Dolly’s musical roots paired with the South’s savoriest barbeque at Dollywood’s Barbeque & Bluegrass Festival 2014

Dollywood’s 2014 Barbeque & Bluegrass Festival brought two of Dolly’s favorites together in one of her favorite festivals,

“My Barbeque & Bluegrass Festival at Dollywood is especially close to my heart because it showcases the sweet harmonies of the finest bluegrass pickers and singers in the world alongside the most delicious barbeque you’re gonna find anywhere.”

The Time Jumpers featuring Vince Gill, Kenny Sears, Dawn Sears and "Ranger Doug" Green highlighted the opening weekend of the festival.

Dolly gets help from History’s "American Pickers" at Dollywood

Dolly requested History’s "American Pickers" to outfit the newest attraction at Dollywood, FireChaser Express, with vintage firefighter-themed items. "American Pickers" Danielle Colby delivered the antiques collected from across the country to Dolly as she prepared to open the ride to the public.

The episode aired on Wednesday, May 7, 2014 on the History Channel.

Dolly visited Dollywood and surprised guests while in town for her annual 2014 Homecoming Parade

Whenever Dolly comes home she loves to visit Dollywood and say hello to the guests during a special Dolly Parton parade through the park in her unique DeWitt. She did two different park tours while visiting in May 2014.

Dolly’s 2014 Homecoming Parade float represented Dollywood’s newest attraction, FireChaser Express

There’s nothing quite like coming home and Dolly proved that as nearly 50,000 people came to see her in the annual Dolly Homecoming Parade in Pigeon Forge. This year Dolly served dual roles. Not only was she the Grand Marshal of the parade, she also was the fire chief of this year’s float which was inspired by FireChaser Express, the nation’s first dual-launch family coaster[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Contents of Dolly's Dream Box for Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort revealed

Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort was driven by Dolly’s dream to create a place where families can reconnect. To honor her dreams and the people who made them possible, Dolly created a Dream Box which will remain locked until 2045. Visiting families can see Dolly’s Dream Box on display at the resort.

“My resort is a dream 30 years in the making, and the items I picked for my Dream Box are closely tied to special people who encouraged me and certain events in my life where that encouragement paid off,”

said Dolly.

Dolly’s Dream Box contains:

1. A copy of her 2012 book "Dream More: Celebrate the Dreamer in You" which expands on the popular 2009 commencement speech that Dolly delivered at the University of Tennessee.
2. A piece of wood from Dolly’s Tennessee Mountain Home’s front porch, a favorite gathering spot for her family and where she sang as a child growing up in the Smoky Mountains.
3. A song written by Dolly for the future to be released in 2045 that shares her hopes and dreams for the future.
4. A sealed mystery box made of chestnut, the contents of which are known only to Dolly and are to remain unopened until 2045. The box honors Dolly’s Uncle Bill Owens who, early on, recognized his niece’s talents and helped her career take flight. Owens’ work with the American Chestnut Foundation helped develop a blight-resistant American chestnut tree, restoring it to the woodlands of the Eastern U.S.