APRIL 15 – MAY 5, 2025
Making Communities Better Through Print.™
SANTA YNEZVALLEYSTAR.COM
For a weekend, Solvang becomes Legoland
INSIDE
Inaugural Bricks and Builds event celebrates creativity and connections involving famed Danish product
Spotlight | Pg. 8 Kacy Caplan chosen Santa Ynez Valley Youth Recreation Queen for 2025
By Mike Chaldu michael@santaynezvalleystar.com
News Briefs . . . . . . . . . . . . Pg. 2 • Candidate filing opens May 5 for Buellton’s vacant City Council seat
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he City of Solvang was awash in multi-colored plastic bricks on the weekend of April 5-6 as Solvang Park, the Solvang Veterans Hall, and a few other locations hosted the inaugural Bricks & Builds event, celebrating all things Lego. Solvang, known for its deep Danish roots, was an appropriate site for the event, as the Lego company was started in the workshop of Ole Kirk Christiansen, a carpenter from Billund, Denmark, who began making wooden toys in 1932. Two years later, his company came to be called “Lego”, derived from the Danish phrase “leg godt,” which means “play well”. In 1947, Lego expanded to begin producing plastic toys, and soon created the interlocking blocks we all know so well. The company is still based in Billund. The Lego craze has resulted not only in countless playset and products, but conventions and expos all over the country where Lego builders and fans gather to build and meet up with others who
News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pg. 4 • SYV residents participate in nationwide ‘Hands Off’ protest of president’s policies Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pg. 10 • Pirates boys volleyball stands atop competitive Mountain League Arts & Nonprofits . . . . . . . .Pg. 13 • SLOPOKE Art of the West Exhibition and Sale announces featured artist, awards jurist Arts & Nonprofits . . . . . . . .Pg. 15 • Mary Kay West’s art excels in beauty, harmony, order, and completeness Arts & Nonprofits . . . . . . . .Pg. 17 • Solvang Voted as ‘Best Small Town in the West’ in USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Travel Awards
Miguel Zuniga, who owns the Bricks and MiniFigs store in Lomita, shows off some of his products in the vendor section at the Lego Bricks & Builds event April 5-6 at Solvang Veterans Hall. Photo by Mike Chaldu/SYVS
share the passion. However, such events have been few and far between in California, something that Bricks & Builds organizer Allyson Gail wanted to rectify. “I really wanted to get something going here, because we haven’t had
any Lego event in California after the Bricks LA event stopped a couple years ago,” said Gail, who was on the reality show “Lego Masters” and actually helped organize a similar Lego event in Solvang in 2022. “I just wanted to give somewhere for the Lego builders to go to. We have
people from the Bay Area down to San Diego, and from Long Beach, Orange County and LA.” Gail pointed out the different things going on with the event. “We have all the builds displayed here, we have vendors in CONTINUED ON PAGE 20
Food & Drink . . . . . . . . . . Pg. 19 • peasants FEAST restaurant celebrates five years with block party Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pg. 21 • It’s that time of year again at Cachuma Lake — Fish Derby set for April 26-27 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pg. 19 • Government meetings and events