Becky Bullard was en route home to Austin, Texas, when she heard the news. She had a connecting flight through Charlotte, North Carolina, and decided to rent a car and drive nearly four hours to Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, to pay homage to Dolly Parton, the larger-than-life country music superstar who died on 25 August at 80, shortly after being diagnosed with cancer. Bullard knew she needed to go all out.
She already had white cowboy boots, but she was missing that signature Parton sparkle. She found a gold-sequined dress at an antique shop, and added red lipstick and gold earrings that said “DOLLY” in script. Dollywood, which opened in 1986 just miles from Parton’s hometown, draws more than 4 million visitors annually.
Parton, who grew up in poverty in east Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains, told Barbara Walters in a 1982 interview that she intended to open a theme park, “a fantasy city, sort of like Disneyland, but like a mountain Disneyland”. She was successful in that vision. In addition to roller coasters and other rides, the park is filled with vendors dedicated to Appalachian craftsmanship, including leather workers, herbalists and bakers.
A small chapel is set aside for anyone who wants a quiet moment to reflect. There are museums dedicated to Parton’s musical career and her philanthropy, and butterfly iconography at every turn. The park is a manifestation of the Dolly Parton ethos that bigger is always best, but at its heart, it’s a love letter to the region that raised her.
On Wednesday, a memorial at the park’s entrance held bouquets of flowers, letters, drawings and other tributes to Parton. A pair of Velour-brand false eyelashes in their packaging were tucked behind a jar of sunflowers; in Sharpie, a mourner had written: “Cried these off! From Texas.” A letter from a family, presumably written before news of her death broke, described the mother’s decision to name her newborn Parton for the woman who “exude[s] warmth, integrity and grit”.
A photo of the baby was included. Dollywood is the largest employer in Sevier county, with about 4,000 people on the payroll, according to park president Eugene Naughton. But when they heard about Parton’s death yesterday, they felt compelled to visit.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
