Save the date: Dolly Parton Day set for Friday, Sept. 25
by Juliet La Sala · The Washington TimesFriday will be Dolly Parton Day for many states and localities honoring the late country music icon with a playful reference to her hit song “9 to 5” on Sept. 25 (9/25).
California became the first state to officially establish the annual observance when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed bipartisan Senate Bill 931, written by state Sens. Shannon Grove and John Laird.
“We could all afford to live a little more like Dolly,” Mr. Newsom said in a statement. “Be kind, be humble, and have some fun. … Be a diamond in a rhinestone world. With this bill, we are not just establishing a day to celebrate Dolly Parton, we are creating an annual reminder to us, every year, to live the way she did — joyfully, graciously and with a whole lot of heart.”
Tennessee, Parton’s home state, already marks her birthday, Jan. 19, as Dolly Parton Day. State lawmakers will vote in January on a proposal to mark Sept. 25 as “9 to 5 Day.” Elected officials in Nashville, Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and Pittman Center have designated Sept. 25 as Dolly Parton Day.
The recognition extends far and wide, with Manhattan; Portland, Oregon; and counties in Texas proclaiming the date in honor of Parton.
Nearly every declaration cites Parton’s Imagination Library, which has distributed more than 330 million free books since launching in 1995.
Celebrations planned for Friday include pink lighting and Dolly posters in Nashville, a daytime music event in San Francisco’s Union Square and a French Quarter parade in New Orleans led by the Krewe of Dolly.
Parton died in August after a battle with cancer at age 80.
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Juliet La Sala
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