Danish Days in Solvang

By Robert Bernstein

Last weekend was Danish Days in Solvang.

Here are my photos and videos in multiple galleries!

We arrived just in time for Ryan Kane to start his magic performances. Plenty of audience participation, especially with children. It was all done up close and personal!

Here he prepared to do a trick where he moved a ring from a string to a solid plastic bar. All while audience volunteers held the string and the bar!

The ring is on the string

This video shows him moving the ring from the string to the rod. Magic!

Next came a card trick

As the audience watched diligently. Children can be the hardest to fool!

He did rope magic where this young lady used her magic fingers as scissors

For the grand finale, I gave Ryan Kane a $20 bill with my name written across it. I wrote "Robert" but he wanted a full name. I was "Robert Smith" for the occasion.

The bill was set aside as he did another trick, putting a half dollar into a narrow mouth bottle

But then the bill was remembered and he did an astonishing trick to make it disappear... and reappear in another place! My wife did the honors of retrieving the bill as I recorded the magic!

Here http://swt.org/events/danishdays2018/1-magic/ are the rest of my Ryan Kane videos and photos!

We then visited the Viking Camp where several Vikings posed with us!

This was a Viking version of the modern tank trap. It blocked invading vehicles yet was portable.

This Viking displayed a board game similar to chess

She had one, too, plus some serious swords

There was Viking food

And other Vikings were happy to pose

Then there was the arcade of Old World Artisans displaying their crafts

And Danish Maid 2018 posed for me, too!

The Aebleskiver Breakfast was a big event with the Aebleskivers prepared right there on the street

Customers got their treats

As musicians played

And children played, too!

We made a few blocks walk to check out the Elverhøj Museum

Volunteers were dressed in traditional garb

There were artifacts of Solvang's past. Including this vintage bank alarm system

Most interesting was this explanation of Viking history. Did you know that Vikings never wore helmets with horns?

This model of Atterdag College, which was a key part of early Solvang, founded in 1911

More art and crafts of early Solvang

Much of the Museum is devoted to more recent art

Here http://swt.org/events/danishdays2018/5-museum/ are more of my Elverhøj Museum photos!

By coincidence, the Solvang Festival Theater had a small music festival going on. Their attendees were unaware of Danish Days!

We took a break for lunch at the Hummingbird Restaurant. Not exactly Danish. Actually, it is Caribbean cuisine!

They operate on a kind of leisurely Caribbean pace, but the food was good!

Here was our Caribbean Bowl of seafood

But the main highlight of the day was the Children's Parade. Not exactly like our Fiesta Children's Parade, but it was scaled to Solvang size!

Here the band performed before the parade

The three most recent Danish Maids posed for me. Two are sisters and one is a cousin!

She seemed to be an organizer who wanted to photograph the event

And then the Children's Parade was off and running!

As the crowd happily watched

Here are some videos of the Children's Parade

After the Children's Parade there was Danish Folk Dancing in the street

 

Then a closing ceremony with awards

 

But the fun continued! Here Clau Orona did face painting in the park!