Dolly appeared on July 2, 2003, at the National Zoo to receive the Partnership Award from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service for her work with the American Eagle Foundation to preserve bald eagles. Deputy Secretary of the Interior Steve Griles presented the award.
The non-profit American Eagle Foundation is headquartered at Dollywood theme park and is a non-governmental leader in the preservation of the American eagles. Dolly spoke about her passion for preserving bald eagles at the ceremony,
“Bald eagles have symbolized our country's freedom and heritage for more than 220 years... We are excited and proud that Dollywood and the American Eagle Foundation are donating these two majestic birds to the National Zoo and are playing a special role in dedicating this new eagle exhibit celebrating America's National Wildlife Refuge System."
In addition to receiving the award, Dolly participated in the opening of the bald eagle refuge exhibit at the Smithsonian National Zoo, the ribbon cutting ceremony, and donated two bald eagles to the exhibit (Sam and Tioga). Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton and National Zoo Director Lucy Spelman were also present.
Dolly and Dollywood celebrate children with the kickoff of the park’s newest festival, KidsFest. Dolly’s love for kids and her love of entertainment mixed to create this unique summer festival including, VeggieTales®, Garfield’s® 25th Anniversary Birthday Party, the Purina® Dog Chow® Incredible Dog Team and ASA Extreme Sports Shows. These exciting acts and more made the South’s largest children’s festival. The kid-friendly environment was filled with shows kids were delighted to see all summer long!
Dollywood’s Days of Praise returns for the 2003 season to rock, roll and raise the spirits of teens and youth groups from across the south. Leading the celebration was Avalon. The Adult-Contemporary Christian superstars headlined a group of bands with styles from mainstream Pop to Alternative. Other performing favorites included KJ52, Pillar, Skillet and Tree63. The groups performed in theaters across the park.
Dollywood theme park opened for the 2003 season with more than 300 performers from 14 countries around the globe. Dolly was looking forward to another year with Festival of Nations ushering in the new season at her park. She said,
“Music is a universal language. In my travels around the world, I have found that people are drawn to music. Whether or not you understand the words music touches the heart in a way that unites us all. It is the ambassador of our world, and the most beautiful language ever spoken.”
New in 2003, Dollywood celebrated the cuisines of the world with an International Food Faire which showcased an incredible variety of foods on six continents. International Food Faire provided guests the opportunity to "travel" from continent to continent and country to country in mere steps.
The wizards in the kitchen at Dollywood developed another appetite-whetting winner! The Dollywood cuisine team’s creation—The Hokey Pokey Stick danced away with the "Best Quality Sample" award at the 2003 East Tennessee Chocolate Fest.
Created for KidsFest, Hokey Pokey Sticks are rice cereal bars double dipped in chocolate and then rolled in a candy or nut coating. The Hokey Pokey Stick was sold throughout KidsFest. Chocolate Fest is an annual fundraising event held by the National Kidney Foundation of East Tennessee.
