Hi Fans!

Many thanks for the jillion cards and gift we all received, truly fantastic. We have the greatest fan club members in the world, and we all wish you a very happy new year.

For A LIMITED TIME ARE HAVING A PATCH AND POSTER SALE. The beautiful orange & yellow patches sporting the Carpenter logo & silhouette are made by Lion Bros; who makes all the very attractive Apollo patches. For those of you who play bridge or other card games requiring two decks, we now have decks in orange with white logo in contrast to the original white with orange logo to complete your set.

Now let's go back to last June and pick up Richard & Karen in Shreveport Louisiana. Fans soon discovered our duo were staying at the Sheraton motor Inn, and were waiting patiently for autographs etc. Time did not permit this before the concert, but they graciously obliged on their return where the crowd welcomed them, and posed for pictures. autographs etc. They were both delighted to hear from members how much they enjoyed being in the fan club. Dinner was enjoyed at the Inside Out Club in Old Town. and the food was yummmmmmy. The group changed their concert format that evening, and were rewarded with a standing ovation. While waiting for their limos at the airport, the group practiced baseball in the airport field to limber up for the big 4th July game. The gig was performed at the Shower of Stars where they had played in 1970 when they flew in from Hawaii, and were fitted for tuxedos right there at the airport. On their way to eat, they got caught in a thunder & lightning storm and as Karen ran to avoid the torrential rain, she tripped over her baggy pants, and fell on her wrist which caused a lot of pain and discomfort.

The flight to Chattanooga was a real bummer. Besides being very bumpy, someone had failed to fasten a valve, so there was no air conditioning, and they had to fly at a very low altitude. They had arranged to dine at the Black Angus Cafe, which they envisaged would have a ranch style decor, but were surprised to find it resembled a Roman Temple. The boys decided to check out the hotel kitchen, and though it was officially closed, the chef treated them to a delicious complimentary meal. More heavy rain greeted them at Knoxville, Tennessee. They particularly enjoyed the meal they had in a super plush sky dining room there.

Excitement in Roanoke, Virginia was created when the guys set off rocket. in the court of the Holiday Inn at 3:00 a.m. Needless to say, they were reprimanded by Sherwin, father figure of the group. On their way to the Gras Keys Inn from the Friendship International Airport, they ran into rain cloud burst. It was just a little cloud and as they were driving in the rain they could see that part of the road was completely dry. They were right on the edge of the downpour.

Tickets for all the Columbia, Maryland concerts were sold out. It was an outdoor theater with a convertible, sectioned, canvas top. Immediately after their version of HELP, lightning lit the sky, thunder shook the stage. And a strong wind blew rain down between the canvas sections. Filling the entire orchestra pit with water. Lawn patrons were forced to seek shelter under the canvas top and everyone became very friendly. Inside the rain which was so loud they couldn't hear themselves talk. The crowd went wild. and gave them a standing ovation, in fact, several. Beyond the call of duty, Burkhart removed his shirt to place over EVENTIDE to protect it from the rain. The Eventide is a $4500.00 piece of sound equipment, smaller than their amplifier.

After the gig, Richard made a phone call to Tony (The Bone) Peluso, who was still recovering from infectious hepatitis. He was recovering more speedily than the doctors had predicted. Their 3 day stay in Columbia afforded them time for shopping which they enjoyed plus a crab feast at Bear's home.

Rap next month. EV.

Last changed: Fri Jun 10 09:29:33 EDT 2005