Monday, December 4th, Tour Stop #4

Out here in the middle.....

the weather is very weird tonight!  It was 64 degrees and the wind was blowing like a sonofagun during my concert at the Dicken residence in Hudson, IL tonight. Still, a hearty crowd braved the wind and I'm pretty sure a good time was had by all. I know I had a terrific time!  This was my third time performing at Bobby Dicken's display...the other two times he had a stage set up but this time the wind was blowing so hard that he dispensed with the stage and set me up in the garage!  The concert raised money for the Children's Home and Aid Society and Bobby just texted me to let me know that we raised about $200 in spite of the fact that it was a far smaller crowd because of the weather. So YAY!!!  Thanks to all who attended. I really did have a blast and it was a real treat to see how much fun the kids were having, especially when they started dancing with Santa Claus.

A really cool thing that happened was that a couple that got engaged during my 2012 concert dropped by tonight with their newborn!  Their first baby is a boy named Benjamin who is two months old. It was really great to see them again and meet the little doll-face!

Just like at the first tour stop in Lititz last Thursday night, almost as soon as I stopped singing the heavens opened up and the rain came pouring down. It was kind of miraculous that the rain held off on two different occasions!

My days of short driving times are over for now. Tomorrow I will begin a two day journey to Casper, WY.  I'll go as far as Kearney, NE tomorrow...that's about a nine hour drive...but staying in the Central Time zone.  Then the next day I'll have a seven hour drive but I'll go back in time another hour so I won't be too stressed out trying to get there for the 7pm show. The following day I'll log 9 1/2 hours going to Boise, ID and the day after that it's 71/2 hours to Woodinville, WA.  Time to hit the hay and rest up for the coming days.

I just want to say "thanks" once again to the Dicken family for hosting me for the third time. It was really great to see you all again!  Merry Christmas!!

Sunday Morning, Dec. 4th

I found out late last night the the donation bucket for the Food Bank of Northern Indiana at the Mayfield's "Holiday Lights on Edison Road" was filled to the brim by the end of the concert!  HOORAY! That makes me so happy!!!!

And it's official...I've got a cold. The Zicam didn't work.  Still popping vitamin C and drinking plenty of fluids.

Got a lot to do this morning before check out at 11am. Heading down to the fitness room now for a good walk.

A Dicken Christmas in Hudson IL....Bobby, Roxanne, Carla, Jerry and the whole gang....here I come!!!!!!!!!

Sunday, Dec. 3 Tour Stop #3: Holiday Lightshow on Edison Road, South Bend, IN

I'm sitting in my hotel room, popping Vitamin C drops and Zicam and trying to ward off a cold.  "Can't get sick, can't get sick, can't get sick" is all I've been saying to myself all day.  On top of that I feel like I've already gained ten pounds and I've only been on the road since Wednesday! Tomorrow I shall begin the day in the fitness room here at the hotel.  This is my solemn vow!

Many, many thanks to all the folks who came out to the show tonight here in South Bend, and especially to Gary and Billie Mayfield and their boys who worked so hard to put on the show. Gary said we had a bigger crowd than he had expected!  I was very fortunate to have the donated services of a sound man, one of Gary's friends....Dale from DJ Fire and he did a great job.  I had a wireless mic so I was able to move throughout the crowd and even rubbed noses with a doggie!  It was really great to have someone doing sound and not have to worry about that aspect of things. We went live on FB for a little while and that video is still up if you want to watch it.  It's interesting for me to watch because I can hear voices from the crowd that I could not hear while I was performing.

Gary surprised me with a double batch of Wendy's chili before the show! He had been watching my posts about eating a lot of Wendy's chili on the road and did this very thoughtful thing. I had one cup before the show and just finished the second cup here in the room to warm up. Thank you for thinking of this, Gary!

Sometimes I feel uncertain after a show...and I'm having one of those nights tonight.  In this case, it was pretty cold out and some of the people got up and left before the show was over.  You know, no matter how many times that has happened throughout my career, it still always makes me feel bad. Even thought they may have a zillion reasons for leaving that have nothing to do with me, I still always feel like its my fault.  Maybe every entertainer feels that way?  In any case, I was worried that people were leaving because they were getting cold so I cut a couple of songs from the show, and now I'm feeling like I maybe didn't sing long enough.  Yes, I am officially loony. But my hosts do a lot of work to make these shows possible, and I never want to let them down. 

I signed a lot of autographs after the performance and people had very nice things to say, so that made me feel better.  There was a news woman there throughout the concert. I am very eager to hear from Gary and Billie about just how much of the show made it on TV!

I had great ambitions about getting a lot of stuff done when I got back to the hotel room, but now, as I'm writing this, I think I'm just gonna go brush my teeth and read a little bit.  I'm trying to Christmas shop online while I'm out here, plus do Christmas cards, and work on bookings for the new year.

One thing I want to mention before I sign off....people ask me sometimes how I manage all the driving. The secret is audiobooks. I always have a book going.  Right now I'm listening to Jan Karon's latest Mitford book.  I started out the tour by re-listening to the last one, just to refresh my memory.  I love this series of books about an Episcopal priest in a small town in North Carolina.  The writing and stories always serve to remind me that God is always in my life, and whether or not I'm thinking about Him, He's thinking about me.  I don't know how, and I can't explain it, but I know God cares about each and every one of us, because He made us and He is our Father. When I think of Him as a father, it is very easy to understand God and what my relationship with Him should be like.  So I'm trying to use my time alone on this tour to pray more and worry less.  Thank you all for your prayers and good will as I go on this journey. Tomorrow it's off to Illinois and the Dicken clan....it will be my third trip to their display since 2010 and I'm really looking forward to reuniting with them.  I sang at Bobby and Roxanne's wedding last year and it will be good to see the newlyweds.

Good night!

December 1 Tour Stop #2: Reph's Winter Wonderland, Nazareth, PA

As I write this I am safely ensconced in my hotel room in Cleveland after having visited the A Christmas Story House.  What a blast! That visit has been a goal of mine ever since I found out about the house, and it was worth the wait.  Like being right in the movie.  Now I wish I'd brought the DVD with me so I could watch it tonight!

Last night was the fifth time I've performed in concert at Reph's Winter Wonderland in Nazareth, PA.  Jason and his family are old friends now, and I always have a wonderful time there.  But it's also always really cold!!  Still, we had a good and enthusiastic crowd with a bunch of kids who got up and sang with me, and Jason's friend (and now she's my friend as well) Becca brought a girl scout troop who danced and sang and seemed to have a lot of fun.  Even Santa Claus was there!  The family selected the Ronald McDonald house of Philadelphia as their charity because family members recently stayed there when their daughter was seriously ill.  She's okay now and was at the concert last night. I'm very grateful for the donations.  $189 was raised. Hooray!!!

Jason and his father are firefighters and I'm trying to convince them to invite me back to perform for the kids and families at the Fireman's Carnival next summer.  I'd love to come to Nazareth when it's warm out!

Thank you so much, Reph family, for another wonderful and memorable evening.  Let's do it again soon!  Lots of love to all of you!

Tonight is an off night so I drove halfway to my next destination- South Bend, Indiana, and visited the aforementioned A Christmas Story House.  Sooooooo coool!  I even learned how they got that kid's tongue to stick to the lamp post!   Below are some pictures from my visit.
Tomorrow night I'll be at the home of Gary and Bobbi Mayfield...Holiday Light Show on Edison Road ....get ready, South Bend, here I come!   https://www.facebook.com/holidaylightshowonedisonroad/?fref=ts

Nov. 30th. Stop #1. Lights on Laurel in Lititz, PA

I am writing this from my hotel room near Nazareth, PA.  Soon I will head over to Jason Reph's "Reph's Winter Wonderland" for my second concert of the tour. I'm so looking forward to seeing Jason and his family and all of their guests.  I think this will be the fifth time I've been to their house since I started doing these tours in 2010!

I cannot stress enough what a wonderful time it was at my first concert last night at the home of Rich and Wendy Motz in Lititz, PA last night.  I was really exhausted when I got there because I'd had such a full day in NYC the previous day, going to a Broadway show in the afternoon - a Christmas present from my dear brother Michael Pierce- and then a HANSON Christmas concert with my daughter, Emma.  Which was SO MUCH FUN!!!  But anyway,  I was really beat when I got to Lititz, but the smiles on the faces of Rich and Wendy Motz and their family and friends when I arrived perked me right up.  They really went all out. THEY HAD SANTA ON THE ROOF!  They got a professional stage and, of course, their display was magnificent.  They had around 250 people out in the street with VIP seating in front of the stage!  AND as the concert was a benefit for the town  volunteer fire department they arranged for me to arrive at their house on a fire truck! It was a hoot! Many thanks to the wonderful firemen who made sure I climbed up and down safely and didn't fall off.  A photographer took my picture as I climbed down and I'm sure THAT will be a shot for the memory book.  HAHA!

Wendy and Rich have a neighbor named Frank who came over and helped with the technical part of the set-up so I could sing "The House on Christmas Street" along with the animated lights. He mentioned that he is a performer himself, so I got him up on stage near the end of the concert to sing "Candy" with me and he was a big hit! A real showman!  Thank you, Frank!

A bunch of kids came up to sing "Frosty the Snowman" with me and it's so funny....kids always SWEAR they know the whole song.  They get past the "eyes made out of coal" part and everything disintegrates! So if you are planning on attending one of my shows down the road make sure to bone up on your "Frosty" lyrics!  Go ahead, try to sing it now without looking at the lyrics and let me know how far YOU get!

Rain had been predicted but it held off until after the show when I had just finished signing autographs. Thank the Lord! I was being interviewed by the local cable station when it started raining and it was a big rush to get all the gear out of the rain, but everything survived--- I hope. I'll know when I set it all up at the Reph's in a little while.  Fingers crossed.

My dear friends Larry and Carolyn Heard came to the concert and took me out to an Italian restaurant for dinner after the show. We had a lot of catching up to do and closed the place down. They are both crazed Carpenter fans and that's how we met.  They are beautiful people and we had a wonderful time. Thank you, Larry and Carolyn!  I'm so lucky to know you!

I got to lay my head in a wonderful bed at the General Sutter Inn, a historic inn in Lititz and it was extremely comfortable. This morning Rich and Wendy met me and treated me to a Pennsylvania Dutch breakfast - there was apple pie on the buffet, for breakfast! - but I resisted that temptation.  It's a good thing because I ended up eating three of Wendy's delicious cookies (she gave me a giant bag of  them from last night) on the way to this stop.

Lititz is an amazing little town.  Not only beautiful, but interesting. There is a place called "Rock Lititz" that does staging, lighting and sound for major concerts all over the world and we dropped over there for a look around this morning.  They also took me to a huge, beautiful park where many events are held and I enjoyed watching the ducks in the canal.  Perhaps I'll come back to perform in the park on the 4th of July! We talked about that possibility.  Oh, and by the way, at the concert last night they gave me a basket of Lititz goodies, including chocolates from the Wilbur Chocolate company that I'm told are the forerunners of the famous Hershey kisses....but better! I haven't broken into that bag yet. I want to fit into my coat for the rest of the tour!

And here's the best news of all....this first concert on The House on Christmas Street 2017 Charity Tour raised just shy of a thousand bucks for the Lititz Volunteer Fire Department!!  HOORAY and many, many thanks to all the people who came out and donated generously!  You are all heroes in my book!

Getting Ready to Hit the Road Again!

In the unforgettable words of my beloved Aunt Flo, "Oh boys!" Gonna be a busy couple of days, especially since I am in the recording studio tomorrow!
Here's my plan for the next several days...

Monday, November 27: Go to West Sound in Surry to record four of the songs for the CHRISTMAS WITH THE DEAD musical. These will be included in an application package for an ASCAP Musical Theater workshop to be conducted by Steven Schwartz, who wrote music and lyrics for GODSPELL, PIPPIN and WICKED, among others. Wish me luck!

Tuesday, November 28: Hit the road after my last piano lesson. Drive to Deb Noack's to deliver books and possibly spend the night.

Wednesday November 29: Drive to NYC to deliver a fresh NH Christmas tree to my daughters and meet Michael Pierce for lunch and fun! Then that evening it's a HANSON concert with Emma!

Thursday, November 30: Drive 3 hours to Lititz, PA for the first concert on the tour at the home of Rich and Wendy Motz 6pm START
659 Laurel Ave., Lititz PA 17543
After the show I get to hang out with two of my Carpentour friends, Carolyn and Larry Heard!

Friday, December 1: Drive 2 hours to Nazareth, PA for a concert at Jason Reph's “Reph’s Winter Wonderland”
198 Firehouse Lane, Nazareth, PA 18064
7PM START

Saturday, December 2: Driving Day 6 hours to CLEVELAND
VISIT THE CHRISTMAS STORY HOUSE!!!!!!!!! (this visit is coming out of my personal $$, not the tour money. I'm going through the area anyway, and Cleveland was a good place to stop on my way to Indiana, and this visit is a LIFE GOAL!)

Sunday December 3: Drive four hours to South Bend, IN to perform at the home of Gary and Bobbi Mayfield's , “Holiday Lightshow on Edison Road”
24013 Edison Road, South Bend Indiana 46628
7PM START

Monday, December 4: Drive 3 ½ hours to Hudson, IL to perform at Bobby and Roxanne Dicken's “A Dicken Christmas” 706 Trimmer Dr., Hudson, IL 61748
7PM START

Tuesday, December 5: Driving Day- 16 hours to WY!!!

I'll be posting here often on the trip, so I hope you'll come along!

The House on Christmas Street 2017 Charity Tour

I'm doing it again! Once again I'm going to get in my van (current mileage: 540,000) and travel across the country doing community Christmas concerts on the lawns and in the driveways of decorators who use my music in their displays!  Here's this year's itinerary:

Thursday, November 30 at 6pm:

Rich Motz, “Laurel Ave Lights”

659 Laurel Ave., Lititz PA 17543

www.facebook.com/LaurelAveLights

Charity: LITITZ VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT

Friday, December 1 at 7pm: 

Jason Reph, “Reph’s Winter Wonderland”

198 Firehouse Lane, Nazareth, PA 18064

http://rephswinterwonderland.webs.com/

Charity:  RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE OF PHILADELPHIA

Sunday, December 3 ad 7pm:

Gary Mayfield, “Holiday Lightshow on Edison Road”

24013 Edison Road, South Bend Indiana 46628        

https://www.facebook.com/holidaylightshowonedisonroad

Charity: FOOD BANK OF NORTHERN INDIANA

Monday, December 4:

Bobby Dicken, “A Dicken Christmas”

706 Trimmer Dr., Hudson, IL 61748

https://www.facebook.com/adickenchristmas/

Charity: CHILDREN’S HOME OF CENTRAL IL

Tuesday, December 5: 

Omaha, NE (hospital performance, tentative)

Wednesday, December 6:

Brian Wagner, “Christmas in Wyoming”

3148 Whispering Springs, Casper, Wyoming, WY 82604

https://christmasinwyoming.org/                  

Charity: JOSHUA’S STOREHOUSE

Thursday, December 7: 

Tyson Schmidt, “The Journey of Lights”

9105 W. Overland Road, Boise, Idaho

https://www.facebook.com/JourneyLights/

Charity:  TBA

Friday, December 8:

Mark Zembruski, “Woodinville Wonderland” 

23620 NE 183^rd St, Woodinville, WA 98077

www.woodinvillewonderland.com                

Charity: SPECIAL OLYMPICS OF WASHINGTON AND THE NORTHSHORE WRANGLERS

Saturday, December 9:

Paul Aziz, “Cascade Christmas Lights”

312 E Sherman Street, Lebanon Oregon

www.cascadechristmaslights.com

Charity: LEBANON KIDS PACKS

                                               

Sunday, December 10:

David Castaldo, “Castaldo Christmas Circus of Lights”

49 California Ave.,Beaumont CA 92223  (100 yards south of 1st St. on w/s of California Ave. Do not rely on common GPS, it will put you on a dirt road in an empty field)

Charity: BEAUMONT CHERRY VALLEY ROTARY CLUB

Wednesday, December 13:

Bob Brescia, “Shiloh Road Lights”

77 Shiloh Road Odessa, TX 79762

https://www.facebook.com/Shiloh-Road-Lights-834113233374412/?ref=bookmarks

Charity: THE JUNIOR LEAGUE OF ODESSA

Thursday, December 14: 

Main Pecan Arts Center

123 E. Main, Nacogdoches, Texas, TX 75961

Friday, December 15:

Jim Dennis, “Christmas in the Pines”

7346  Kymulga Grist Mill Rd
Childersburg, Alabama, AL 35044

https://www.facebook.com/pg/christmasinthepines/

Sunday, December 17:

Judy will perform at Mickey’s Home Christmas Carnival

Mickey Baus, “Mickey’s Home”

5306 Nagami Drive, Windermere FL 34786

MickeysHome.com

Charity:  GIVE KIDS THE WORLD

Tuesday, December 19

Jim Dennis, “Christmas in the Pines”

7346  Kymulga Grist Mill Rd
Childersburg, Alabama, AL 35044

https://www.facebook.com/pg/christmasinthepines/

Wednesday, December 20:

Terri Keeling, “A Clifty Christmas”

The intersection of North 181 and Route 890/Rabbit Ridge Road. Elkton, KY                                 

Charity:  CLIFTY SCHOOL PARK

Friday, December 22  

Don Krasley, “Krasley Christmas”

525 Woodland Dr., Manheim, PA 17545

https://www.facebook.com/krasleychristmas 

Charity: RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES OF CENTRAL PA

Saturday December 23^rd

DRIVE HOME!

Hope to see you out there on the road somewhere!!