Editing Solvang, California (section)

==Arts and culture==
===Tourism===
Solvang is a tourist attraction with over one million visitors per year.<ref>[http://www.solvangusa.com/about-solvang/ "About Solvang"], ''Solvang and the Santa Ynez Valley''. Retrieved September 18, 2010.</ref> Tourists were initially attracted to Solvang by the visit of Denmark's [[Frederik IX of Denmark|Prince Frederik]] in April 1939.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lauridson |first=Dorothy |date=April 16, 1939 |title=Reception in Solvang |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/santa-maria-times-prince-frederik-in-sol/159935496/ |work=Salinas Morning Post |pages=7}}</ref> But it was in 1947, following a feature article in ''[[The Saturday Evening Post]]'', that they began to flock to the town. Sights include the Danish windmills, the statues of Hans Christian Andersen and ''The Little Mermaid'' replica, the half-timbered houses, the Danish rural church, the [[Rundetårn|Round Tower]] as well as Danish music and folk dancing. Several restaurants and pastry shops serve Danish specialities.<ref name="elverhoj"/> A replica of a 19th-century Danish streetcar, the horse-drawn ''Hønen'' ("the hen"), takes visitors on sightseeing tours around downtown Solvang.<ref>{{cite web|title=Solvang Trolley - Horse Trolley|url=https://www.solvangtrolley.com/horse-trolley|access-date=December 6, 2017}}</ref> Partly as a result of the 2004 film ''[[Sideways]]'', which was set in the surrounding Santa Ynez Valley,<ref>Allyssa Lee,[http://insidemovies.moviefone.com/2010/05/14/famous-movie-locations-sideways-santa-ynez-valley-ca/ "Famous Movie Locations:''My Moms Houseee'', The 'Sideways' Tour (Santa Ynez Valley, CA)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100915060923/http://insidemovies.moviefone.com/2010/05/14/famous-movie-locations-sideways-santa-ynez-valley-ca/ |date=September 15, 2010 }}, ''Inside Movies''. Retrieved September 14, 2010.</ref> the number of wine-related businesses in Solvang has increased, attracting [[Oenophilia|oenophiles]] to the downtown area.<ref name="ELA 2020-05-13">{{Cite news|title=Could California's Central Coast Lead the Way For the Future of Local Food Tourism?|url=https://la.eater.com/2020/5/13/21243163/california-wine-central-coast-santa-barbara|last=Elliott|first=Farley|date=May 13, 2020|work=Eater LA|language=en|access-date=May 14, 2020}}</ref><ref>[http://www.intownlive.com/california/solvang/wine.aspx "Solvang Wine"], {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100312060511/http://www.intownlive.com/california/solvang/wine.aspx |date=March 12, 2010 }} ''In Town Live''. Retrieved September 14, 2010.</ref>

===Museums===
*The Elverhøj Museum, named after a Danish play from 1928 named Elverhøj,<ref name="elverhoj" /> housed in the former residence of artist Viggo Brandt-Erichsen, is devoted to preserving the Danish heritage of Solvang with its Danish-American pioneer spirit. The building which was completed in 1950 is inspired by the 18th-century farmhouses of northern [[Jutland]]. After extensive renovation, the museum opened to the public in May 1988.<ref>[http://www.elverhoj.org/about.html "About the Elverhøj Museum of History and Art".] Retrieved September 16, 2010.</ref> The cottage in the garden houses a [[diorama]] of scale models depicting Solvang in the 1920s.<ref>Sherrie Petersen,[http://www.orato.com/travel/museums-the-santa-ynez-valley "Museums in the Santa Ynez Valley"], {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718062252/http://www.orato.com/travel/museums-the-santa-ynez-valley |date=July 18, 2011 }} ''Orato'', June 9, 2009. Retrieved September 17, 2010.</ref> From January to April 2011, the museum was hosting an exhibition entitled "Spirit of Solvang" consisting of a series of old black-and-white photographs of the village enhanced by local resident Paul Roark.<ref>[http://www.elverhoj.org/exhibits.html "Spirit of Solvang" Exhibit 9 January – 10 April"], ''Elverhøj Museum of Art and History''. Retrieved January 8, 2011.</ref>
*The [[Hans Christian Andersen]] Museum, located above The Book Loft, is devoted to presenting the author's life and works. Displays include models of Andersen's [[Hans Christian Andersen#Childhood|childhood home]] and of "[[The Princess and the Pea]]". The museum also contains hundreds of volumes of Andersen's works, including many illustrated first editions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.solvangca.com/museum/h1.htm|title=The Hans Christian Andersen Museum|website=SolvangCA.com|access-date=September 16, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101129150511/http://solvangca.com/museum/h1.htm|archive-date=November 29, 2010}}</ref>
*The [[Solvang Vintage Motorcycle Museum|Vintage Motorcycle Museum]] displays machines from the private collection of Virgil Elings, a veteran motocross and road racer. While there is an emphasis on vintage racing bikes, the collection is quite broad and ranges from 1910 to the present.<ref>[http://www.motosolvang.com/ "Solvang Vintage Motorcycle Museum".] Retrieved September 16, 2010.</ref>

===Danish Days===
[[File:Solvang Danish costumes.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Imitation Danish costumes on sale in Solvang]]

Since 1936 Solvang has celebrated Danish folk traditions at its annual "Danish Days" event.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schlepp |first=Travis |date=September 7, 2023 |title=California town prepares for annual celebration of all things Denmark |url=https://ktla.com/news/california/california-town-prepares-for-annual-celebration-of-all-things-denmark/ |access-date=September 10, 2023 |website=KTLA |language=en-US}}</ref> The first time it was celebrated was June 5, [[Grundlovsdag]] (Demark's Constitution Day), in 1936; and it included parades, folk dancing, gymnastics, theater, concerts, and street dancing.{{sfn|Dittmer|Bates|2020|pp=133}} Led by a "Danish Maid", the program consists of ''[[æbleskiver]]'' eating competitions, music, dancing, and processions through the downtown area with floats, marching groups, marching bands, folk dancers and singers. A Danish Days breakfast on Sunday morning features ''[[medisterpølse]]r'', a spiced pork sausage recipe of Danish origins, and ''[[æbleskiver]]''.<ref>[http://www.syvnews.com/articles/2010/09/14/news/news02.txt "Danish Days filled with fun and history"], ''Santa Ynez Valley News''. Retrieved September 14, 2010.</ref>

===Festival Theater===

The 700-seat open-air Festival Theater was built in 1974 following the success of a makeshift performance of ''[[Hamlet]]'' in 1971 in the town park. Strong support from the local business community, Donovan Marley (director of the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts), and Earl Petersen (a local architect), allowed the structure to be completed in record time.<ref>Sherrie Petersen,[http://www.insidesantaynezvalley.com/featureOne.html "Theater Under the Stars"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713040554/http://www.insidesantaynezvalley.com/featureOne.html |date=July 13, 2011 }}, ''Santa Ynez Valley Guest''. Retrieved September 10, 2010.</ref> Recent productions have included ''[[West Side Story]]'' and ''[[Les Misérables (musical)|Les Misérables]]''. The style of the exterior is reminiscent of both Danish and Elizabethan architecture.<ref>[http://solvangtheaterfest.org/aboutus.html "A Theater"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100724195737/http://www.solvangtheaterfest.org/aboutus.html |date=July 24, 2010 }}, ''Solvang Theaterfest''. Retrieved September 10, 2010.</ref>

===Royal visits===

On April 7, 1939, Danish [[Frederik IX of Denmark|Crown Prince Frederik]] and [[Ingrid of Sweden|Princess Ingrid]] visited Solvang; at the time, a large number of the town's 400 residents were Danish immigrants. They drove through the grounds of Atterdag College and attended a Good Friday service at Bethania Church. The crown prince spoke of their reception favorably: "To find out traditions in our fatherland in new surroundings makes them only more beloved to us. We have been bathed in sunlight ever since we began this memorable day and now we have driven into a bit of Denmark tucked into this beautiful California."{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

On June 5, 1960, [[Margrethe II of Denmark|Princess Margrethe of Denmark]] paid a visit which included a reception at Palacio del Rio, lunch at Bethania Church and a tour of downtown Solvang. She returned on May 23, 1976, as Queen of Denmark together with her husband, [[Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark|Prince Henrik]]. After a formal luncheon in the Parish Hall, the couple visited Bethania Church and the Solvang Lutheran Home before greeting residents on Copenhagen Drive. Shortly after her visit, the queen awarded Solvang developer Ferdinand Sorensen the [[Order of the Dannebrog]] for strengthening ties between the United States and Denmark.<ref>[http://www.elverhoj.org/history.html "History of Solvang"] ''Elverhøj Museum'' Retrieved September 12, 2010. Additional details from panels in Elverhøj Museum in September 2010.</ref><ref>William P. Jones,[http://www.dkmuseum.org/fhgc/documents/Danish-American_medals1.pdf "North American Medal Recipient Index (Being a nominal roll of known Americans and Canadians bestowed the Order of Dannebrog and other royal Scandinavian medals)".] Retrieved September 17, 2010.</ref>

During Solvang's centennial celebrations in 2011, the city was visited by [[Friis Arne Petersen]], the Danish ambassador to the United States, and by [[Prince Henrik of Denmark]].<ref>[http://www.newspress.com/"Danish ambassador makes stop in Solvang", ''Santa Barbara News Press''], July 12, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.</ref><ref>[http://solvang100.com/events.htm "Solvang Centennial 2011 Calendar"], ''Solvang Centennial''. Retrieved May 26, 2011.</ref>