In November, Dolly announced to a Toronto audience that the “Book Lady” was about to begin Imagination Library book deliveries in Canadian communities. For the first time, the program crossed a border with the goal of instilling a love for reading in all children worldwide.
The Dollywood Foundation of Canada secured an agreement with the Canadian-based organization, Invest in Kids, to help bring books to as many Canadian preschoolers as possible.
This year, many initiatives were successful in terms of geography and growth. For example, Michigan representatives, inspired by many of the surrounding communities, providing Imagination Library books, appropriated $500,000 for school districts to match in order to provide a “book a month” program. This $1,000,000 would be largely devoted to the program and significantly expanding the effort across the state.
The total number of books distributed climbed to over 3 million. Since the beginning, over 7 million books have been mailed to children.
Dolly Parton treated one lucky fan to a "backyard barbeque and bluegrass festival" to coincide with the launch of "Dolly's Dixie Fixin's," her new cookbook to benefit Imagination Library. Dolly's cookbook is sold exclusively through Dollywood and Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede Dinner & Show. She said,
“Since I don’t have any plans to tour this year, it would be difficult for me to perform at Dollywood to benefit the Imagination Library. I have been working on this cookbook for a while, so I thought now would be the perfect time to release it and devote all the proceeds to the Dollywood Foundation.”
"Dolly's Dixie Fixin's" features more than 125 recipes, including many from Dolly's personal collection of southern specialties like her popular banana pudding. Many of the recipes were passed down to Dolly from her late mother, Avie Lee Parton, as well as several from her mother-in-law, "Mama (Ginny) Dean." The cookbook also includes recipes from Parton's family entertainment companies, including Dollywood theme park's Noodlin' Ned's Catfish and Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede Dinner and Show's one-of-a-kind cream of vegetable soup. She even includes recipes for dishes inspired by her favorite restaurants discovered during more than 40 years of touring.
Dollywood's KidsFest welcomed a brand-new lineup of superstar children’s characters to headline its seven-week summer festival during Dolly’s park’s 20th anniversary. Dolly said,
“I’m just a big kid at heart, and I believe that having fun is the best way to spark a child’s imagination, and I hope we can ignite that spark in each and every guest at KidsFest.”
This year’s festival featured Clifford the Big Red Dog™, Mad Science® Movie Magic—the Science Behind the Movies and some of Nickelodeon’s® most popular characters like SpongeBob SquarePants™. In addition to these favorite children’s characters, KidsFest also included Dolly’s Imagination Playhouse featuring the Penguin Players.
Dollywood and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library opened the park’s Imagination Playhouse with a little help from Dolly herself. This interactive children’s show brought classic children's stories to life and showcased Dolly’s lifelong love for reading. Dolly said,
“I’ve always loved to read and I believe reading has the power to let your imagination soar.”
The 20-minute musicals, featuring original music by Dolly get kids involved in their favorite stories, by utilizing six cast members, custom-made puppets and character costumes against lively, colorful scenery.
Dolly’s Imagination Playhouse, featuring the Penguin Players, brings many of the classic children's books from her Imagination Library to life. The first production was of "The Little Engine that Could," Dolly’s personal favorite and the first book mailed to children in the program. (more…)
