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Solvang Julefest - California
Preliminary
plans are in store for this year’s Solvang Julefest, the Santa Ynez Valley wine country town’s annual celebration of all things “holidays”.
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The holiday season event will be Nov. 27 through Jan. 1, 2022 and entail multiple holiday happenings within the walkable California Central Coast destination, recently named by Oprah Daily as one of the “Most Magical Christmas Towns and Villages Across the World”.
“Solvang’s Julefest festivities are making a triumphant return this year, after last year’s highly modified version of the beloved annual event. We will still have some slight modifications in place this year to accommodate the ongoing pandemic, but we will also be introducing some new Julefest elements for the enjoyment of our locals and visitors,” said Scott Shuemake, President of IDK Events, planners and organizers of Solvang Julefest 2021.
As one of the nation’s most Christmasy towns, Solvang will present a refreshed line-up of Julefest offerings and extra holiday cheer in the form of new illuminated displays, celebratory scenescapes and settings, in an effort to enhance the “hygge” holiday ambiance already native to the atmospheric city.
Plans are in place for the return of the Solvang Julefest Tree Lighting Ceremony on Dec. 3 in Solvang Park, including ballerinas encircling the tree, live entertainment, and caroling. A parade is also in the works for Dec. 4.
During Solvang Julefest, the village will once again host its now-annual Nisse Adventure, where participants join in a citywide hunt for the mysterious Solvang Nisse (Christmas elves) which will have hidden themselves throughout downtown Solvang. Elf-trackers may visit http://www.NisseAdventure.com, where they will find animated videos containing clues to the various hiding spots which the Nisse frequents. Once guests find each Nisse they scan a QR code to continue along the adventure, earning a special prize at completion.
Saturdays throughout the Julefest stretch, town-wide Solvang Food Tours will be led by the foodie – and photo – experts at Eat This, Shoot That!, and the popular evening Candlelight Tours will return select Saturday nights (November 27; December 4, 11, 18), tickets for which include holiday-themed refreshments and a VIP Santa meet and greet expe-
Find Nisse (The Danish Elf) rience. Either tour option presents a unique, educational, and entertaining way to explore the history-filled village on foot during the most festive of Solvang’s seasons. Shuemake continued, “Solvang Julefest is an iconic holiday season ‘thing’ along California’s Central Coast. It shines a twinkly light on Solvang’s Danish heritage. We’re so excited to be able to bring it back this year, for everyone looking for a little bit of a European holiday in Southern California.” Certain Solvang Julefest 2021 components will take shape as COVID regulations allow, like this year’s “Nordpolen” in Solvang Park, where Santa will greet guests select Saturday afternoons during Julefest in the park’s Gazebo-turned-Santa’s-Workshop. Solvang, known for its Danish-American roots, architecture and design details, pastries, bakeries and plentiful wine tasting options, also boasts dozens upon
(The Danish Elf)
dozens of unique boutiques, restaurants and gourmet food purveyors. Carefully-curated indie bookstores, high-end stationers and home goods suppliers, mingle with fairy tale-like children’s boutiques and museum gift shops. Solvang’s numerous foodie havens offer up everything from elevated street cuisine – like locally-sourced fish tacos on handmade tortillas, and comforting ramen noodles – to European-style pretzels and sausages, to Italian standbys or iconic Danish dishes, to elevated new-Californian fare in the form of Michelin-honored
menus, to heritage grain sourdough loaves or limited edition cheese releases, to small-batch, locally-roasted coffee, exotic and familiar hand-bottled spice blends, to Tiki cocktails and craft beers, all forming an indulgent holiday shopping and playing escape. Dog-friendly and ideal for kids, Solvang Julefest promotes family fun and adventure through traditional holiday-favorite activities, with the addition of more-adult, wine country entertainment. Further event information will be made over the course of the next two months. Solvang Julefest 2021 is produced by the City of Solvang (http://www.CityofSolvang. com) and IDK Events, in creative partnership with Cogs & Marvel (http://www. CogsandMarvel. com). All Solvang Julefest events are open to the public with either free or paid admission. More information will be available at http:// www.SolvangJulefest. org. Event updates will also be posted to the SolvangUSA Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter accounts: @SolvangUSA, facebook.com/SolvangUSA, and twitter.com/SolvangUSA. A new, preliminary promo video for Solvang Julefest 2021 may be viewed here: https://youtu. be/0I3DMAlg9LY
Questions, media requests for interviews and/or photos, may be directed to Anna Ferguson-Sparks, Stiletto Marketing, at 1.877.327.2656 or solvang [at] stilettomarketing [dot] com.
About the City of Solvang:
Known as the “Danish Capital of America”, the City of Solvang is located in the Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County, California. Founded by a group of Danish-Americans in 1911 and later incorporated in 1985, Solvang is home to a number of bakeries, restaurants, and merchants offering a taste of Denmark in Southern California. Sleek, Scandinavian design meets Old World charm in Solvang’s numerous interior courtyards, cozy communal spaces and open-air venues, where vacation itineraries for all, unfold. The walkable town offers plentiful free parking options for locals and day-trippers, and more than 20 lodging options for staycation-ers, weekenders and mid-week travelers, at all vacation budget levels. For more information, including travel itinerary ideas and inspiration for things to do, where to eat and drink, and places to stay, follow our adventures on Instagram: @SolvangUSA. http://www.SolvangJulefest. org;
For More Information on California, >CLICK HERE
Father-Daughter Road Trip Featured in Movie
Zac Titus produced and stars in the new movie, “Two Yellow Line” alongside his daughter, Alexis Titus.
Distributed by David Glasser’s 101 Studios and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, this cross-country drama will be released Nov. 9. Writer/director Derek Bauer’s directorial debut stars Zac Titus (For All Mankind), and introduces his real-life daughter Alexis Titus in her first on-screen role; Grant Show (Dynasty, Devious Maids), Bre Blair (S.W.A.T.), Grant Harvey (Animal Kingdom, Emancipation) and Frank Collison (O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU; Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman). The film is a labor of love, personal experience and inspiration, exploring the on-the-road relationship between a father seeking redemption alongside his teenage daughter.
TWO YELLOW LINES’ story is informed in part by the real-life challenges of lead actor Zac Titus; having lost his sister on 9/11, Titus developed PTSD and went to Montana to grieve and find solace. His character, a veteran smokejumper, starts the film similarly, after the tragedy of losing his unit in a fire in the Montana wilderness. His struggles with PTSD and survivor’s guilt leave Jack estranged from his family, until, after four years without contact, Jack receives a phone call from his ex-wife asking him to pick up their daughter from camp in Wyoming. Once reunited, Jack and Hanna (Alexis Titus) embark on their journey home, battling as they ride across the remote Montana landscape trying to understand and come to terms with each other’s trauma.
The film’s personal inspirations extend to the whole cast and crew. Zac was motivated to develop the story of a motorcycle road trip after his own daughter Alexis’ joyful experience traveling cross-country with her grandfather. Bauer, having grown up in the Pacific Northwest, shares Zac’s appreciation and love of the outdoors, and the loss of his own father at age fourteen to early-onset Alzheimer’s made developing the story uniquely personal. Thirteen year-old Hanna’s character, who is struggling to understand her own sense of loss and abandonment, resonated deeply with Bauer’s memories of his own childhood and this film is an expression of those years. It’s about how small shifts in our lives can lead to big changes when we face the past, learn to forgive, and find a way to move forward.”
“One of our goals was to treat the landscape as an additional force, or even a character, that would continually influence and support our actors along their journey,” said Bauer, who also served as the director of photography. Bauer and his team did a phenomenal job capturing the beauty and majesty of Montana, following Jack and Hanna aboard Jack’s Harley-Davidson Dyna Wide Glide as they ride through the Tetons, Yellowstone, and the Rocky Mountain West. The film will transport audiences to the Montana wilderness, allowing them to experience the wide vistas of Big Sky country from their home, journeying with Jack and Hanna as they embark on their odyssey.
Bauer concludes, “Teaming up with four friends: Zac, producer Billy Zeb Smith, Jake Olson and me—we are all fathers of daughters—we brought this film to life for you, the audience. With a small, passionate crew in tow, we
Father-Daughter Road Trip Featured in Movie
stuffed everything into an old RV, followed by an older truck towing a trailer of newer gear, and together, we chased a thirty-yearold Harley across the Western United States.”
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TWO YELLOW LINES will be available on 4K Ultra HD Digital. 4K Ultra HD delivers the ultimate movie watching experience. Featuring the combination of 4K resolution, the color brilliance of High Dynamic Range (HDR) and HDR10+, which delivers incredible brightness and contrast for each scene and immersive audio for a multidimensional sound experience.
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MOVIES ANYWHERE is the digital app that simplifies and enhances the digital movie collection and viewing experience by allowing consumers to access their favorite digital movies in one place when purchased or redeemed through participating digital retailers. Consumers can also redeem digital copy codes found in eligible Blu-rayTM and DVD disc packages from participating studios and stream or download them through Movies Anywhere. Movies Anywhere is only available in the United States. For more information, visit https://moviesanywhere.com. 101 Studios is a global entertainment company dedicated to the acquisition, financing, development, production and distribution of high-caliber, creator-driven storytelling. Founded by David Glasser, Chief Executive Officer, and David Hutkin, Chief Operating Officer, the studio empowers content creators through first-class collaboration and innovation. On the television side, 101 produces Taylor Sheridan’s Emmy nominated series Yellowstone, as well as Sheridan’s upcoming series Mayor of Kingstown and Yellowstone prequel 1883. Additionally, 101 Studios oversees and manages the newly formed Sports Illustrated Studios (SI Studios), a content platform based on the most compelling stories, characters and moments in sports past, present and future. Upcoming projects include PARADISE FOUND based on the true story of high school football coach Rick Prinz; a docuseries about the sexual abuse and cover-up at Ohio State University, co-produced by George Clooney and Grant Heslov’s Smokehouse Pictures; and the docuseries Covers, a behind-the-scenes look at Sports Illustrated’s top cover stories of all time. SI Studios has also exclusively partnered with iHeartMedia to create and distribute original podcasts through the iHeartPodcast network. On the film side, past releases include THE CURRENT WAR: DIRECTOR’S CUT, the Sundance Audience award winner BURDEN as well as the family comedy THE WAR WITH GRANDPA.
