California has signed a state bill and Nashville has planned events to honour Dolly Parton’s music, philanthropy and literacy legacy, with museum and televised tributes following in the coming weeks.
California and Nashville will mark September 25 as Dolly Parton Day, exactly one month after the singer died at her Nashville home on August 25 at the age of 80. Governor Gavin Newsom signed the California bill, which was co-authored by Democratic Senator John Laird and Republican Senator Shannon Grove.
In a joint statement, the senators pointed to the Imagination Library as the core of Parton’s public legacy. “Dolly Parton sparkled on every stage she ever stood on, but her brightest sparkle was the literacy legacy she built through the Imagination Library,” they said. The programme has put millions of books in the hands of young readers.
Other US cities are planning their own celebrations, and Nashville has scheduled events ahead of two larger tributes. The Dolly’s Life of Many Colors Museum opens September 29 inside the SongTeller Hotel, drawing on recordings Parton made earlier this year to guide visitors through her songwriting, touring life, stage wardrobe, film work and the library project.
The Country Music Association follows with “CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton” on October 21. The live two-hour special will be filmed at Belmont University’s Fisher Center and air on ABC and Disney+, with proceeds going to the Imagination Library.
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ROMBO Editorial Staff
The collective voice behind ROMBO Magazine’s news, reviews, features, and cultural coverage.
