Photos and text by Greg K. © 2002 Greg K. Used with permission.

Well my parents and I had the wonderful dream come true of meeting Dolly Parton. We were the first in line at Virgin Records to get our wristbands at 5:30 a.m. outside the store in Times Square. Pretty funny sitting in lawn chairs in the middle of the city. By 6 a.m. a few Dolly fans as far away as Michigan had made an eight-hour drive to NYC, and a mother came from Bethlehem, Penn., to get a wristband for her her and her daughter. By 8 a.m. only about 10 people were lined up, but Dolly conversation flowed as people going to work walked by. By 9 a.m. I would estimate that only 60 or so people were standing outside the store to purchase their CD.

Hours later a full 400 people would indeed have purchased their CD to meet Dolly. I was able to buy Dolly a beautiful bouquet of yellow roses, which surprisingly were the only yellow roses she received that day. When 4 p.m. came, Dolly showed up in her powder blue leather jacket and matching short skirt. She smiled for the cameras and then with a squeal said, "Let's get down to business." She proceeded to meet and greet people for the full two hours and even a few got through twice.

I was able to give Dolly my roses to which she replied, "They are beautiful, you know, yellow is my favorite color rose" and then as if to say with her eyes "you sneak," she added, "but I bet you knew that" she smiled and said she'd put them in her room that night. I then told her that in her autobiography she stated that her ABC Variety show didn't make her any new fans, but that was not true because I became a fan of hers on the night of her Thanksgiving variety show. She nodded, recalling the show. Smiling the whole time with her powder blue eyes she listened intently to me. She then rose out of her seat, took her bouquet in hand, leaned in towards me and smiled for the camera.

My last words to her after she autographed my CD jacket were, "Dolly, you are beautiful on the outside and on the inside," to which she smiled at me with surprise. My mom then met her, followed by my dad. We were all elated by her beauty and her genuine appreciation for meeting us. I even had the pleasure of meeting the very sweet and kind Judy Ogle. For the remaining hour, my parents and I stood just 10 feet from her in a surreal bubble of Dolly.