šŸ„‚ 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
Just purchased my airfare to LAX. Have to book the shuttle to Thousand Oaks. Would be cool if someone else was arriving so we could shuttle together. It is getting real!
 
Just purchased my airfare to LAX. Have to book the shuttle to Thousand Oaks. Would be cool if someone else was arriving so we could shuttle together. It is getting real!

Alex drop me a message to let me know what day and time you arrive. If itā€™s the same day we could share a ride and lower the cost at the same time. I was just thinking yesterday that itā€™s now only a matter of weeks away, getting very real!
 
Iā€™m getting very excited now! Whatā€™s the weather like in Southern California in late April guys? The hotel has a pool and I managed to bag one of the rooms around the pool courtyard :)
 
It looks that the average high is 67Ā°F/19.4C and the low is 48Ā°F / 8.8C. So pretty cool and pleasant hopefully! I was too late for a courtyard room. I will probably get to see a dumpster or a freeway! :)
 
Iā€™m getting very excited now! Whatā€™s the weather like in Southern California in late April guys? The hotel has a pool and I managed to bag one of the rooms around the pool courtyard :)

Hmmm....good question. Late April high temperature can be either on 90Ā°F range (32Ā° C) OR as low as the 50Ā° F (10Ā°C) range. It is our "spring" time here and it can go either way. Besides temperature, it is also our rainy season. So it can be cold and rainy and not great pool weather. But we've been in a drought, so who knows; however, so far this year, we had returned to a "normal" winter pattern. If that holds, then the weather can go either way come late April.
 
I am starting to get really excited for this! I have only once in my life done a fan meeting and that was at the premiĆØre of CĆ©line Dion's Las Vegas show in 2011. It will be cool to talk to people who know the Carpenters inside-out.
 
I am starting to get really excited for this! I have only once in my life done a fan meeting and that was at the premiĆØre of CĆ©line Dion's Las Vegas show in 2011. It will be cool to talk to people who know the Carpenters inside-out.

This is my first ever - I'm beyond excited to see all the memorabilia at CPAC (it was closed the year I visited, I'd gone on the wrong day), all the famous sites like the Newville Home again and also to meet everyone who is attending. I'm particularly looking forward to the panel discussion and to see who else is confirmed on the panel.

A few times I've wondered what we will fill the day with on Friday if we're not allowed entry to Richard's car warehouse and the old A&M site. Is there a plan B?
 
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That is an excellent question. I am really hoping for these. I would imagine they would take them off the list if they had already received a negative response, no?
 
It seems we have an answer on the question I asked about the Henson Studios and Richardā€™s warehouse tour. The 50th Anniversary organisers sent an email to those on the mailing list today, explaining that:

ā€œAt this time, we have been unable to secure permission to visit the interior of the Yesterday Once More Warehouse, but are still hopeful that we will be able to gain access to the Henson Studios lotā€.

The alternatives for the day, if needed, will be the Hollywood Bowl and maybe a drive by Joe Osbornā€™s old house where Richard and Karen first recorded.
 
Dang, that is really a bummer. The way it is worded is confusing. Does that mean it is a total no? I am assuming it is a no. That sort of takes the wind out of the sails a bit.
 
It seems we have an answer on the question I asked about the Henson Studios and Richardā€™s warehouse tour. The 50th Anniversary organisers sent an email to those on the mailing list today, explaining that:

ā€œAt this time, we have been unable to secure permission to visit the interior of the Yesterday Once More Warehouse, but are still hopeful that we will be able to gain access to the Henson Studios lotā€.

The alternatives for the day, if needed, will be the Hollywood Bowl and maybe a drive by Joe Osbornā€™s old house where Richard and Karen first recorded.

I just got done reading that email. Disappointing. Who knows what besides cars are in that warehouse. Karen's jelly bean drum set, more gold records, outfits that Karen wore during her concerts and television appearances, photos, press clippings, etc? Perhaps it is a security concern for Richard. He simply does not want 100+ people milling about his priceless merchandise. I still hope he materializes at some point during the event. I have a feeling he will.
 
I feel the opposite, if this isn't on the agenda it makes me think that perhaps he doesn't want to be a part of it. I can understand him wanting his privacy, for sure. But how nice for some fans to be able to also bask in the glow of his priceless treasures.
 
Copy and pasted the link below from a GaryAlan entry (March 10, 2017) in thread "Anyone Read This?"

OP-ED: Keeping the Carpenters' legacy alive in Downey

Photo of Richard with a fan in front of the Carpenter mausoleum at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park in 2017. This is interesting; did he agree to meet fans at the site? Did he open the doors to the structure itself and let fans file past? Did he just happen to be there and all these fans showed up? Is it none of my friggen business?

Just saying...he has met with groups of fans before, obviously, and I remember a YT video where it appeared he abruptly showed up at a fan gathering years ago. So the possibility is there. I think he will make an appearance at some point and we still got a little under 3 months till the event; a lot can happen. After all, this is The 50th Anniversary Celebration!
 
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Interesting. What tour was that? I never heard about a 2017 "Carpenters" tour. Apparently, the organizers of that tour had pull with Richard. Perhaps those on that tour don't belittle Richard's accomplishments and make horrible and sensational remarks about his late mother. Perhaps, at least, the busses can drive by the warehouse? I am not counting on an appearance from Richard (I've met him many times before, been graciously invited into his home on Lubec Avenue and spent time in the Newville house with Agnes, Harold, and Evelyne Wallace a few times many years ago). Personally, it's not necessary for Richard to make an appearance. It would be nice, though, for all the international participants, though if he did. Many are attending in good faith and Richard would be showing great kindness to make an appearance and have some photo's taken...but I wouldn't hold my breath. It's going to be a great event, regardless.
 
I just got done reading that email. Disappointing. Who knows what besides cars are in that warehouse. Karen's jelly bean drum set, more gold records, outfits that Karen wore during her concerts and television appearances, photos, press clippings, etc? Perhaps it is a security concern for Richard. He simply does not want 100+ people milling about his priceless merchandise. I still hope he materializes at some point during the event. I have a feeling he will.

Back in the "day," (1987 or '89...can't exactly remember), I got to tour the warehouse when it was located in either La Mirada or Cerritos (can't remember, specifically...30 years ago!) and there was a room filled with some of Karen's personal belongings. I specifically remember some gold records and stuffed animals; but I particularly remember the framed glass panel that outlines the A KIND OF HUSH LP cover (where they K&R are looking through it for the photo). That was almost as cool as all the cars!
 
Dang, that is really a bummer. The way it is worded is confusing. Does that mean it is a total no? I am assuming it is a no. That sort of takes the wind out of the sails a bit.

I just got done reading that email. Disappointing. Who knows what besides cars are in that warehouse. Karen's jelly bean drum set, more gold records, outfits that Karen wore during her concerts and television appearances, photos, press clippings, etc? Perhaps it is a security concern for Richard. He simply does not want 100+ people milling about his priceless merchandise..

I took the email to mean theyā€™ve been told ā€œnoā€. Disappointed, but not completely surprised. Chris May has noted that the place is so clean you could eat your dinner off the floor and in the ā€œJay Lenoā€™s Garageā€ episode, Richard closed the hood of the ā€˜Cuda bonnet by covering his hand with his t-shirt, so I donā€™t for a second imagine he would want 100+ people milling around in there.
 
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Back in the "day," (1987 or '89...can't exactly remember), I got to tour the warehouse when it was located in either La Mirada or Cerritos (can't remember, specifically...30 years ago!) and there was a room filled with some of Karen's personal belongings. I specifically remember some gold records and stuffed animals; but I particularly remember the framed glass panel that outlines the A KIND OF HUSH LP cover (where they K&R are looking through it for the photo). That was almost as cool as all the cars!

I'm sure everything you saw 30 yrs ago Geographer, is now at his Thousand Oaks facility and more. Karen's "Lead Sister" shirt is on display at CPAC on a partial manequinn. I don't believe Richard discarded anything. Remember the TV Guide article about Cynthia Gibb going through Karen's wardrobe and feeling "her presence" when she put on those garments? Does Karen's Strawberry Short Cake/Raggedy Ann denim outfit she wore at the Budokan concert of 5/31/74 still exist? Or the bass guitar she played laying down tracks of "Eve" and "All Of My Life" for Offering? Or her wedding gown/hat that Cynthia Gibb put on in "The Karen Carpenter Story"? Her outfit that she wore at The Grammys when they received their awards, which also by the way, she wore part of the time on the 1971 BBC Special? Not to mention never before seen photographs, etc? Is this none of the fans' business? I believe Elvis' jump suit and solid gold microphone are on display at "Graceland", along with a lot of his other artifacts. Is it so out of the ordinary that Karen's fans would want to see these things? I get that these items would be very "personal" to Richard. But man, I don't think too many of us are going to be around for the 75th or 100th Anniversary.

PS - I still think it's a "security issue". Maybe the organizers can hire some private security while at these venues. I would pay a little more for this event if we could gain access to these sites. I might run that by them in an email.

PSS - It could even be an "insurance issue". All that stuff has to be heavily insured. Maybe there is some stipulation on the policy about number of persons allowed in there? I'm sure Richard has his reasons...
 
It says "At this time" which to me it means "not yet." Maybe they're still hopeful, but they want to give people the word on what's going on. If this was the final word they would have left off "at this time." That's just my guess.
 
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