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]

Dixie Stampede sponsors Imagination Library in Branson, MO, where more than 2,100 children are part of the book gifting program

Since becoming a sponsor of Dolly's Imagination Library, Dixie Stampede, in Branson, MO, has seen more than 2,100 children enroll in the program. Dixie Stampede brought the program to Stone and Taney Counties in Missouri in 2000. As of 2013, there were 2,151 children enrolled in the program and more than 27,000 books had been provided to children in those communities.

Imagination Library is a free book gifting program for all pre-school age children in participating communities, including newborns, whose parents register for the program. Each child receives a free, age-appropriate book each month by mail until the age of five. These high-quality books arrive addressed to the child. A child will receive a complete 60-book library if they are enrolled from birth to age five.

Dolly Parton launched her Imagination Library in 1995 in her home county in East Tennessee. She wanted to foster a love of reading among children and get them excited about books and reading. In 2000, the program expanded and became available for replication to any community willing to partner with the efforts. There are currently 36 programs in the state of Missouri.

Dolly welcomes families to Dollywood’s Splash Country for year two of RiverRush ride, Tennessee’s first and only water coaster

Dollywood’s Splash Country waterpark opened for a summer of thrills and chills as Dolly kicked off a second year of excitement for RiverRush, Tennessee’s first and only water coaster. RiverRush combines all the powerful climbs, plunging drops, thrilling twists, and tight turns of a traditional land coaster with the park’s calling card—water—for a family experience like none other!

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.