Carpenters 55th Anniversary Celebration - April 2024 in Downey

[Jack A.]

Hope you all are having a great time!! I wanted to go but a high school schedule just doesn’t really allow me to travel across the country during the week right now.

 

[GDBY2LV]

It was installed recently for us, at the Carpenters 55th, I was told. The mayor and city counsel lady were there too. We made the front page of the local paper today. . The Downey Patriot.

 

[GDBY2LV]

The picture of Karen behind the Legacy book is a promo photo for her solo album sent out to the press and radio stations I’ve been told.

 

[GDBY2LV]

Cynthia Gibb from The Karen Carpenter Story tv movie 1989, with Randy Schmidt for a Q&A session after the show. We saw the movie in a theater. He hopes his documentary , Starving For Perfection with be released for sale on dvd/blu ray in early June, along with Amazon Prime.

 

[Carl]

Looks great from the photos! Hope you are all having a great time

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

They need 2 glass enclosures because that one is too full Hard to see everything as it has so many overlapping items.

I guess Richard didn’t show up? I know he attended one a long time ago but I guess that was long before all the books and docu dramas that have been released in recent years.

 

[CarpentersToYou]

Thanks so much for sharing all this.

 

[newvillefan]

The Newville grounds look in a state worse than I've ever seen them.

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

The Newville grounds look in a state worse than I've ever seen them.

At least they could have pressure cleaned the sidewalk…didn’t they get the invite for the 55th lol

Seriously those dead tree branches are quite dreary makes me want to cue up Crescent Noon.

 

[Faithful Fan]

The gathering has been amazing and a true gift of grace...thanks to the planners.
A special thank you to Chris for his heartfelt and faith-inspired letter of welcome. I will sadly miss today's events and headed home. But my thoughts and prayers are with those gathered today! The Carpenters beautiful legacy lives on as the story continues to be shared. Tom

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

It’s too bad the event could not have been filmed and for a fee allowed those who could not attend to see it.

 

[Bartog739]

Hopefully some things will pop up on you tube. There are some great things from the 50th on there. Please let us know if and when anyone posts something. It will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[GDBY2LV]

Guess who ?

 

[Jack A.]

WAIT, WHAT????

 

[Carl]

INCREDIBLE! Tell us everything!

 

[Simon KC1950]

I'm thrilled for you and all of my friends who have had such a wonderful suprise!

 

[PaulinUK]

This looks like such a fantastic event! I’m so jealous. Sorry not to be able to join you Stateside, but keep the updates (photos, videos, stories ) coming, for us Brits living vicariously via the message boards.

 

[CarpentersToYou]

I can hear the hearts stopping of everyone who went to the 50th but not the 55th.

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

Wow newville are you kicking yourself for not going again this year?

Hope video appears it looks like a question and answer?

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

I’m digging Richard’s zipped up pants.

 

[newvillefan]

Wow newville are you kicking yourself for not going again this year?

Bit annoying he didn't show up for the 50th but did for this one, but there could be any number of reasons for that. I wouldn't have gone to this one anyway as I've seen most of the locations covered on these events two or three times now, going all the way back to 1999, when the Newville house looked like this . Roll on September, I'm three rows from the front at his first gig in the UK

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

Wow^^ that was 25 yrs ago!!
Yikes time passes huh?

The house looks so alive with those lush trees and now we only have decay streets and dead tree branches. Sad. Unrecognizable now.

 

[GDBY2LV]

Our Forum friend, and all things Carpenters, Chris May interviewed Richard for over an hour after our dinner Saturday night. The group of over 100 enthusiastic, and stunned fans, were overwhelmed at Richard’s surprise appearance. Many tears in faces. I get pretty emotional myself every time I think about it. It helped that Chris, and many in the Downey community, including their mayor, persuaded him to make the trip from Thousand Oaks to Downey last night. They presented him with a couple of plaques from the city for their contributions to the Downey, and a larger one to be installed at the park where they performed many times before being signed to A&M. Richard brought his beautiful wife Mary along for the event. Richard talked about how things started at A&M, and all the money spent without much resistance from the A&M brass. Especially for such a mediocre attempt at a first album. Then the story of how CTY came to be. The rest led to an overwhelming, and wonderful career, until Karen’s passing. He’s extremely grateful, and humbled to still be so popular, and loved by fans all over the world today. He especially thanked those in Great Britain and Japan for keeping the legacy going. He’s excited to be performing in G.B. this fall.

 

[GDBY2LV]

A few more pictures.

 

[goodjeans]

Are you able to get a closer picture of it? Does anyone know what the item is behind the "Carpenters: The Musical Legacy", second shelf from the bottom on the right. It looks like a picture of Karen from her solo album.

Good eyes.