fused with the American way of life. Nowadays . . . the quaint village is busy living up to its affectionate name, ‘Little Denmark’.”
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