Dollywood took home its first trophy for Best Shows and claimed a second consecutive win for Best Christmas Event at the 2009 Golden Ticket Awards. The ceremony was held on Sept. 10, 2009, at LEGOLAND California in Carlsbad, Ca.
Dollywood was a finalist in four additional categories, taking third place honors for Friendliest Park and Cleanest Park. It earned fourth place honors for Best Food and Best Water Ride for the Mountain Slidewinder. Dollywood’s Thunderhead, twice named the number one wooden coaster in the world, placed fifth in the rankings of Top 50 Wooden Roller Coasters in the World.
Girl Scouts of Tanasi council, along with Dolly's help, recently created the Coat of Many Colors patch. The troop wanted to honor the message of Dolly’s song, "Coat of Many Colors."
In a special ceremony at Dollywood, Dolly made a surprise appearance. She gave out the first 400 Coat of Many Colors patches to a group of area girl scouts.
The Lifetime Girl Scout member sang "Coat of Many Colors" and took pictures with the girls wearing her own Girl Scout uniform. In a Girl Scout video message about the patch Dolly said,
"There's no one in this world quite like you. Earn my patch. Be proud of who you are and be kind to everyone you meet. That's what Girl Scouting's all about."
Dollywood, with Dolly’s help, expanded its entertainment lineup to welcome "Sha-Kon-A-Hey! Land of Blue Smoke," the most elaborate musical production in the park’s 24-year history. Dolly said,
“Having grown up and lived in the heart of these beautiful mountains, my love for this area is deep, genuine and heartfelt. Sha-Kon-O-Hey! celebrates the wonderful people, music and proud heritage of this spectacular place,”
With Dolly’s help, Dollywood also added "Le Grande Cirque’s Imaginé," showcasing international performers from around the world.
“I’m proud that Dollywood offers families a great place to spend time together, and this year, they get to enjoy two incredible new shows that I’m especially excited about. There’s special effects and things I’ve only dreamed about, and some great music, some I even wrote myself, that’s absolutely going to leave folks speechless. Maybe even me, too!”
In May 2009, Dollywood guests were able to fly like an eagle over Dolly’s 150 acre theme park and experience the majesty of the Great Smoky Mountains with the opening of SkyZip. SkyZip became the first multiple station zip-line experience to open in a U.S. theme park. The hour-long, premium SkyZip Dollywood adventure included five zip-line treks, ranging in length from 100 to nearly 1,000 feet, and a 100-foot long swinging bridge perched above the trees. Each zip-line is an elevated and inclined wire from which a pulley and seating apparatus are suspended, allowing the guest to move between two points via gravity.
The zip-line adventure provided an environmental and historical tour of undeveloped and unspoiled property surrounding Dollywood. It was hosted by specially-trained adventure guides as part of Dollywood’s celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Dolly is proud of her Tennessee Mountain Home, so when officials from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) asked her to serve as the park’s celebrity ambassador during its 75th anniversary, she answered with a resounding YES! Dolly said,
"Having grown up and lived in the heart of these beautiful mountains, my love for this area is deep and genuine. The mountains have inspired so much of my music, and through my songs, I’ve always been sort of an unofficial ambassador for Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I’m truly honored to join this yearlong celebration."
To commemorate the Great Smoky Mountains National Park 75th anniversary, Dollywood unveiled a new show, "Sha-Kon-O-Hey!." The 45-minute musical production incorporated scenic elements and stage effects never before seen at Dollywood. "Sha-Kon-O-Hey!" captured the spirit of the mountains and the rich heritage of the people who call them home. The title, Sha-Kon-O-Hey is the phonetic spelling of "Shaconage," the Cherokee word which means "land of the blue smoke."
