Dollywood’s D.P. Celebrity Theatre packed in an enthusiastic crowd of fans eager to hear The Band Perry perform their hits on home turf. With an intimate, acoustic setting, the vocally gifted siblings did not disappoint. Performing hit after hit, from “If I Die Young” to “Better Dig Two,” their harmonic voices were the perfect blend of what Dolly calls “blood harmony.” Kimberly even surprised the audience with her rendition of Dolly’s mega-hit song, “I’ll Always Love You,” and as you can imagine, the crowd went wild.
[su_spacer]
[masterslider id="31"]
[su_spacer]
Although Kimberly, Reid and Neil were all happy to be back home in East Tennessee playing for fans at Dollywood, they were also there to show their love and support of Dolly’s book gifting program for children, the Imagination Library. When asked what it was about the program that made them want to get involved, Kimberly said,
"We are big believers in Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. With Imagination Library specifically, the three of us grew up loving, loving to read. It was one of the greatest loves that we remember and some of the earliest memories that we remember."
Neil went on to say,
"You never know how it will influence you in life. For the three of us and our writing, it was a big, big factor in the way we write our songs. You never know what reading a book will do to change your life. It's a really great thing and we're glad to be a part of it."
Dolly was thrilled that The Band Perry came out to support the program. She shared,
"I'm so proud to know that my Imagination Library has had such a positive influence on Kimberly, Reid and Neil, and I appreciate them coming to Dollywood to show their love and support!"
The Band Perry gave fans an amazing night of great entertainment, and more than $75,000 was raised for the Imagination Library! If you’ve not had the pleasure of seeing this trio perform, do yourself a favor and go see them.
Check out The Band Perry’s website for show dates and times.
Dolly announced earlier this year that Dollywood was bringing back the Showcase of Stars to help raise money for her Imagination Library. She herself kicked off the series in early August with two days of concerts that raised more than $500,000.
As the final artist in Dollywood’s Showcase of Stars lineup, Dolly’s longtime friend and duet partner, Kenny Rogers, will appear in concert on Sunday, Sept. 27 at the D.P. Celebrity Theatre.
Tickets to see Kenny Rogers at the D.P. Celebrity Theatre available at Dollywood.com.
Dollywood takes its location at the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains seriously in terms of preserving the natural beauty of the area, and that extends to its construction projects.
Last month, Dollywood announced the addition of Lightning Rod, both the world’s fastest wood coaster and the world’s first launching wood coaster. While the thrilling $22 million ride marks the single largest attraction investment in The Dollywood Company’s history that investment will extend to keeping the ride’s construction area clean as the first litter-free construction site in Pigeon Forge.
Dollywood, in conjunction with ride manufacturer Rocky Mountain Construction, has committed to being an initial partner with Keep Sevier Beautiful’s Litter-Free Construction Program. This unique program educates workers and supervisors on proper disposal of waste and encourages them to maintain the property of the entire construction site, including incidental litter and debris. Keep Sevier Beautiful (KSB) Board Chair Tom Leonard said,
“Any litter within the site reflects upon the company, and pride in the construction site and in the beauty of our Smoky Mountain area is the key to the success of this program.”
Gene Scherrer, Dollywood Vice-President and General Manager said,
“The natural beauty of this region is unparalleled and it is important for us to preserve that charm for visitors and residents of our community. As we continue to work on ensuring we leave a positive footprint on our environment, we knew the Litter-Free Construction Program was one in which we wanted to take part.
Scherrer went on to say,
Lightning Rod is a world-class attraction and we want the construction site to reflect the extraordinary quality we expect from the ride. We hope this program will educate construction site employees, as well as the general public, on the importance of maintaining orderly and clean work sites throughout Sevier County.”
As part of the Litter-Free Construction Program, the city of Pigeon Forge has provided a dumpster for the collection of garbage in the form of office/food wastes/litter and waives the associated hauling fee. Keep Sevier Beautiful will provide specifically marked individual litter collection containers for the construction site, and Dollywood is responsible for emptying these containers into the dumpster as well as providing litter pickup labor, making sure the policy is followed and workers are educated about the program. In addition, all waste leaving the construction site must be covered to prevent negligent litter.
Keep Sevier Beautiful will designate the Lightning Rod construction area as a participant in the Litter-Free Construction Program with a sign in front of the construction site. The site will be visited by a KSB representative regularly for the purpose of assessing the level of litter visible on the site and will continue for the length of the project, which opens in March 2016.
Keep Sevier Beautiful (KSB), an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, is a volunteer-based organization which focuses on waste reduction/recycling, litter prevention and beautifying public spaces through education and community-based programs. KSB’s goal is to protect the natural beauty of the area that millions of visitors come to see each year.
Dolly Parton’s theme park continues to rack up accolades from Amusement Today’s annual Golden Ticket Awards. This year Dollywood earned three "best of" awards and placed in the top-five in seven additional categories. Dolly said,
“Every time they announce the Golden Tickets results, I am so proud to hear how much folks love and respect Dollywood. This is our 30th anniversary season, and if you would have told me all those years ago that we would win all these awards, I’m not sure even I could have dreamed it! I truly am thankful for all of the guests who have continued to support us and for all the new folks who visit us each year! I also am grateful for the dedicated team at my Dollywood Company for providing our guests a memorable experience when they come see us.”
The Golden Ticket Awards are the most sought-after awards in the business of amusements and attractions. Pete Owens, Public Relations Director for the Dollywood Company, said,
"As a park, it is always gratifying to be honored by your peers and experts. We are particularly proud of the designation as friendliest park. That goes to what Dollywood is also about and why we encourage our guests to love every moment with their families."
Dollywood’s three Golden Ticket Awards include:
Dollywood also ranked in seven additional categories:
The 2015 awards ceremony was held on Sept. 12, at Luna Park in New York City. Calculated from an international poll conducted by Amusement Today, the industry’s leading trade publication, the Golden Ticket Awards are the results of a detailed survey sent to a database of experienced and well-traveled amusement park fans around the world in balanced geographical regions. Voters are asked to rate the “best” in 25 categories such as best parks, roller coasters, water rides, shows, kids’ area, landscaping and Christmas events.
[masterslider id="30"]
Dollywood was recognized in 2010 at the International Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions with the Applause Award in recognition of a park whose management, operations and creative accomplishments have inspired the industry with its foresight, originality and sound business development.
Dollywood hosts The Band Perry in concert as part of the Showcase of Stars concert series benefiting Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. One of the most dynamic acts in music today, the sibling trio proved to be a powerful new force when they delivered their platinum self-titled debut: "The Band Perry," which offered up five hit singles, including the quintuple-platinum chart-topper "If I Die Young."
In recent years, the band has earned multiple awards from The Academy of Country Music, The Country Music Association, CMT Music Awards and The American Country Awards including a 2014 ACM award for Vocal Group of the Year. This is the first time the group from nearby Greeneville, Tennessee has performed at Dollywood.
The Band Perry will appear on Saturday, Sept. 19. Tickets available here.
Dolly Parton announced the return of Dollywood’s popular Showcase of Stars concert series in March as part of the award-winning park’s 30th anniversary season. Parton, whose last benefit concert at Dollywood was in 2005, kicked off the series with four sold-out concerts Aug. 8-9 at D.P.’s Celebrity Theater, and raised $500,000 in the process.
Showcase of Stars offers guests the experience of great performances in an intimate setting, while allowing them to simultaneously support a worthy cause. Dollywood season passholders have the first opportunity to purchase tickets to the show. Passholders will receive an email with an exclusive link to purchase. Any remaining tickets will be made available to the general public at a later date.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a book gifting program administered through the Dollywood Foundation which provides an age-appropriate book each month to children from birth to age five in participating communities. To date, the Imagination Library has provided more than 71 million books in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia.
Featured image by Curtis Hilbun
The performances billed as Dolly: Pure & Simple, kicked off a series of concerts at Dollywood, all of which benefit Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. From Blue Smoke to Backwoods Barbie, 9 to 5 and Coat Of Many Colors, Dolly captivated the crowd show after show performing her latest and greatest hits. When welcoming the audience, Dolly said,
“Thank you from all the kids and me! We give books to children all over the world now, and the Imagination Library started right here in Sevier County, right up here in these hills. So thank you all for coming tonight. I truly believe that you can never get enough books into the hands of enough children.”
Family, friends, and fans from around the world headed to Pigeon Forge, TN to show their support for Dolly and her book gifting program for children. The four sold-out shows raised nearly $500,000.00. Now present in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, the Imagination Library has mailed more than 71 million free books to babies!
During her performances, Dolly also shared her excitement for her all new resort next to the waterpark and theme park. She said,
“I am so proud of all the things we are doing here. Of course, it’s our 30th Anniversary, and we’ve been longing for our own hotel ever since we started Dollywood. Yesterday, I had a chance to go over to the resort and do some videos and things in my suite, and I got to see the resort up and breathin’ with real people in it. We are just so proud of it!”
Dolly’s weekend concerts are the first of several concerts taking place this year as part of Dollywood’s Showcase of Stars, all of which will benefit her Imagination Library. The next scheduled performer is Kenny Rogers.
[masterslider id="23"][su_spacer]
View related press release via Webster PR
