🥂 50th 50th Anniversary Celebration - West Coast*

In which city should the 50th Anniversary Celebration be based?

  • Downey

    Votes: 22 42.3%
  • Thousand Oaks

    Votes: 28 53.8%
  • Long Beach

    Votes: 4 7.7%
  • Other

    Votes: 2 3.8%

  • Total voters
    52
I wanted to ask a small request for anyone here that may be attending this event. I'm not sure how the panel will be run but I hope someone here can tell Paul Grein how important of a part he played in keeping the Carpenters legacy alive with every new release over the years especially how he championed them after Karen's passing. I also hope it might be mentioned that even after all these years we are still discovering all his writings in Billboard etc and appreciate how he kept all the fans up to date well before the internet days.
Great articles such as this one from 1985.

Official Review - [Video]: "YESTERDAY ONCE MORE"
 
More wonderful surprises this evening to add to the excitement. The attendee number has crept up to almost 100 and Earl Dumler has been confirmed as a panel contributor with still more to come. Wonderful news! Given his vast career experience, I’m particularly interested to hear from him about the orchestral recording process with Richard and Karen.

Carpenters 50th - About Us

It's great to have Earl as a panelist. If one of Karen's close friends could join, wouldn't that be great? Would Itchie or Frenda be available?
 
Paul Grein used to have a regular column in Billboard, which was required reading for me every week in my music-biz days. It was about my favorite part of the magazine, outside of the review section.
 
Maybe an invite to Cubby O'Brien, Bob Messenger, Dan Woodhams or Gary Sims? A former band member that toured with the Carpenters would have amazing insight and stories to share. I hear that three of them still reside in California and Cubby lives in the Pacific Northwest.
 
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I've taken the plunge and dipped into my life savings to go next year... It's something that I've wanted to do for over 30 years! (I think I would have regretted it if I didn't go this time.) Anyway, it would be absolutely amazing if any of the guys from the band could be there. Would be so fantastic to meet them and hear some stories of what it was like on tour... And still got my fingers crossed that Richard will put in an unexpected appearance too!!!
 
Good call Billy, look forward to meeting you and I'd be surprised if Richard didn't make an appearance. My guess is if he grants us permission to visit his car collection, I could not imagine him not being there for that event. It's a huge space and I think the setting (we may be required to take our shoes off or wear footies) would be within in his comfort zone. If we don't get that box checked, hopefully he'd drop by on Saturday night when we have the panel discussion. I doubt he would travel all the way to Downey for the tribute band concert on Thursday evening, but you never know.
 
I was aware that a 50th Anniversary Celebration was planned for next year but was never clear on the dates until this past Friday evening. I attended a tribute concert "Close to You the music of the Carpenters" at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa. After the show I was visiting with one of the band members (actually their music director) who plans to attend the celebration weekend and learned that the event was set up for April 24-28, 2019. I was disappointed to hear that it would be these dates as my son is getting married that same weekend here in Nebraska so I won't be able to attend.

As a former resident of Orange County I've had the pleasure of taking my family members to CPAC at CSU-LB and they've gotten to enjoy the displays, and due to my connection to A&M Records had access to the studio lots and sat in on the soundstage a few times. All have provided wonderful memories that I will have forever.

Nonetheless I hope everyone who attends finds their time in Southern California enjoyable and that they are on "Top of the World" celebrating the Carpenters.
 
Nonetheless I hope everyone who attends finds their time in Southern California enjoyable and that they are on "Top of the World" celebrating the Carpenters.

Welcome to the Corner, @Feadster! There are several of us here who are also unable to attend this monumental event, disappointingly so. However, if you've read some of the later posts in this thread, you know that a couple of our regular posters (e.g., @newvillefan, post #231) have graciously offered to provide the rest of us with their accounts, perhaps pictures, etc.; for that, I am extremely grateful. This site is populated by a truly great group of individuals, and I consider myself lucky to have found it years ago...
 
However, if you've read some of the later posts in this thread, you know that a couple of our regular posters (e.g., @newvillefan, post #231) have graciously offered to provide the rest of us with their accounts, perhaps pictures, etc.; for that, I am extremely grateful. This site is populated by a truly great group of individuals, and I consider myself lucky to have found it years ago...

It’s my plan to create a dedicated thread on this forum and upload as much content as possible, both during and after the actual convention. I’ll be adding anecdotes, quotes and stories at the end of each day, together with accompanying images and video content via YouTube to provide a sort of running commentary for everyone. Let’s hope the hotel has a decent WiFi signal :laugh:
 
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It’s my plan to create a dedicated thread on this forum and upload as much content as possible, both during and after the actual convention. I’ll be adding anecdotes, quotes and stories at the end of each day, together with accompanying images and video content via YouTube to provide a sort of running commentary for everyone. Let’s hope the hotel has a decent WiFi signal :laugh:
As someone else who won't be able to attend, this information is invaluable. It's like we'll all be there together. Thank you, Stephen! :D
 
As someone else who won't be able to attend, this information is invaluable. It's like we'll all be there together. Thank you, Stephen! :D

Shame you can’t be there :cry: but nevertheless it will hopefully make everyone feel like they are part of the event :wave:
 
Thanks for the welcome and thank you to NewvilleFan for his plan to keep those of us who are unable to attend in the loop. I will actually be in SoCal for a week starting on April 29th (one day after the celebration ends), so I'll be around the area unfortunately not at the right time.

I'll share more on my experiences with the Carpenters as time goes on and I'll share what I was doing the day Karen passed away.
 
I notice the number of attendees has now reached 100. The agenda has also been changed so that one coach visits the car warehouse while the other visits Karen’s final resting place, and vice versa, as they’re not far from each other. No further news yet on any new panel members.
 
I notice the number of attendees has now reached 100. The agenda has also been changed so that one coach visits the car warehouse while the other visits Karen’s final resting place, and vice versa, as they’re not far from each other. No further news yet on any new panel members.

Hi, newvillefan.

We are still hoping to add further panelists, but we cannot make additions to the existing list until we get confirmation from the individuals that they are fully committed to attending. Rest assured, we are still working on expanding the list.

On another matter, while the number of bus tour attendees is approx. 100, that does not mean that we have shut down the registration process. It is still possible to register for the Saturday night event. We can go over 100 for that portion of the 50th Anniversary Celebration.

If you have any questions, please ask.
 
My colleagues on the organizing committee have reminded me that we will maintain a wait list for people interested in participating in the bus tours. In the event that some individuals currently registered for the bus tours are not able to take part, you may still be able to get a seat.

So if you are interested, do contact Greg Kuritz through the website to get your name on a wait list for the bus tours. And as I mentioned in my earlier post, there are no limits on attendance for the Saturday night event.
 
Had the pleasure of attending the "We've Only Just Begun, Carpenters Remembered" concert last night at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. Carpenter fans who are participating in the 50th Anniversary Celebration are in for a wonderful performance from an amazing vocalist who is supported by a first class band of professional musicians. Michelle Berting Brett meanders effortlessly through an extensive set list (Christmas version) with style and grace without trying to imitate Karen's vocals or mannerisms. Some highlights were an excellent rendition of the classic Bacharach medley, a soulful cover of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and the beloved hits medley presented exactly how it was arranged in the Carpenters first television special.

It was very evident that Michelle and her band are careful and passionate when it comes to respecting the Carpenters legacy. She provided an accurate journey of Karen and Richard's career through song, trivia and story telling while adding a pleasant dose of nostalgia throughout the evening. When it comes to replicating the Carpenter experience in a live format this is as good as it gets and I commend Michelle and her down to earth husband/producer Mark Brett for presenting this concert opportunity for fans around the country. After meeting the both of them before and after the concert, I came away with feelings of admiration and respect. These are two genuinely kind individuals who put a lot of pride and effort into their craft in order to provide a superb tribute to Karen and Richard!

Thanks to Greg, Robert and Peter for bringing Michelle and Mark onboard for the Downey concert.
 
I noticed yesterday on the Carpenters 50th site that there’s a second group of Japanese fans now attending, taking the current number up to around 115. Just great :)
 
I had tentatively been planning on attending this for the past 3 years. I knew something would be planned and was getting the resources together to do it, but a few months ago I got hurt on the job and it is impossible for me to travel for at least the next 6 months. Although I won't be there physically, I'll be there in spirit, and ASAP I'll be making a trip back home to take another walk down memory lane and pay my respects. My biggest regret is that I won't be seeing Richard again by the time I get around to getting out there. Hopefully there are plenty of good pictures of the events that will be available and I'm sure Richard and Mary will make an appearance at some point.
 
For anyone interested (and for those who have not spotted this in their junk email folder yet), the organising committee for the 50th Anniversary event has sent an email update out to those attending, explaining that they are “still in the planning stages trying to get everything tied up with a nice bow. We've got some new & exciting things planned and we will be announcing them shortly!”

There is also going to be a limited edition commemorative t-shirt for attendees to order online in advance. Only 3 months to go, exciting!
 
^^Thanks for the "heads-up" newvillefan, I checked my inbox this morning and there it is! The T-shirt is a great idea. Then we can be easily identified if we wander off...:)
 
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