In the last couple of weeks I've spoken to a few fans regarding the 2019 celebration. One of the decisions which needs to be made early on is where to base the event.
The 1999 event was based in Downey and there was at least one tour bus which took fans around to the various sites which were important to the Carpenters' story. Most of you who attended that event will recall that Richard DID show up one evening to mingle with the attendees. It should be emphasized, however, that his appearance was not guaranteed or pre-planned in any way. He lived nearby and decided to attend the event on the spur of the moment.
Most of the fans I have spoken to so far have expressed interest in having bus transportation available again to visit sites in Downey, Thousand Oaks and Long Beach. So my own thinking is that if there is going to be travel between these cities anyway, the event should be based in Thousand Oaks in order to improve the likelihood that Richard may decide to drop by as he did in 1999. Again, it needs to be emphasized that he is not involved in the organizing of this event, nor has he made any commitment to put in an appearance.
So with this background information and recognizing that it is important to get feedback from a wider group of people on the subject of "where to base the event", I thought it would be a good idea to set up a poll.
In responding to this poll, I think you can safely assume that there will be a bus (or two) to take fans between Downey, Thousand Oaks and Long Beach regardless of which city is selected as "home base".
Thanks in advance for your feedback.
The 1999 event was based in Downey and there was at least one tour bus which took fans around to the various sites which were important to the Carpenters' story. Most of you who attended that event will recall that Richard DID show up one evening to mingle with the attendees. It should be emphasized, however, that his appearance was not guaranteed or pre-planned in any way. He lived nearby and decided to attend the event on the spur of the moment.
Most of the fans I have spoken to so far have expressed interest in having bus transportation available again to visit sites in Downey, Thousand Oaks and Long Beach. So my own thinking is that if there is going to be travel between these cities anyway, the event should be based in Thousand Oaks in order to improve the likelihood that Richard may decide to drop by as he did in 1999. Again, it needs to be emphasized that he is not involved in the organizing of this event, nor has he made any commitment to put in an appearance.
So with this background information and recognizing that it is important to get feedback from a wider group of people on the subject of "where to base the event", I thought it would be a good idea to set up a poll.
In responding to this poll, I think you can safely assume that there will be a bus (or two) to take fans between Downey, Thousand Oaks and Long Beach regardless of which city is selected as "home base".
Thanks in advance for your feedback.