If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 682

 

 

 

 

 

Solvang, California, “Danish Days Fete,” ca 1962-1966

[photo by Ray Foster]

 

A colorful photograph by Ray Foster shows folk dancers during the Danish Days Fete in Solvang, California on this unused postcard.  The card was sold with a stamp affixed.  Since the gray 5-cent George Washington stamp was issued and used between 1962 and 1966 the card can be dated to those years.

 

 

 

 

1962-1966 George Washington Stamp

 

The card was distributed by Bob Ball, of Visalia, California and has color by Mike Roberts of Berkeley, California.  The identification code, C7481 appears at the lower left corner on the reverse.  A blurb is found at the upper left corner on the reverse:  “Solvang, California  One of the many folk dances in which one may participate during the Danish Days Fete, usually held the first weekend in August.” 

 

Solvang is a small community in Santa Barbara County California.  Its name is Danish for “sunny field.”  Originally settled in 1804 when a Spanish mission, Santa Inés, was founded here during the Mexican period.  The community was mostly abandoned by 1910-1911 when a group of Danish Americans purchased 9,000 acres of the surrounding area that would be far away from the harsh winters of the Midwest.  By 1912 when it was becoming difficult to sell more lots in the town the developers traveled to Iowa and Nebraska to encourage new Danish immigrants to buy land in Solvang.  The early settlement had a bank, a store, a lumber yard, a barbershop, and a post office.  Restaurants have also become part of the modern revitalization.  The buildings have Danish-themed architecture.  In the beginning it was mainly an agricultural area; however, today It is now mostly a tourist destination featuring Danish heritage.  

 

The postcard shows folk dancers in brightly colored and varied Danish national folk costumes called “folkedragter.”  Like Norway and Sweden, it is possible to tell where the person comes from by the design of the folk costume.  The card shows representatives from several different parts of Denmark. 

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solvang,_California

https://denmark.net/folkedragter-many-styles-denmarks-national-costume/