Carpenters Newsletters

Richard and Karen wish all of you a Great BIG Happy New Year. They also send their THANKS for the groovy cards and gifts they received from so many fans. They are amazed at the numerous artists in their club and appreciate them. Show cases are being built in their new recreation room to display your talents.

Good weather accompanied the November tour as far as Rochester, New York where they were greeted by snow and freezing temperatures but warm and friendly fans. Though extreme change of weather between Miami and Rochester brought on colds and sore throats they completed the tour, playing all engagements.

In Miami, their sound man became quiet ill so Sugar Bear, their equipment manager had to drive the truckload of equipment from Miami to Rochester. Leaving Miami, the truck broke down and a lengthy repair job delayed him for five hours. Consequently, Carpenters did not appear on the Rochester stage until ten o'clock. They do appreciate the patience of their Rochester fans who waited for their appearance.

Richard and Karen, unaware of Sugar Bear's predicament had flown to Toronto for dinner at the Hungarian Village, their favorite eating place in that part of the country. They say the food is truly fantastic and they especially enjoy Flaming Atilla. This is a platter of deliciously seasoned and perfectly cooked meats, including veal, pork, filet, chicken and duck which is served elegantly aflame. Karen and Richard say for a first class meal the Hungaria Village is a must.

In Carbondale, Illinois they drove to the football field at half time to enjoy the Carpenter medley played by the University band. In Richmond, Kentucky they had dinner with the Harlem GlobeTrotters. Karen says they're a gas. After the Morgantown gig they were flabbergasted when the allegheny plane unloaded their valuable instruments and sound system in the middle of the air field and took off!

They spent three days in Chattanooga enjoying a day off in one of the fine bowling alleys there. They love to bowl so they organized a tournament among the group and Karen and Richard had their own bowling balls flown in from Downey.

A freak error, in Jacksonville, had the local radio station advertising their concert at the wrong hall. They wondered why ticket sales were so poor, than last minute announcements corrected the error and by concert time the house was packed. The "way out" gig they enjoyed playing in mobile got off to a bad start in the dressing rooms when they discovered none of the showers worked. But once on stage they responded to the warmth and friendliness of the fans and truly enjoyed their work.

The Hartford Airport was closed due to a snow storm so the lear was brought down in New Haven, just a half hours drive from where they were born.

The tour ended in Westbury where five shows were sold out in spite of the rain. Then they stopped over in Baltimore to visit relatives and Mom and Dad flew East to join them.

The Award Special hosted by Ed Sullivan was taped December 11 & 17. It was not revealed until too late for last month's newsletter that it would not be live. The Carol Burnett Show which they will tape the first week of January -- both shows will be aired sometime in January, so watch your newspaper and TV Guide.

Their new single Hurting Eachother was released December 17 and copies are in the store now.

Plans are in the making for a Carpenter TV Special, but no date has been set for the taping.

The Australian tour has been postponed from February until June to give Karen and Richard time to complete their new album. Business meetings and commitments kept them from completing it during December as they had planned. They are still undecided on a name for it but have a couple in mind which they keep tossing around.

First of all, a Great Big THANK YOU to those of you who waited so patiently for your poster orders. I know you must be enjoying the beautiful new poster of Karen and Richard. For those of you who haven't seen one, it is a groovy new pose. Karen in a long dress and boots sits in a wicker chair with Richard standing behind her, wearing a striped jacket over a turtle neck sweater. It is quite different from the boat poster. Pennants are still available.

The response to the question and answer session was tremendous so at your request we are doing another.

Carpenters are scheduled to appear on The London Bridge Special which will be taped at Lake Havasu, Arizona the middle of February. Viewing date has not yet been set so watch your TV Guide and local papers.

This month we go behind the scenes of The London Bridge Special which was taped on location at Lake Havasu, Arizona. Believe me, the "behind the scenes" happenings were quite the opposite of what you will view on your TV sets; and hilariously "way-out".

Falcon, the McCullough plane which jetted them to Havasu was shared with "WU WU" & "DOG-DOG" two adorable Pekinese dogs, plus a delightful large black Shepherd. Then they landed hungry, at 10:00 p.m. they turned into the nearest restaurant only to be told it was too late to be served. So hungry, cold and dejected, they found their way to the Pub below the Bridge where they were served a fine meal by friendly and gracious waitresses.

Their next day began at 7:00 a.m. while it was still cold. Shooting that day was on the Bridge where they encountered numerous problems. The bridge is part of McCullough Drive which is the main thoroughfare through town; and though police tried to divert some of the traffic, there were some cars and pedestrians on the Bridge at all times. Noise of course, was a serious problem with planes, motor boats, and talking people contributing their share of upsets and confusion. It took six hours to tape one small segment of Jennifer O'Neal talking to Richard and Karen. That afternoon they did a tennis court scene again with Jennifer & this time adding Tom Jones. When it began to get dark they quit shooting and most of the crew went to a bowling alley to have some fun. Tom had never bowled so Karen and Richard had the privilege of teaching him. Then they all shot some pool and called it a day.

The second day they found they had to re-tape the tennis court scene in the morning but afternoon found them in an amphitheater taping a concert. The director had placed a sign near the entrance asking for 100 spectators so they could film an audience. Response was so great they ended up playing to an audience of 3,000 people which they managed to squeeze into the theater. The temperature that afternoon was 90 degrees.

The third day they journeyed to Crystal Beach where beautiful scenes were to be taped. The first scene was on top of a mountain which they reached via a narrow dirt road that wound through woods. Rocks & boulders had to be moved so the camera and equipment trucks could get through. Even then, accessibility was limited and the mountain had to be climbed on foot by stars and crewmen alike. Adding to climbing woes was the electric piano which was hand carried to the top of the mountain by two members of the crew. On top of the mountain they did a beautiful version of We've Only Just Begun.

From the mountain they trooped to the desert where they did a groovy rendition of Close To You.

A lonely island was to be the setting for other scenes & songs so motor boats were filled and people and equipment headed for what they believed would be easy "takes". But this was to be a "never to be forgotten day" for everyone concerned.

The island turned out to be a marshland and both motor boats burned out their motors trying to gain access to land in too shallow water. Sugar Bear, their road manager, finally shed his shoes and socks, rolled up his pants legs and pulled the boats in as far as he could but, there was still quite a stretch of ankle deep mud and goop between the boat and dry land where the taping was to be done. So - are you ready for this? All the stars who were already costumed had to be carried piggy-back by the rest of the crew through all the mud and goop. Sugar Bear carried Karen who thought it was the most hilarious ride she'd ever had!

The island, virgin & uninhabited had no shelter for crew members during the taping; so it was decided they should hide among the tall, thick cattails that covered the marshland. This proved a good idea until it was time to do a pull-away shot of the island. The camera was loaded into the helicopter for this shot; the stars took their places and the copter took off. Well - the terrific spinning, flattened the cattails to reveal crew members and shot mud, water and cattails flying into the clothes, faces and hair of the stars. Karen said that was the first time she ever had to comb cattails out of her hair.

Hi Fans!

Two more Grammies sit on the Grammy shelf in the den of the Carpenters home in Downey. Richard and Karen did it again; a Grammy Award for the best musical duo or group. They have expressed their appreciation for all your notes and letters of congratulations.

Karen's hair was cut a trifle short for this big event, and the trim, combined with the tight curl, gave it a shorter look.

Now - the news you have been waiting for! Their new album will be released this month (April). The name of it? - A Song For You. Watch for it in your local music stores. Oh yes- Bless The Beasts And The Children will be featured on the new album.

There's been a great response to the Boat Poster offer.

Richard and Karen have a busy summer ahead of them, and will take this opportunity to share their schedule with you.

March 31- April 8th - Miami Beach, Florida, Eden Rock Hotel

April 9th Gainesville, Florida, University of Florida

April 10th Hollywood, Academy Awards, TV appearance

April 11th Savannah, Georgia, Coliseum

April 12th Fayetteville, NC, Cumberland County Memorial Auditorium

April 13th Greenville, NC, East Caroline College Coliseum

April 14th Richmond, Virginia, Coliseum

April 15th Oxford, Ohio, Miami University

April 16th Cincinnati, OH, Music Hall

April 18th Bowling Green, KY, Western Kentucky University

April 19th Pittsburgh, PA, Civic Arena

April 20th Huntington, West Virginia, Marshall University, Memorial Fieldhouse

April 21st Philadelphia, PA, Academy of Music

April 22nd Syracuse, NY, Onodaga County War Memorial Auditorium

April 23rd College Park, Maryland, University of Maryland-Cole Fieldhouse

April 25th Washington, DC, Record Industry Annual Awards Dinner, Hilton Hotel

April 29th Atlanta, Georgia, Municipal Auditorium

May 4th Honolulu, Hawaii, International Center

May 8-20th Sydney, Australia, Chevron Hotel

May 22nd Adelaide, Australia, Apollo Sports Center

May 24-25th Melbourne, Australia, Festival Hall

May 27th Brisbane, Australia, Festival Hall

May 30 Hong Kong

June 1-11th Japan, Osaka, Nagoya, Kyoto and Tokyo

July 7th Houston, TX, University of Texas, Hofheniz Pavilion

July 8th Shreveport, Louisiana, Hirsch Memorial Coliseum

July 9th Tulsa, OK, Assembly Center

July 11th Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, Blossom Music Festival

July 13-15th Holmdel, New Jersey, Garden State

July 16th Saratoga, New York, Performing Arts Center

July 20th Indianapolis, IN, Convention Center

July 21-23rd Chicago, IL, McCormack Place

July 26-29th Detroit, Michigan, Pine Knob

July 30th Saginaw, Michigan, Civic Auditorium

Aug. 1-3rd Columbia, Maryland, Merriweather Post Pavilion

Aug. 4-5th Allentown, Pennsylvania, State Fair

Aug. 9-15th Los Angeles, CA, Greek Theater

Aug. 22-28th Lake Tahoe, Nevada, Sahara Hotel

More new next month.

By popular demand here we go again with another question & answer session. Karen and Richard are still on tour and the only news that has reached me concerns Karen's suitcase, which was stolen from her dressing room in Richmond, Virginia. It contained items of necessity which she used nightly in preparing to go on stage: her hairdryer, curlers, comb & brush, steam iron, etc. Imagine the hassle trying to replace these things before the next show!

That about wraps up this rap session exect to tell you that Richard finally sent the Maserati back to the dealer. He bought a second Lincoln instead - this time all white - interior and exterior. Colored wallet pictures now available!

Tour news this time starting with the hectic rush in the Carpenter home on the night of the Academy Awards. Karen and Richard had to turn down the dinner and party after the televised presentations, so they could finish packing and be at the airport for a 2:30 a.m. flight to Atlanta, Georgia. Fortunately the early morning flights have a lack of passengers; so arms were lifted from several seats, and a bed was make for a tired Karen who promptly hit the jet sack and slept her way to Georgia. They transferred to their Lear Jet in Atlanta, and were in Savannah in no time at all, and they all caught two hours of sleep.

In Richmond, Virginia they ran into freak trouble. Seems the "pop" music on the popcorn machine was coming thru their sound system. Karen said it sounded like a bunch of firecrackers.

John Bench, famous baseball star, who now has his own television show, taped an interview with Karen and Richard in Cincinnati. This was also the city where Karen visited the hospital emergency room as a patient with a severe cold and sore throat. The next day was a day off for the group, and she was advised to stay quietly in bed and nurse those precious vocal chords. Alas, someone left her door open, and before long her room resembled the winners circle -- flowers, people, excitement, etc.

After the gig in Huntington, West Virginia, they found themselves hemmed in the parking lot. There was no place to go but up, and unfortunately their car did not have the blades of a whirlybird to lift them out of their predicament, but they did have Randy Edelman, who, besides being a excellent musician, is also a great traffic director! He walked down the entire line of traffic asking each driver to please move over. The good people of Huntington graciously obliged, and a path was made for the Carpenter car to exit. Karen and Richard send their thanks to those good people.

Philadelphia will be remembered fondly for the groovy seafood dinner Karen and Richard enjoyed there. They ate at the Book Binders Restaurant, and recommend it highly to seafood lovers.

Although College Park, Maryland was having riot difficulties, there were no demonstrations while our duo was there. The only misfortune encountered there as in the dressing rooms. They used the local basketball team's dressing rooms, and the steam from the showers created a "London fog." This may be fine for basketball players, but for a chic performer who wants to look her best on stage, a steam room is the last place she wants to be in while dressing. Karen said she felt like wilted lettuce!

Looks like I'll have to continue tour news next month. There should be much to tell about the group's overseas jaunt.

Our duo send greetings from Australia where they are concert-hopping en-route to Japan where their parents will join them to attend more concerts.

Promised you more tour news, so here we go. While attending the RIAA (Record Industry of America Association) dinner, Richard and Karen had the pleasure of meeting Paul Anka and Roger Williams, as well as numerous presidents of record companies. At the party afterwards, tons of peanuts in the shell were in abundance, and before the party ended, the floor was covered wall-to-wall with peanut shells!

In Baltimore, Maryland, Richard and Karen spent the first night at "Bear's" home, where they were treated to a hard shell crab feast which they devoured happily. The next evening found them at Baskin & Robbins famous Ice Cream (31 flavors) shop where "Bear" formally worked. Once again he donned his Baskin & Robbin's cap and served the duo.

Spartanburg will forever live in their memories for several reasons. It was there that they (and no doubt numerous other persons) were the recipients of a most unusual wake-up call. At 11:00 a.m. a friend buzzed their hotel room from his plane to let them know it was time to get up. That was some alarm clock! Karen said it was also in this city that they rode to the gig in a funeral limo. This in itself was not too unusual, but the little old chauffeur is endeared in their hearts. Most of his jobs featured funeral trips at 15 m.p.h so their jaunt to the gig was at the same rate of speed, resulting in a ten minute ride taking 45 minutes. To Richard who loves to do his own driving, it seemed like 45 years!

In Gainesville, an airport limo took them to their venue where there seemed to be a shortage of dressing rooms, and all the performers had to share the same dressing room. Karen, with the aid of a huge blackboard, managed to construct her own private corner. (She was a true Carpenter in every sense of the word).

On stage, after finishing Cinderella Rockafella with Doug, Karen crossed to the other side of the stage to render Superstar. Unaware of Richard's amused reaction, a pair of workman's gloves had been carelessly left on stage, which had been caught up in Karen's microphone, and were mysteriously following her across stage like an invisible glove-wearing-individual walking on their hands. Laughter erupted from all areas of the stage.

The Regency Hyatt House, with a lobby 20 stories high in Atlanta, was a very impressive building. Richard and Karen enjoyed their brief stay there very much. They were also impressed by the Abbey which, in it's day was quite a church. Care had been taken to keep it resembling the original structure, including the pews. After the show there, an all night "oldies piano contest" was held between Richard and five other guys. Richard was the winner, easily remembering and playing songs that were written before he was born.

A very impressive event for all concerned was a luncheon at the White House. Richard and Karen were among the invited guest who dined with Presidential assistants James Cavanuagh, Ken Cole and Ron Ziegler. Our twosome later had the pleasure of meeting the President's daughter Julie Eisenhower.

President Nixon was meeting with Dr. Henry Kissinger, so they did not meet him, but were invited back at a later date. They were given a tour of the White House, and were very impressed with the Cabinet Meeting Room which housed an extremely long table and huge chairs with name plaques displaying the name of each member. At the end of his term of office, the member is presented his chair as a gift. When Karen heard of this, she quipped "Just like the Carol Burnett Show", which brought smiles to the faces of the solemn dignitaries. Karen was reminded of the lovely director's chairs she and Richard were gifted with, each bearing their own name, after their appearance on an earlier Carol Burnett Show.

As promised - news about the Australian tour. During Aussie customs inspection, one of the consoles in the group's equipment baggage was totally destroyed when the customs officers searched every item on their never ending search for drugs. But in spite of this, the Carpenters enjoyed a "standing room only" business throughout the entire tour. Tickets and program books were sold out everywhere.

Australian sight-seeing took them to a Koala Bear farm where they were allowed to hold the cuddly bears. Karen wanted to bring one home, but Richard and the Australian government nixed that idea, so she settled for a stuffed one three feet tall to add to her collection. She named him "Sir Bear of Sydney". A friend took them yachting in the beautiful bay of Sydney, and they also had ample time for shopping. Australia they say, still has a long way to go. Besides bad roads, there is no F.M. radio, and no color TV.

Someone posing as Karen caused a slight turmoil by calling the T.V. stations and giving misinformation concerning show taping. The "Today" show was scheduled to be taped from their hotel suite. The impostor told the station that Karen and Richard had changed their minds and would tape at the T.V. station, then sent a cab to the hotel to take them there. It took a bit to iron out this wrinkle, but iron they did, and the show went on as scheduled at the hotel.

In Adelaide, just two weeks away from winter, the hotel had no heat. Electric heaters were finally located to keep them warm. They drank bottled water there to avoid illness which the drastic change in tap water would have caused.

The lucky people of Melbourne will view a Carpenter Special T.V. show which was taped there. From Melbourne to Brisbane for another concert, then back to Sydney where gift-laden fans greeted the group's arrival at the airport.

Saying good-bye to Australia, they headed for Hong Kong, refueling on the way in Manila. They landed on the main island of China and were ferried to Hong Kong, where promoter Andrew Eu held a dinner party in their honor in one of his castles (He owns three). Dinner was served Chinese style - chopsticks and all! Karen manipulated the sticks through everything but the fish. Wise Richard used his fork! Another sell-out concert there, then more shopping. They especially enjoyed the HK jewelry stores with their brilliant displays of diamonds and many colored jade.

At the Tokyo airport they were mobbed by fans, and two body guards were sent in to protect them. They did another Carpenter Special for Tokyo T.V. and were then "bulleted" to Osaka on the bullet train for concerts there. During the three hour ride they battled their lunch which insisted on tipping into their laps due to the extreme speed of the train.

In Kyoto at the Misako Hotel they found themselves in somewhat of a maze which ended at rooms that were much too small. An elevator took them to the sixth floor where they had to get off, wind their way to another wing, and take a second elevator to the eleventh floor. They checked out of there in a hurry and found more convenient quarters at Hotel Fujita. The group played three concerts in Osaka and once again encountered shower problems. Their last concert there was followed by a concert by the group Chicago who sent a huge bouquet of flowers for Karen and Richard.

Mom and Dad met Karen and Richard in Tokyo, and enjoyed two wonderful weeks in that very impressive city. Dad especially enjoyed the fantastic Japanese gardens. Among the huge pile of gifts bestowed upon them, was a gorgeous Japanese doll (for Karen), three feet high, encased in glass. Richard was the recipient of a very rare Suzuki harp. This was King Records way of saying "Thank-You for the beautiful music."

The Carpenter entourage returned to L.A. airport filled with happy memories of a very successful tour.

Richard and Karen paid their second visit to the White House, where they met President Nixon, who extended a very warm welcome to them. Both agreed he is a very gracious host.

The President presented Richard with a set of golf balls, and cuff links and Karen received a beautiful gold powder compact. All gifts bear the Presidential Seal, and will be cherished among their 'special' souvenirs.

In answer to your questions concerning Karen's romantic problems, let me assure you, she has none. She is not romantically involved with anyone and doesn't even have time to date!

"Bear" experienced a bad accident which could have taken his life, or left him blind, and it happened right outside his home. He had stopped for gas, and had been given two large bottles of Pepsi Cola as a 'bonus' for getting a fill-up. When he got home, as he was taking the bottles out of the car, one exploded. His face was badly cut, resulting in 7 stitches. Everyone was thankful the glass didn't penetrate his eyes or brain.

We've had many request for another question & answer session, so we have room for a few here.

We have some changes, additions and one cancellation in our October concert schedule, so please note:

Due to a collapsed ceiling, the concert in Des Moines, Iowa for October 21st has been canceled. On that day the Carpenters will be playing at the McElroy Auditorium in Waterloo, Iowa. So Waterloo fans, you will not be seeing the group on the 19th as previously scheduled, but they WILL be there on Oct. 21st.

Wisconsin fans will be pleased to hear they will appear at the Auditorium in Green Bay On October 17th, and in LaCrosse at the Sawyer Auditorium October, 23rd. This is in addition to their Milwaukee Auditorium appearance on the 24th.

More good news: Karen and Richard have taped a Bob Hope Special due to air Oct. 5th. Still more good news for those of you who asked for a Carpenter poster like the little heart picture on their A Song For You album - these new posters will be available and mailed out around the first of Nov.

Now bits and pieces from their last tour. The inebriated joker on stage in Houston who played Karen's drums, was NOT part of the act! Neither were the police who transplanted him into Houston jail.

Floods and rain plagued them on the east coast. In Johnstown where a flood had ravaged the town before their arrival, the questions was; "To play or not to play?" They played to a very appreciative audience. It seemed their music helped restore the townspeople's morale!

Confusion reigned at dinnertime when a lady approached Sherwin and Bobbie and asked for their autographs, thinking they were Richard and Karen. Can you imagine their bearded manager being mistaken for Richard? To top that, a fellow approached Richard, handed him a dub and asked him to give it to Richard Carpenter!

In the Garden State they arrived to find Sherwin's room under flood waters. Saratoga was another wet one where they played in pouring rain. It was here that Bill Skiles and Pete Henderson, their opening act comedians, were not recognized by the security guards when they arrived, and were forced to park in the patrons lot.

In Toronto, the Hungarian Village again beckoned Richard and Karen and they dined there for three successive meals. After an almost fruitless search in Toronto stores, Karen finally found some tennis shoes, and the group engaged in badminton and tennis. Oh yes, it was here that a lady asked Karen for her union card!

Richard was on cloud-nine when he was introduced to the chief mechanic of the Indianapolis Racetrack, who allowed Richard to sit in the race cars of Andretti, Leonard and Al Unser.

In Chicago, they took over the entire 19th floor of the Astro Towers, where they were served breakfast by waiters in "Ties and Tails".

The duo were very impressed with the newly build Pine Knob Theater, Michigan. They made friends with the owner of this magnificent place, and since construction was still in progress they were able to give him pointers that would be helpful to patrons and performers. The Pine Knob audience was especially receptive, and got so enthused they danced in the aisles. Unfortunately, here again they encountered another drunk who kept interrupting the show by demanding something by Elvis. He caused such a commotion that the group decided to leave the stage for a brief interval.

Pine Knob offered them a rare opportunity to return to Karen's first love - Softball. They played on the grounds until the automatic sprinklers turned on and made them wet. The game was called off because of the man made rain.

Let's backtrack to Columbia. Karen and Richard were assigned a house trailer to use as a dressing room, but upon their arrival no one had a key. Fortunately Bear had brought his younger brother Chris who was small enough to be lifted through a rear window which had been conveniently left open. Consequently Chris made the hero of the day and was given a surprise "reward" that night by Bill Skiles (half of the opening act team). When Bill and Pete left the stage after their act to return for a bow, Bill returned with young Chris instead of Pete! There's never a dull moment when Skiles & Henderson are around, they are indeed true entertainers - on and off stage.

Back in Los Angeles the Carpenters Greek Theater concerts were sold out every night. Mr. Doolittle gave them an opening night party at his palatial home, and fun loving Herb Alpert sent Karen and Richard a most unusual opening night gift in the form of an old battered trumpet that looks as if a ten ton truck had run over it.

The group's 9:00 a.m. Colorado take off flight was detained for an hour when it was discovered the plane had damaged landing gear. All passengers were transferred to another plane an hour later.

They were duly impressed with Denver's beautiful Red Rocks Theater. Richard said it is comparable to the Hollywood Bowl here in Los Angeles. In spite of strong winds and the terrible traffic conditions, the audience was fantastic, and the group really enjoyed playing there. Word soon got around they were rehearsing in the afternoon, and before they knew it they were entertaining about 4,000 people! They caught an early fight out of Denver the next morning, arriving in Los Angeles at 5:00 a.m.

Thanks to their Tahoe engagement, Richard had a rare treat. He was able to drive his new red Ferrari to Lake Tahoe. Their cross country tours seldom afford him this opportunity which he so enjoys.

They were assigned the Sahara Stars House as living quarters during their stay in Tahoe, but couldn't move in until midnight when Tom Jones vacated the premises. Having a chef and maid at their disposal gave the group time for horseback riding, bike riding, water skiing and tennis in between rehearsal sessions. Their leisure time also included a picnic on the shores of beautiful Emerald Bay. Although the weather was perfect, the high altitude affected their throats and breathing, but did not keep them from their musical performances.

A special treat was afforded Karen and Richard when they were invited to meet the U.S. Airforce "Thunderbirds", and watch their air show. The pilots in turn attended one of the Sahara concerts.

The duo one day decide to rent a speed boat and skim the length of colorful, peaceful Lake Tahoe. They were enjoying the jaunt when the tranquillity was suddenly disturbed by a mountain storm which swept down the mountains to the lake, which threatened to overturn their boat. As you can imagine, they headed for shore at top speed!

When they finally took leave of this Tahoe "wonderland", they were advised to take Highway 395 rather than Interstate 5 which they traveled on the way to Tahoe. This way they avoided an 80 car pile-up caused by a very severe dust storm from the dessert sands.

Confirmation has just been received that Karen and Richard will start taping with Robert Young for the Robert Young With The Young Special. The tentative air date schedule for March 1st, 1973.

CHANGES: Raleigh canceled. Charleston date moved to Nov. 20th. All engagements from Nov. 21st through 26th now cancelled.

Richard sends his thanks for all the lovely gifts and cards you all bestowed upon him. He particularly enjoyed the unique hand-made cards and gifts.

It was bound to happened sometime, and it did in Las Vegas. The opening act was finished, the M.C. announced "Ladies & Gentlemen - The Carpenters," the drum roll had commenced, and there stood Richard on stage - WITHOUT KAREN!! She was still in her dressing room unaware that it was curtain time. There were no monitors, and nobody had warned her. Needless to say, it was an astronomical Karen who flew on stage to sing the opening number which hilariously enough was Help.

Three days before the Vegas closing, they found that each morning they had to strip the stage of all instruments and equipment so Nancy Sinatra could rehearse her act which would follow the Carpenters closing. Then it had to be set up again by six in the evening, in time for their dinner show.

During the Tyre convention held in Las Vegas while Karen and Richard were there, they partied in Richard's dressing room with Mario Andretti, Parnelli Jones, Unser and other great race car drivers. Andretti and Richard had quite a Ferrari discussion, and Skiles and Henderson entertained with a hilarious car skit.

Other VIPs who dropped in to visit during their Vegas run were Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the Air Force Thunderbird pilots, Gerry Vail, Chill Wills, and Julie Nixon Eisenhower. Julie's visit was to our duo's Vegas residence, rather than the Riviera. Though secret servicemen were in attendance during Julie's visit, she entered the Carpenters house alone, and they all enjoyed a pleasant private visit. Julie later presented Richard and Karen with a beautiful book which she had edited, all about the Nixon family.

Karen and Richard also visited the Nellis Air Force Base, meeting again with the Thunderbird pilots, and were privileged to climb aboard one of the planes while Dad Carpenter took movies of the action.

A few times just for kicks, they went to Circus Circus, a circus atmosphere night club there, and road the bumper cars. Arriving at a time when there were no other patrons, the attendants turned the power up full blast so they'd experience rougher bumps, and a good time was had by all.

Leaving that fabulous city, the group flew on to Salt Lake City for a gig at the Special Events Center. Though once again their equipment truck was late in arriving, all hands on deck enabled the stage to be set up in time for the evening performance. However, the heavy rain created traffic problems with detained the show 45 minutes.

At Boise State College, there were locker rooms only for dressing rooms, so Karen was given the use of a coach's office that conveniently sported a lovely shower. After the gig they went to the only 24 hour restaurant for dinner, but when they arrived it seemed like the entire Boise State audience had the same idea. The place was so crowed there was no room for the group, so they didn't get dinner until 3:00 a.m. the next morning. So much for one night stands!

In Seattle's Center Arena, the show's promoter had delectable snacks sent to the arena for the group. This included a huge fruit bowl which overflowed with all the available fresh fruits including pomegranates, (the juicy red fruit with a jillion seeds). Karen, Maria & Danny attacked these with justo, while the rest of the group stuck with the more conventional fruit. Curt Mercer, the lighting man celebrated a birthday that day, so they all trooped to Victor 6/10 for dinner-a hearty Italian one!

Dressing rooms in Spokane, though a bit small, were lovely, with sparkling clean showers and lighted mirrors. Blackula, Karen's big black wardrobe trunk had to be left in the hall nearby for custume pressing. After the gig, the hungry group returned to their hotel for dinner, to find to their dismay the kitchen was closed. Trudging to the bar, they located the chef who took pity on them and returned to the kitchen to prepare them a great steak dinner.

The next stop was Portland, Oregon, and the thought of two days off, which gave them a chance to fly home, and attend an A&M dinner.