With the help of her hometown firefighters, Dolly launched the maiden voyage of FireChaser Express, the nation’s first dual-launch, forward and backward family coaster. Dolly encouraged recruits as small as 39 inches tall to ride the coaster with the entire family!
Dolly delighted guests as she kicked off Dollywood’s 2014 Festival of Nations by making appearances at the festival’s headlining shows, "Mother Africa" and "La Danza de Colombia." Dressed in traditional outfits with special Dolly flair, she showed her passion for bringing international experiences to her hometown and to Dollywood.
Christmas came early for Dolly in 2013 as she filmed part of the Lifetime movie "A Country Christmas Story" at Dollywood. The movie highlights the story of a young bi-racial girl following in her father’s footsteps to become a musician as she participates in a singing contest held at Dollywood. Dolly wrote some of the songs featured in the movie and said,
“It’s a sweet original movie, and I like just being able to play my music, be part of whatever I’m doing. I did write some of the music for this little show. And I enjoy getting to act a little bit. It’s just fun. I do different stuff.”
The story reunites a family--Grace, her grandmother Sarah (Mary Kay Place), her estranged musician father Danny (Brian McNight) and her mother Jenny (Megyn Price)--through music and showcases some of the musical history of African-American contributions to country music. Dolly plays herself as the emcee and host of the singing contest at Dollywood. She also wrote two original songs-- "Fiddlin' Around" and "Miss You, Miss Me" --which are performed in the movie.
Dolly recorded "Miss You, Miss Me" on her 42nd studio album, "Blue Smoke."
Dolly made history in Dollywood's 2013 Smoky Mountain Christmas festival when she appeared in "Dollywood's A Christmas Carol" as a hologram.
She stars in the ground-breaking show as the Ghost of Christmas Past, with a flair only Dolly can bring to the stage, thanks to a cutting-edge hologram technology. Dolly was excited about the opportunity but joked,
“I’m not sure this world can handle two Dolly Partons, but I’m excited folks will be able to see ‘the other Dolly’ reminding families that it’s not what you have but who you have, just like ole Scrooge figures out in the end.”
Dolly announced a 10-year $300 million investment plan at her Dollywood theme park which includes the addition of Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort, located just a stone’s throw from her Dollywood’s Splash Country waterpark. She explained that,
“I’ve always been a big dreamer, just like I’ve always wanted to do more for my home here in these beautiful Smoky Mountains… This is where I nurtured my heart’s dreams, and I want to share more of them. My plans for the next 10 years are to expand my Dollywood properties to offer more opportunities to play together and grow closer while folks make their best memories. It’s truly the culmination of this country girl’s wildest dreams.”
The 307-room resort is inspired by Dolly’s Smoky Mountains upbringing, including expansive front porches, farmhouse-style restaurant, rocking chairs, storytelling spots, and fire pits for roasting marshmallows. The resort is located near the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the country’s most visited.
