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Sevierville is
the Hometown
of Country Music
Legend Dolly Parton
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Sevierville is well known for many different things.
The shopping capital of East Tennessee, Sevierville borders the most
visited National Park in the United States, Great Smoky Mountains
National Park, and is home to theatrical productions, attractions
and restaurants that run along the parkway making Sevierville a
tourist mecca.urist mecca. |
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But Sevierville is also home to internationally known singer,
songwriter, and entertainer Dolly Parton. Dolly grew up in
nearby Locust Ridge; the fourth of 12 siblings. Dolly knew at a
young age that she wanted to sing and entertain for a living. At
the age of 6, Dolly was singing live at WIVK radio station in
nearby Knoxville, Tennessee. She was also making weekly
appearances at Cas Walker’s Grocery Store, which still stands
today and now houses Goodwill Industries on the Parkway in
Sevierville. Dolly attended Sevier County High School where she
was in the band. After graduating in 1964, Dolly packed up her
hopes and dreams of a career in the music business and moved to
Nashville to pursue her dreams.
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Dolly has
written more than 3,000 songs, many of which are No. 1
hits. Dolly has 25 No. 1 country singles (55 top 10
country hits), eight Top 40 pop hits, 26 gold and
platinum record awards, seven Grammy® Awards (and 44
nominations), 11 CMA Awards, two Oscar nominations (Best
Song), five Golden Globe nominations (three for acting),
an Emmy nomination, more than 100 million records sold,
and the list goes on and on.
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In 1986 Dolly wanted to do something for the folks in
her Tennessee Mountain home. Partnering with Herschend
Family Entertainment, Dolly opened her
Dollywood family
theme park in nearby Pigeon Forge, Tenn. This 130-acre
park has continued to grow and add new rides, shows,
restaurants, and festivals in the past 22 years. In
2001, Dolly opened
Dollywood’s Splash Country to
“splashing” reviews. This 30-acre park is filled with
slides, a lazy river, and wavepool is open May thru
September each year. Dolly also opened her
Dixie
Stampede Dinner Show in 1988 in Pigeon Forge, with
additional venues in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Branson,
MO. This friendly rivalry between the North and South
features 32 magnificent horses along with ostriches,
pigs and a herd of authentic Texas longhorns. Guests
also are treated to a fabulous four-course feast.
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In 1996, Dolly Parton launched an exciting new
effort to benefit the children of her home
county in East Tennessee. Dolly wanted to foster
a love of reading among her county’s preschool
children and their families. She wanted children
to be excited about books and to feel the magic
that books can create. Moreover, she could
insure that every child would have books,
regardless of their family’s income.
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With the introduction of
Dolly’s Imagination
Library, she mailed a brand new, age-appropriate
book each month to every child under the age of
five in Sevier County. With the arrival of every
child’s first book, the classic The Little
Engine That Could ™, every child could
experience the joy of finding their very own
book in their mailbox. By the time each
participating child entered kindergarten, he or
she had a 60-volume library of books. The last
book of the collection, Look Out Kindergarten,
Here I Come, prepared them for school. |
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Needless to
say, the program has been a success. So
much so that many other communities
clamored to provide the Imagination
Library to their children. Dolly thought
long and hard about it and decided to
help develop a way for other communities
to participate. With Penguin Group USA
as the exclusive publisher for the
Imagination Library, the program is now
replicated in 700 communities in 43
states as well as Canada and England.
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Dolly also has been a major supporter of
healthcare in Sevier County. She is the
honorary chairperson of
The Dr. Robert
F. Thomas Foundation, named for the
doctor who delivered Dolly and helped
establish adequate healthcare facilities
in Sevier County.
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Appreciation for Dolly can be
seen throughout Sevierville and
Sevier County. Dolly Parton
Parkway is a major thoroughfare
in Sevierville and one of the
most beloved statues in
Sevierville is the statue of
Dolly Parton on the courthouse
lawn. The statue, sculpted by
local artist Jim Gray and
unveiled by Dolly herself on May
2, 1987, features a young Dolly
barefoot strumming a guitar.
Dolly proclaimed the dedication
of the statue as her proudest
moment in a recent
CMT Special.
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For more
information about Dolly Parton- |
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