By Patti Parish-Kaminski, Publisher
I will always love you, Dolly, and appreciate your legacy – one book and garish outfit at a time.
I’ve taken to my bed, precious Dolly is dead. Not only does that sound like a great hook for a sad country song, it is my current state. I am tore up.
Dolly Parton is a national treasure. So how in the best nation in the entire world did we let her go? We’ve got the best of the best in medicine, in facilities, in doctors. How did we let our sweet Dolly go?
I’m convinced God needed her, and I get that. Talk about bringing sunshine and love up above. I promise you, Dolly was God’s girl, and she was my fav from early childhood. Being full-grown and not blonde, I was enamored with the tiny little blonde goddess who sang from the heart and played the guitar with 2-inch-long fingernails.
Dolly was not a conformist. She did not confirm to societal rules. She danced to her own drum – wore what she wanted to wear, did what she wanted to do and did it all in three-inch heels. I learned from Dolly’s uniqueness and ability to be unabashedly her.
I’ve never been one to blend in, to go the inconspicuous route like everyone else. I don unique outfits, have lots of hair and have been known to prance around in high heels on the daily. I remember working at the Texas Capital in the mid-1990s and the dreaded dress code. I was not a dress code kind of girl. Still not. From the words of my supervisor, I had to “tone it down” in the wardrobe department. It. Was. Painful. At least on Fridays we were allowed to wear jeans. Of course, all of the other state agencies called us “The Texas Department of Denim” instead of agriculture. We really didn’t care.
My mantra in my, let’s say for lack of a better term, taste, has always been WWDD – What Would Dolly Do? So, through the years, I’ve bought it, worn it, put rhinestones on it, took pictures in it – all the things.
In 2022, I was able to both take a peek and literally shop in Dolly’s Closet. It was Lisa Ann’s birthday, and I arranged the grand tour. Our destination? Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Yep, we stayed at her DreamMore Resort, went to her Stampede dinner show, and of course, went to Dollywood. It was magical. Our visit to Dollywood commenced on a Sunday, and we even got to go to church in Dollywood.
While in Dollywood, we stumbled on utopia: Dolly’s Closet. I literally heard angels singing as we entered. The venue not only showcased some of the sparkly, rhinestone studded, high heels that Dolly wore, you could actually BUY some Dolly Duds picked out by darlin’ Dolly herself! Well, that was a temptation I wasn’t about to pass up. Styled by my girl, Dolly? It was divine intervention. I was in. I bought so many bright and shiny things Lisa Ann and I had to go to The Walmart and buy a new suitcase.
As a tribute, I am wearing Dolly t-shirts and garish rhinestone clad accoutrements every day. Dolly would appreciate that.
And I’m telling Lisa Ann to pack. Our next destination? Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop in Cornersville, Tennessee. It’s open 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Isn’t that just like Dolly to make things convenient?
There’s live music there every day plus her world-famous cinnamon bread that they serve at the Grist Mill in Dollywood. Yep, we’ve eaten it, and we’ll eat it again. There’s even a special Cup of Amibition coffee there. I don’t even like coffee, but I’m drinking it – for Dolly.
There will never another Dolly, but her legacy lives on for generations to come. I encourage you, porch sitters, to look up Dolly’s Imagination Library Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library | USA, UK, IE, CA, AU where she’s gifted millions of books to children all over the world.
Because in Dolly’s words, “When I was growing up in the hills of East Tennessee, I knew my dreams would come true. I know there are children in your community with their own dreams. They dream of becoming a doctor or an inventor or a minister. Who knows, maybe there is a little girl whose dream is to be a writer and singer. The seeds of these dreams are often found in books and the seeds you help plant in your community can grow across the world.”
Read a book, on the porch, in your most sparkly, rhinestone covered get up, and gift some books to help children’s dreams come true. That’s what Dolly would do. See y’all next week – on the porch!
Patti Parish-Kaminski
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