Tucked in the mountains of Santa Barbara County in California, the town of Solvang charms tourists with its Danish ambiance and architecture. Solvang is a few hours’ drive north of Los Angeles - or south of San Francisco, or north and west of my home in the desert. I had visited Solvang previously, and I knew that Solvang means good, solid Danish-quality memories.

Ten AFOLs - including yours truly - were invited to the first annual Solvang LEGO Building Competition, organized by fellow fan Allyson Gail, on the first weekend in April. You and I know that Denmark is the home of LEGO, but a random kid on the street and their parents might not. The event was designed to bring awareness to the connection and to offer Solvang tourists and locals a family-friendly spectacle.

The builders were tasked with each creating a MOC inspired by the town’s five Danish bakeries, whatever that inspiration might mean. “The sky is the limit!”

The competition was to take place in front of the public, which meant that the bulk of the MOC would be built performatively for passers-by, but we had several days to pack our brick and plan.

Not wanting to contemplate upending my (recently sorted!) building brick, I decided to design my MOC around the Danish flag. This would constrain me to a color scheme and limit what I’d “need” to pack. I asked my LUG if I could borrow some bulk 2x4s for the task and was given the red and white— I mean, green light.

I hadn’t previously built anything significant with 2x4s outside of convention games, but I do have a tendency to bite off something I’ve never tasted before. Would it be more than I could chew? There’s only one way to find out.

Having advance notice also gave me the opportunity to brainstorm what kind of story my build would tell, which led me to scour Danish folklore and literature for bakery-related tales that could compound the Solvang inspiration. I found a suitable narrative, sketched out some ideas, and researched technic motion tricks to animate the tale.

Meanwhile, nine other builders were doing the same.

The city of Solvang heralded the event with a media blitz. We were lauded with accolades like “top LEGO block builders in the country” and indeed the competition was destined to be fierce.

On April 1st, with my minivan packed to the gills with brick, I grabbed my buddy/AFOL competitor and we carpooled to Solvang. (Of course, we still made a stop at a LEGO store on the way. It’s a long drive, after all. We had to stretch our legs. And the Pick-a-Brick wall might have bricks we forgot to pack, right!?)

Solvang greeted the AFOLs like royalty. We were put up in wonderful accommodations, given a stipend to spend on local treats, and taken on an exclusive walking tour of the town and its bakeries, bringing us all up to speed on Solvang history. We were even honored with a commemorative Kringle.

The irony of Solvang is that the town is cradled by stunning mountain landscapes. If you’ve ever been to Denmark, however, you know that the country is one of the flattest on Earth. But Solvang is so full of the Danish spirit that the town totally shut down for the competition before our American AFOL tastes. Look at these Danish immigrants, bringing over their work/life balance and family values! This was all for the best. Otherwise, the ten builders might have been hanging out until all hours when we clearly had a big day ahead of us.

In the morning, I understood how the early Danish settlers decided on this location. We awoke to an atmospheric fog that reminded me of the mists of Billund. “Solvang” means “sunny field” but we would have to wait for the marine layer to burn off to see that.

The builders were placed in ten tents along Solvang’s main pedestrian streets. Immediately, passers-by started to stop and ask wonderful, supportive questions. I don’t recall having “MOCed” in public before - I’m used to building in a private fashion - but the crowds proved to be good company! The constant stream of feedback alerted me to what others found important, and the kids’ excitement (even the honest critical feedback) provided constant encouragement.

By the end of the build day, I had developed a solid spiel and had nearly lost my voice - but I had fun doing it! (I even ended up on television.) The AFOLs were permitted to continue building until judging the next morning, and most of us took advantage of that tweak time.

The next morning, we set up our final MOCs in front of the visitor’s center. Here are what AFOLs built, along with a gallery of photos courtesy of Allyson Gail:

processed_277216059_1285832195237192_8852612602409350391_n.jpg

processed_277855013_522567249374857_5574430673825653891_n.jpg

processed_277357880_1332362727266186_8117726740702451951_n.jpg

processed_277592340_446529467272506_5442833798881507299_n.jpg

processed_276165172_447925773688095_3720634678745670755_n.jpg

processed_277847243_1114997576022820_7641672871367414386_n.jpg

Chris Wight - Vikings transport the first Danish Bakery
Bill Vollbrecht - Passing down the family tradition
Tiffeny Thomson - A Busy Danish Town
Zackariah Macasaet - Windmill
Mariann Asanuma - Baked goods for sale
John Turney - (Pastries are) Heaven
Rich Levier - A trip to Aebbleskiver
Mark Brower - Simpsons Wedding Cake
Courtney Jennings - Bakery
Gwyneth Kozbial - Solvang in the Danish Flag

Again, excited crowds packed the street, and finally we explained our finished builds to the judges. After deliberation, they returned with the verdicts. Third place went to Tiffeny Thompson for her busy Danish town, second place went to Bill Vollbrecht for his baker passing down the family tradition, and first place went to Chris Wight for his depiction of the first Danish bakery coming over with the Vikings.

In addition, the bakery that Chris Wight built onto his ship actually purchased his winning entry! The MOC will remain in Solvang as a tourist attraction of its own!

In case you suspected that the narrative of my build would set me up for a win, that was not the point, and in a way, I did not lose. Going in, I wanted to try something new, spend time with fellow builders, and create a MOC about which I could feel proud. I aimed to learn how to deal with large pieces and 2x4s, to include specific symbolism about the Danish bakeries (each letter in the word “Solvang” represents a specialized pastry, e.g.), and to tell the Hans Christian Anderson story “The Girl Who Trod on the loaf of bread,” the moral of which is that baked goods are as important as your immortal soul. (The bottom red field contained a story box. Told with Belville, natch.)

Of course, judging is subjective, but I agree that the winners stood out among the wonderful entries. Even though I woke up with a jolt the next morning, seeing an image of my MOC in my mind with all the details of what I could have improved, I achieved my goals. It's a Rocky kind of win.

At the end of the day, I think that any of the AFOLs involved would take part in Solvang Block Days again in a heartbeat. Those Danish values that prioritize quality come through in LEGO brick and also in the joy cultivated by the event in Solvang. And those bricks and bakeries in Solvang really make the community all the sweeter.

What would you build to represent a Danish bakery? Let us know in the comments below.

Do you want to help BrickNerd continue publishing articles like this one? Become a top patron like Charlie Stephens, Marc & Liz Puleo, Paige Mueller, Rob Klingberg from Brickstuff, John & Joshua Hanlon from Beyond the Brick, Megan Lum, and Andy Price to show your support, get early access, exclusive swag and more.