Dolly Parton‘s recent trip home to Sevier County, Tenn., involved a performance at the multi-faceted star’s Dollywood complex, a plethora of her greatest hits, and a worthy cause.
Parton entertained crowds during four sold-out shows at Dollywood’s D.P. Celebrity Theatre, raising more than $500,000 for her Imagination Library. The energetic 69-year-old offered hits including “Coat Of Many Colors,” “9 to 5,” and renditions of more recent recordings such as “Blue Smoke” and “Backwoods Barbie,” among others.
“Thank you from all the kids and me!,” Parton told the crowd. “We give books to children all over the world now, and the Imagination Library started right here in Sevier County, right up here in these hills. So thank you all for coming. I truly believe that you can never get enough books into the hands of enough children.”
Parton’s Imagination Library, which launched in 1995, works with more than 1,600 local communities to provide age-appropriate books for more than 750,000 children each month. To date, the program has mailed more than 71 million free books to children in the United States, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.
About the Author
Jessica Nicholson serves as the Managing Editor for MusicRow magazine. Her previous music journalism experience includes work with Country Weekly magazine and Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) magazine. She holds a BBA degree in Music Business and Marketing from Belmont University. She welcomes your feedback at jnicholson@musicrow.com.View Author Profile