Happy Birthday to Dolly Parton!!

Hi Everyone, Today is a great day for Dollywood and Dolly Parton Fans!  It is Dolly Parton’s 77th Birthday and without her, none of what we all appreciate, cherish and adore would be around to love.  So many different types of people with wildly different beliefs and backgrounds forget every bit of that to find commonality and love for Dolly Parton. She is a treasure of a human and I feel fortunate to be here to share her news with all y'all.

Here are some Birthday tributes from social media.  I’ll update these throughout the day today, so check back later on to see more of those.

Below that, I have a pretty meticulous article for you called 77 Facts for Dolly Parton’s 77th Birthday, written by Hope McAlee and posted to our local ABC Affiliate, WATE-TV.

Happy Birthday, Dolly Parton.  This is one of my favorite pictures of her at Dollywood, on the Thunder Express Roller Coaster, around 1989 or so.

Social Media

In 1976 Dolly Parton (age 30) visited Captain Kangaroo.

Happy happy happy birthday, @DollyParton … https://t.co/3L8ONX47XR

— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) January 19, 2023

 

77 Facts for Dolly Parton's 77th Birthday

by: Hope McAlee

Posted: Jan 18, 2023 / 03:56 PM EST

Updated: Jan 18, 2023 / 04:34 PM EST

Source:  WATE-TV

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — In celebration of Dolly Parton‘s 77th birthday, here are 77 facts about the East Tennessee icon.

1. Dolly is one of 12 siblings, all of whom were raised in a two-room house.

2. Dolly Parton’s childhood home still stands in Sevierville. A replica is available for visitors to walk through in Pigeon Forge.

3. An Eastern Sevier County history book says Dolly’s father paid the doctor who delivered her with either a bag of oatmeal or cornmeal.

4. She’s been nominated for over 100 awards for her music and acting, and she won 43 of those according to IMDb.

5. While she’s been nominated for ACM‘s Top Female Vocalist Award 13 times, she’s only won once, in 1981.

Dolly Parton, left, and Kelsea Ballerini arrive at the 57th Academy of Country Music Awards on Monday, March 7

6. She’s released 79 albums and over 200 singles and EP’s. Sources say she’s credited with writing and arrangement on nearly 2,000 songs.

7. Dolly’s first single, “Puppy Love” was recorded in 1957 and released in 1959

8. Between 2015 and 2022, Dolly earned 47 Gold and Platinum certifications from around the globe.

9. Dolly wrote her first song at the age of 6 or 7 called “Little Tiny Tassle Top,” in 1953.

10. Parton once lost a Dolly Parton look-a-like contest.

11. Parton began performing as a regular singer on The Cas Walker Show in Knoxville in 1956.

12. When Parton was 13 years old, she performed at the Grand Old Opry for the first time, was introduced by Johnny Cash and got three encores.

13. In 2022, Parton gave $1 million to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville for pediatric infectious disease research.

14. Dolly’s middle name is Rebecca.

15. In 1967, Dolly released her first full-length album, Hello, I’m Dolly, with Monument Records.

16. Parton had a television show that debuted in 1976 called Dolly. The show had 26 episodes before it ended in 1977.

17. Parton’s first film was 9 to 5, released in 1980.

18. Parton is listed as the author of eight books on Amazon, including novels, inspirational books, and children’s books.

19. Dolly has a never-before-heard song locked away at Dollywood that will be released in 2045. (Watch Jeff's YT Short here)

20. She broke four world records. Parton originally held the records for most decades on the US Hot Country Songs Chart for a female artist at 6 decades and most No. 1 hits on the chart by a female artist at 25 songs. She then broke both of those records, having 109 hits on the chart and staying on the chart for 7 decades.

21. Parton won a CMA Award in five different decades.

22. Dolly is on Tiktok.

23. Dolly released a baking collection with Duncan Hines in 2022. New additions were announced in January of 2023.

Duncan Hines’ limited edition Dolly Parton’s Baking Collection, with her four new baking mixes and more 

Dolly Parton introduces her Duncan Hines’ Buttermilk Biscuit mix, available in stores this January.

24. Dolly’s book with James Patterson, Run, Rose, Run, is being turned into a film by Sony Pictures along with Reese Witherspoon‘s production company, Hello Sunshine.

25. Parton starred in the 1982 film The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

26. In a Vanity Fair interview, Dolly admitted to having pastel tattoos to cover scars.

27. Dolly creates the concepts of her looks and her creative team cranks out around 300 outfits a year, according to Steve Summers, Dolly’s creative director.

28. Summers, who has been working with her for over 30 years, told WATE that there is a warehouse that has every single garment Dolly has worn since 1964.

29. Parton has released at least 50 duets, including “I Will Always Love You” with Vince Gill, “Islands In The Stream” with Kenny Rogers, and “Here I Am” with Sia for the 2018 Netflix film Dumplin’.

30. Parton was first signed by Tree Publishing and Mercury Records in Nashville with her uncle, Bill Owens.

31. Parton has been married to her husband Carl Dean for over 55 years.

32. In 2020, Parton told People Magazine that she first met Dean, who was a Nashville businessman, when she was 18.

33. Parton also told People that one of their first dates was at McDonald’s.

34. Dolly has been offered the Presidential Medal of Freedom twice and turned it down. The first time she turned it down because of her husband’s illness and the second time because of the pandemic.

35. Parton’s theme park, Dollywood, opened on May 3, 1986. (See Jeff's extensive Dollywood YT playlist here)

36. In December 2022, a Southwest Virginia farm made a hay sculpture honoring Parton, called ‘Doll-Hay.’

37. Dolly is featured in two Funko Pops, which were announced in early 2023

38. Doggy Parton, Dolly’s line of pet items, launched in the Summer of 2022. (See Jeff's YT video on that here)

39. During an event where Parton promoted her novel, Run, Rose, Run, with James Patterson, fans were able to claim NFT’s of Parton.

40. Dolly starred in Taco Bell’s “Mexican Pizza: The Musical” on TikTok.

41. Despite her success, Parton isn’t a billionaire. Parton’s net worth was estimated at $350 million by Forbes in August 2021, and some recent estimates suggest her net worth may be around $650 million.

42. Dolly Parton is only two inches taller than Danny DeVito. Sources say Parton is five-feet tall while DeVito is four-feet 10 inches tall.

The song to which Parton refers is likely “My Place In History,” a tune she recorded in 2015 and tucked away in a “Dream Box” located at Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort in Pigeon Forge, TN - WATCH MY VIDEO #SHORT OF THE BOX AT DREAMMORE - HERE.

43. In 2022, Parton was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

44. Dolly Parton was a guest on “The Simpsons”, where she voiced herself.

45. In a children’s show, Dolly was the voice actress for a character named “Noleen,” IMDb says.

46. Parton is the godmother of two: Miley Cyrus and Billy the Kid, who is a French Bulldog.

47. Paton acted in approximately 135 movies, television shows, and music videos according to IMDb.

48. She has hundreds of wigs. Out.com asked Dolly how many she had at the Heartstrings premiere, and she responded that she wears one about every day, so she must have at least 365.

49. Parton’s Imagination Library, which has now gifted over 195 million books in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Republic of Ireland, launched in 1995.

50. Dolly doesn’t have any children of her own. According to Today, Parton told Oprah Winfrey that she believed God didn’t mean for her to have kids so that everybody’s kids could be hers.

51. Parton was awarded with the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy on August 3, 2022.

52. Parton is an early bird. In an interview with Today, she told them she wakes up by 3 a.m. for meditation and spiritual work before she takes care of business.

53. Parton told CMT she wrote “I Will Always Love You” about her mentor, Porter Wagoner, not a romantic interest.

54. On her birthday, she eats pie, not cake, Parton told a USA Today reporter.

(Photo via Dolly Parton)

55. In 1977, Dolly met Queen Elizabeth II in London.

56. After filming completed on Parton’s 2022 Christmas movie, some of the props and costumes used were donated to a Sevierville thrift store for charity.

57. Dolly’s first paid performance was at the Pines Theater in Sevierville when she was 10 years old. In May 2022, the company that owns the theater announced it was being remodeled to turn it into an entertainment venue, named The Pines.

58. Parton seems to be a fan of Lil Nas X. After Lil Nas X’s cover of “Jolene,” Parton said she was excited and that she loves him. In 2019, there was also a Twitter thread between the pair teasing the possibility of a remix of Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” with Parton.

59. Parton released a children’s album called “I Believe in You.”

60. Dolly found out about the Gatlinburg Wildfires in a phone call from Miley Cyrus.

61. Parton raised over $9 million in a telethon for her My People Fund, which gave $1,000 checks to families affected by the wildfires monthly for 6 months. The fund received enough donations that the final check fire victims were given was $5,000.

62. Parton was recognized by the FBI for helping Gatlinburg wildfire victims. The FBI gave the 2018 Directors Community Leadership Award to the Dollywood Foundation.

63. Dolly helped reduce dropout rates in Sevier County Schools from 30% to 6% in 1991. The Dollywood Foundation launched the Buddy Program in Sevier County Schools. Seventh and eighth-grade students were each promised $500 if they and a buddy graduated high school.

64. She once donated an autographed pair of heels to be auctioned for Soles4Souls.

65. Parton has been a member of the Grand Ole Opry for over 50 years.

66. Parton saved an actor’s life by pulling him out of the path of an oncoming vehicle on the set of ‘Christmas on the Square’.

67. Parton’s gold dress she wore in 1988 for an episode of “Dolly,” filmed at the Grand Ole Opry, is on display at the Opry.

68. The University of Tennessee offered a history course on Dolly Parton’s life.

69. Parton was voted “least likely to succeed” in high school, according to a 2017 tweet she made.

70. She is the first and only female recipient, as of 2022, of the “Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award.”

71. Parton is featured on a Kesha album. In the 2017 album, Rainbow, the pair sang a duet of Parton’s “Old Flames (Can’t Hold a Candle to You).

72. Parton was named the 2022 Friend of Education by the National Education Association.

73. In addition to Dollywood’s employees, Dolly has had a major economic impact on East Tennessee. According to a study at the University of Tennessee, Dollywood has an annual direct and indirect economic impact of over $1.8 billion and created over 23,000 jobs in the region.

74. In 2019, Parton was part of the first all-female host line-up for the CMA Awards.

75. At 10 years old, Parton was interested in show business. A former audio technician shared that when she wasn’t performing, she was watching everything happening behind the scenes.

76. Dolly was named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in 2021.

77. In 2023, Parton was honored with the Christine King Farris Legacy of Service in Education Award at the King Center’s 2023 Beloved Community Awards.

Dolly Parton announces new Duncan Hines items

Hi Everyone, Big news from Dolly Parton if you're a sugar-holic, sweets loving Dolly Fan. WATE-Knoxville has the scoop!

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Dolly Parton announced four new additions to her Duncan Hines baking collection, with both sweet and savory options.

Parton announced the new items on Tuesday on her social media. The new items include mixes for sweet cornbread, buttermilk biscuits, caramel turtle brownies and fabulously fudgy brownies.

While the mixes are expected to be a smash hit, just like Dolly's prior baked good mixes, Duncan Hines has also included Dolly's recipes on its website to take the mixes to the next level. With the mixes, fans can make peanut butter skillet brownie sundaes, pecan pie brownies, jalapeno cornbread and cheddar & chive biscuits.

"I have a real treat for you!" Parton said when announcing the new mixes. "Now they're gonna be available in stores real soon, but you can get all the mixes along with some other special items in my baking kit while supplies last."

Duncan Hines has a countdown to the line's release that will hit zero on February 7 at noon.

• Duncan Hines’ limited edition Dolly Parton’s Baking Collection, with her four new baking mixes and more, goes on sale at shop.duncanhines.com on Feb. 8, 2023, while supplies last. Duncan Hines is a brand of Conagra Brands, Inc.

• Dolly Parton introduces her Duncan Hines’ Buttermilk Biscuit mix, available in stores this January. Duncan Hines is a brand of Conagra Brands, Inc.

• Duncan Hines has introduced four new Dolly Parton baking mixes – Buttermilk Biscuits, Cornbread, Fabulously Fudgy Brownies and Caramel Turtle Brownies - inspired by her favorite recipes. Duncan Hines is a brand of Conagra Brands, Inc.

• Duncan Hines’ limited edition Dolly Parton’s Baking Collection goes on sale at shop.duncanhines.com on Feb. 8, 2023, while supplies last. Duncan Hines is a brand of Conagra Brands, Inc.

• Dolly Parton with her newest Duncan Hines’ baking mixes including biscuits, cornbread and brownies, which will arrive in stores this January. Duncan Hines is a brand of Conagra Brands, Inc.

• 
  

In addition to the four mixes, the baking kits also include a Dolly-inspired tea towel, a Dolly-inspired spatula, 3 keepsake recipe cards, and a special note from Dolly, according to the Duncan Hines website. The kits were listed on the website as "coming soon" on Tuesday. The website also included an option for fans to enter their email for announcements when the product is ready or when new products are released.

Parton's line initially started with the banana pudding and coconut cake mixes as well as the buttercream frosting and chocolate buttercream frosting. While Duncan Hines is a household name, Dolly's line has been a smash hit, with fans sometimes having a hard time finding the mixes in store.

New Universal Park with focus on families and kids announced near Dallas, Texas

Hi Everyone,

I have to preface this, this not a Dollywood-related post per se, but it is interesting news from the Amusement and Theme Park Industry.  In America, it has been somewhat rare to hear about new park openings.  New parks are mostly limited to Asia and the Middle East right now, where they seemingly spring up all the time.  They do happen from time to time in the US.  Recent park openings in America include Lost Island park in Iowa that grew from the success of a sister water park, American Dream indoor park in New Jersey, and then the OWA park in Foley, Alabama.  Legoland New York and Peppa Pig Park in Orlando are two new parks that cater to families with small children.

So, what's going on in Texas?  Well, I heard rumblings on one of the news sources I follow that something was coming to Texas, but it would be small because it was around 100 acres.  Who would build something?? - was the most asked question.  An announcement was made on Wednesday that the Universal Group was behind it, and they were building a different type of theme park from all the others they own.  Universal, is of course, a traditional movie studio as well as an extremely immersive type of theme park with thrilling rides, roller coasters and resort hotels.  It is steeped in characters like Spiderman, The Hulk, The Simpsons, Shrek, Harry Potter, and that list goes on forever.   Universal has resort theme parks in Hollywood California, Orlando, as well as Shanghai, Beijing and Tokyo...and now Frisco, Texas.

Let's read the press release from Universal and discuss it further after that.

FRISCO, Texas (January 11, 2023) – Universal Parks & Resorts announces a one-of-a-kind theme park, unlike any other in the world, specifically designed to inspire fun for families with young children. The new park concept, set in a lush green landscape and featuring immersive themed lands, celebrates Universal’s iconic brand of entertainment, humor and innovation and brings to life its beloved characters and stories in ways that will wow even the youngest theme park goers.

The proposed park will be designed to be more intimate and engaging for younger audiences and will be sized for a regional audience. It will be full of family-friendly attractions, interactive and playful shows, character meet and greets, unique merchandise and fun food and beverage venues. Although smaller in size, it will still carry the same quality as Universal’s other larger resort destinations.

Part of 97 acres of land recently purchased by the company, the proposed park also has plans for an adjacent themed hotel and room for expansion. The entire area is intended to have a completely different look, feel, and scale than Universal’s existing parks and will appeal to a new audience for the brand.

Universal Parks & Resorts selected the city of Frisco, in North Texas, as the area for this new concept given the city’s growing population and ability to attract businesses to the area. The proposed location for the new concept is ideally situated east of the Dallas North Tollway and north of Panther Creek Parkway.

“We are excited about the opportunity to partner with the city of Frisco and Mayor Cheney as we work to bring this innovative, new concept to life designed specifically for a younger generation of Universal fans,” said Page Thompson, President, New Ventures, Universal Parks & Resorts. “We think North Texas is the perfect place to launch this unique park for families given its growing popularity within this part of the country.”

“Frisco is one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. and has been recognized as a great place to plant professional roots and raise a family,” said Frisco Mayor Jeff Cheney. “This new Universal concept will continue to enhance our tax base, expand employment opportunities and bring even more fun to Frisco benefiting our residents, businesses, and visitors.”

More details about the project will be revealed over time.

That's a lot of information!  Fun fact: Frisco, Texas is where the first season of Dallas was filmed!

More about the park...from the NBC Dallas Affiliate article - which owns Universal and Comcast...

Specific details about the park were not disclosed, but officials did say it would have traditional offerings like rides, shows and food while also including meet and greets with characters from Universal properties, films and shows -- like Minions or Shrek.

 

A rendering of the park was shown Wednesday morning that included a lush border with a grand entrance that opens to a lagoon. From there, guests can head in a number of directions to visit themed areas of the park.

 

The park design also included a river with what appears to be a boat ride throughout the park.

And this, too...

The footprint is about one-quarter the size of the parks in Orlando, scaled smaller to be more "intimate and engaging" for younger guests. The company said the theme park will have a completely different look, feel, and scale compared to Universal’s existing parks but will still carry the same quality as the larger resort destinations.

 

"The idea is to create a place in a region like this that people can come to time and time again, in between their visits to our big vacation destinations like Los Angeles or Orlando," explained Woodbury.

 

He said the park is expected to be a one-day or two-day experience and that they plan to also build a 300-room themed resort hotel on the property.

 

What stands out to me, and why I wanted to share this article, is that it does somewhat encroach on one of Dollywood's target audiences, which is families.  Since this park will be in Texas, it's not a direct competition to Dollywood, but Universal has a lot of money.  They are currently building a new flagship park in Orlando called Epic Universe, which will sort of be like Disney's Magic Kingdom with massive infrastructure, a hub and spoke layout, and several lands to visit.  Is this new small park style what's to come for amusement parks in America, or is Universal tapping into demands of what families are looking for?  Or Both?

In the late 1960's and early 1970's we saw dozens of corporate backed parks pop up.  The original bunch of Six Flags, King's Island, King's Dominion, Astroworld, Carowinds, Great America, The Busch Parks, the Sea Worlds, and Opryland were all built basically all at once, like a whole park was constructed in a year or two, and they all had funding from stable corporate sponsors - in their respective beginnings.  So, is this what will happen in the future?  Will Universal build out small parks like the one discussed here around the country?   According to this article from Dallasnews.com, Yes, they plan to build more small parks across the country.

Unlike Universal Studios’ sprawling parks in Orlando, Los Angeles and abroad, the Frisco development will be a much smaller attraction — the first of multiple such projects the company plans.

This article from Travel And Leisure says that this type of development is called a micro-theme park.

This is part of a growing trend in the theme park industry known as ‘micro-parks.’ These parks, significantly smaller in size than large-scale parks, are designed to be experienced in a shorter period of time and often are more affordable.

 

Examples include the newly opened Peppa Pig Theme Park in Florida, and the in-development Crystal Lagoons Island Resort in Arizona.

 

Universal Parks & Resorts currently operates five theme park resorts around the world — including Universal Studios Orlando and Universal Studios Japan — but this will be its first venture of this new park concept.

Would Universal build in East Tennessee?  I don't know!  I think there are a lot of plusses in the Pro Column for Universal to build in East Tennessee.   This area is appealing to families.  Families flock here and love it because the price points for all of the major attractions and lodging are a better value than in Orlando & in Southern California, and other tourist hot spots.  We are about an 8-hour drive from over 80% of the population in the United States.  This area is one of the more Southern areas in the US that experiences snow, and that is appealing to those who live south of this area, for winter activities.  Dollywood is a well-established park, so would Universal want to tap into that base?  Well, if you look at Universal's build-out history, they certainly tapped into what Disney had created in Orlando, so that is your answer to that question of would they or not.  

As far as other areas Universal might pop up - well, basically anywhere.  Frisco, Texas is an affluent, fast-growing suburb and America has a fair amount of that to offer.   The beauty, in my opinion, of this idea of micro-parks is that it really doesn't matter if another major theme park is nearby since their target audience is different.  The bigger parks are not catering exclusively to families and little kiddos.  Families no doubt visit these parks, out of necessity, but the parks have a heavy emphasis towards thrill-seekers.  Dollywood and Silver Dollar City, Missouri are exceptions to that idea, and both appeal to thrill-seekers and families quite well.

My hometown Nashville also comes to mind.  It is desperate-thirsty for any type of amusement park or family entertainment.  The challenge there is that no one wants it in their backyard (See StoryVille Gardens - a location has not been specified after the announcement in June of 2021), so it will be a real task to find 100+ acres in Middle Tennessee at this point, with an appropriately sized buffer zone surrounding it, and a community that will support it.  

This is all too early to know how any of this will play out over the next several decades, but I thought it was an interesting development that, one day, may impact Dollywood.  Of course, competition isn't bad for the consumer.

 

Resources for this article:

• Press Release from Universal - Universal Brings Kids Theme Park to Frisco (universalparks.com)
• Travel and Leisure Article - Universal Announces Plans for New Theme Park in Texas — What We Know So Far (travelandleisure.com)
• DallasNews.com 
• NBC Dallas Affilate Universal Theme Park, Resort Hotel Coming to North Texas – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth (nbcdfw.com)

Big Bear Mountain Construction Update, Dollywood Blog, January 11, 2023

Hi Everyone, The Dollywood Blog published some updated photos of Big Bear Mountain!  Bonus:  Dollywood just updated its social media with this video of the last piece of track being put into place, very exciting!

I took the photos from the Dollywood blog and turned them into a video, which you can watch below!

I love the picture of the station area.  You can see the switch track is pointed in the direction of the maintenance shed.  Im thinking the electrical work will be the next focus along with more vertical construction of the station and adjoining buildings.  Soon enough we will see the trains added to the track.

Super special thanks to the Dollywood blog for providing this update!  I can't wait to see more.  Check out their post to see more off-season pictures from around the park.  

1978 BBC Interview with Dolly Parton

Hi Everyone,

Every now and then in my research I stumble upon some interesting stuff re: Dollywood and Dolly Parton and here is one example.  Dolly is, I presume, being interviewed by the British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC, and is asked about her ambition, her family life and how she deals with intrusive questions.

Her responses feel very "Dolly'' to me, meaning honest, no-nonsense and direct.  She was 32 in this interview if my math is correct.  I think back to my time in my thirties, and I sort of had my life together, I think, maybe, lol.  Anyway, she is a gifted person in so many ways.  This puts the pressure on me to ask really 'fresh' questions, should that golden opportunity ever arise 😁.

Enjoy this short interview I found on Facebook.