Dolly's said that everybody knows she loves bluegrass music.
“That’s why I’m so very proud to bring my Barbeque & Bluegrass Festival back this year. We’ve got fine pickers and mighty fine barbecue to spice things up, too! I realized Dollywood fans have a real hunger for bluegrass music and great tastin' barbeque. Since I aim to please, I'm proud to say Barbeque & Bluegrass is back and better than ever at Dollywood."
The festival returned to Dollywood Aug. 19 through Sept. 5 and featured big names like Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, J.D. Crowe & The New South and Riders In The Sky.
Dolly’s Pirates Voyage in Myrtle Beach, SC opened to a sold-out crowd on, June 23, 2011. Dolly herself was there to welcome the hundreds of guests to her newest attraction. She was greeted by screams as she made her way to the Pirates Village stage.
In addition to members of the community, South Carolina Governor Alan Clemmons was there to welcome Dolly back to the Myrtle Beach area. Before the grand opening, Governor Clemmons presented Dolly with a proclamation from the South Carolina General Assembly naming that Friday as ”Dolly Parton Day” across the state.
In another interview, Dolly told reporters she could remember visiting Myrtle Beach as a child with her family. Dolly also told the crowd, she was very proud of her new show, saying,
“You know me. I’m kind of daring and adventurous, so I decided to change it up a bit.”
Gratefully accepting the honor, Dolly told the crowd that South Carolina was very near and dear to her heart, because her mother was born there and it felt like a second home to her.
Ask Dolly about conversations she remembers between her father and grandfather, and she’ll tell you stories she heard about daring aerialists and stunt pilots of the 1920s. It intrigued and inspired her imagination. She even recalls sky shows she witnessed. Dolly said,
"When we were kids, we were absolutely amazed when we saw an airplane do stunts in the sky. Their tricks would entertain us for hours on end, and I just know that my new Barnstormer ride is going to be every bit as exciting to folks today. I can’t wait to see the looks on folks’ faces as they dip and soar!"
Dollywood invested $5.5 million into this family thrill ride which features two pendulum arms accommodating 32 riders. Seated back to back, riders travel progressively higher on each swing of the Barnstormer’s massive arms, reaching a maximum speed of 45 miles per hour and 230 degrees of rotation.
Dolly accepted the Liseberg Applause Award, the amusement park industry’s most prestigious honor, at the Amusement Park International Expo in Orlando, Florida, in November 2010 for her Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
The Applause Award is given out every other year (since 1980) and is designed to honor a park whose “management, operations and creative accomplishments have inspired the industry with their foresight, originality and sound business development," according to a statement from Liseberg park in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Mats Widen who was in charge of the selection committee explained why Dollywood received the amusement park equivalent of the Oscar,
"It's probably the friendliest park in the world... The thing that stands out the most are the people."
In addition to recognizing her partners, Jack and Pete Herschend of Herschend Family Entertainment, and the region where Dollywood is located, the Great Smoky Mountains, in her acceptance speech, Dolly also included one of her classic ‘Dollyisms’ referencing her famous bustline,
“Of course, Walt Disney became successful because he had Mickey Mouse who has two big ears... So I figured I could be successful with Dollywood with my two big partners.”
Dolly opened Slick Rock Racer at her water park, Dollywood’s Splash Country, just four months after winning the 2009 International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions’ (IAAPA) Must-See Water Park Award. Slick Rock Racer, a multi-lane mat slide, is the kind of family adventure Dolly knows from her own childhood.
“Me and my brothers and sisters used to play in the creeks around home in the Smoky Mountains, and more times than not, we’d land on a mossy covered rock that sent us for a ride like you wouldn't believe,”
Dolly said.
