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Nov. 17:
Dolly Receives Honorary Oscar

'Holly Dolly Christmas' Goes Gold
Two weeks prior to its fifth anniversary reissue as a vinyl picture disc (available for preorder here), the holiday collection A Holly Dolly Christmas on Nov. 7 was certified by the RIAA as Dolly's 19th career gold album for sales in excess of 500,000 copies. A deluxe anniversary CD edition is also on sale at HSN as an exclusive with a bonus track of "The Magic of Being Together," which she had released on her recent digital Dollywood 40th anniversary album.

Dolly Graces 'People,' 'US News'

Dolly Travel Centers Coming Your Way
Dolly is going to go head-to-head with Buc-ee with her latest venture, as Tennessean Travel Stops announced Monday that she has joined them to redesign and rebrand select locations as Dolly's Tennessean Travel Stops. The chain's flagship travel stop off I-65 in Cornersville, Tenn., south of Nashville will be renovated over coming months and debut the new structure and brand next summer. Serving as proof of concept, future sites in Tennessee and beyond will be announced next year. In a press release, Dolly said: "I have spent the bulk of my life on the road, and more specifically on a bus. All the years spent visiting greasy spoon cafes, truck stops, and roadside pit stops have given me an understanding of what traveler's desire on the road. Whether you are driving a truck, a bus, or a car, you want a place that feels like home and recharges you for the rest of your journey. I believe we will fill a void out there on the highways, all while bringing the heart and soul of Tennessee." While design details have yet to be revealed, the retailer promises "an evolved travel experience that integrates modern amenities, curated dining, and authentic regional retail with the approachable comfort travelers expect from both brands."

Third Coffeetable Book, 'Star Of The Show,' Hits Shelves

New Jewelry Collection Comes Out
The third collection of jewelry from Kendra Scott inspired by Dolly was released this month, themed around her song "Change It." Read more about the collection from The Hollywood Reporter here.

Hotel Taking Reservations, Musuem Tickets On Sale
Reservations are now open for Dolly Parton's SongTeller Hotel, and pre-sale tickets are available for Dolly's Life of Many Colors Museum, both opening in June 2026 in downtown Nashville. Housed together under one roof, the hotel and museum will give guests two unique ways to experience the stories behind Dolly's life and music.For hotel reservations, visit www.songtellerhotel.com or call 1-877-SONGTELLER. "I am very excited about the opening of my Nashville hotel and museum next year!" Dolly said in a release. "Broadway has become such a hub of tourism, this felt like the right time to bring something special to all the wonderful activity in Nashville. I've always dreamed of being able to create something here in Music City and I know we've found the perfect addition to the city I call home." Dolly Parton's SongTeller Hotel will be home to Dolly's Life of Many Colors Museum; the largest exhibition dedicated to Parton to date. Spanning the entire third floor of the hotel, more than 20,000 square feet, the museum is designed to immerse visitors in her extraordinary journey, featuring curated exhibits chronicling her rise "from the top of the mountains to the top of the world." Guests will gain unprecedented insight into her decades-spanning career across music, film, television, and philanthropy, as well as the personal values of family and faith that remain central to her story. Purchase museum pre-sale tickets at www.dollyslifeofmanycolors.com — hotel reservation not required. Dolly recorded a brief promotional video here.

Chart Updates
Across the pond, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 funds itself at No. 2 on the British country compilation albums chart, while her Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection sits at No. 8, The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe at No. 11, Glen Campbell's Ghost On The Canvas Sessions with a Dolly duet at No. 13, Emmylou Harris's Original Album Series Volume 1, including Dolly appearances, at No. 14 Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with its Dolly appearances, finds itself at No. 12 Ameriana albums No. 20 British country albums.

Dollywood Releases 2026 Calendar
Dollywood recenly released its 2026 operating calendar with a few changes from previous years. Opening day will be on Friday, March 13, but unlike recent years when it has been a preview day for passholders, resort guests, and invited guests, it will be Grand Opening Day open to the general public. Also, instead of closing Tuesdays and Thursdays for four weeks in spring and four weeks in fall those breaks will be limited to two weeks each: the final two weeks of April, last week of August, and first week of September. The park will also be open on Halloween for the first time in many years, closing to switch over for Christmas Nov. 1-5, and opening the Christmas festival on Friday, Nov. 6, a day earlier than its usual Saturday opening. The season will conclude Jan. 3, 2027.

'Opry' CD With 'I Will Always Love You' Released
The highly-anticipated Opry 100: Country's Greatest Songs CD was released this month, featuring a curated selection of the songs selected as the genre's best of all time in celebration of the centennial of The Grand Ole Opry including a 2007 performance of "I Will Always Love You" by Dolly to mentor Porter Wagoner at his 50th Opry anniversary celebration just months prior to his death. The Opry chose to use video of that performance as the primary promotional image for the album. Watch it here or in the media player below.

Sorry For Update Delays
Apologies for the delay in updates. Your webmaster had a nasty eye infection for a while that made vision difficult, plus trying to catch up from missing work as a result further delayed the updates.

Oct. 21:
Rumors Of Dolly's Deathbed Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

As fans well know, Dolly cancelled several recent public appearances citing health issues (two Imagination Library speeches due to an infection and then her announcement of the 2026 attraction addition for Dollywood due to kidney stones) before announcing that unnamed health issues requiring "procedures" would prevent her from rehearsing for her December residency in Las Vegas, postponing that to September 2026. As the health concerns dominated the media, her team was pressured to release more information and confirm the issues were a result of Dolly's kidney stones which required surgery.

A few days after the Vegas postponement, the press picked up on that she was not going to attend the ceremony to receive her honorary Oscar in November and said that was due to her health issues as well, which her management was quick to refute, explaining she had a scheduling conflct with that appearance which was relayed to them prior to the illness and had been disclosed months ago on the event invitation.

Then steps in the well-meaning sister. Freida Parton, Dolly's second-youngest sister, shared to social media the following post early afternoon Oct. 7: "Last night, I was up all night praying for my sister, Dolly. Many of you know she hasn't been feeling her best lately. I truly believe in the power of prayer, and I have been lead to ask all of the world that loves her to be prayer warriors and pray with me. She's strong, she's loved, and with all the prayers being lifted for her, I know in my heart she's going to be just fine. Godspeed, my sissy Dolly. We all love you! ??"

Within hours, every major media outlet had picked up the story, making it sound like Dolly was on her deathbed, even though the post suggested nothing of the sort, giving the nonchalant description that Dolly just "hasn't been feeling her best lately.". (Granted, for those who were not raised in certain Christian denominations that emphasise prayer for all types of circumstances, when they hear a request for prayer they assume a person must be near death when in reality often prayer is requested for the most mundane circumstances.) Fans began sharing posts calling for prayer and protection and pondering what her passing as the world's most beloved celebrity would mean.

This spread to various AI-generated posts shared by bots showing fake photos of Dolly on her deathbed, often with visitor Reba McEntire. A couple of her nieces shared variations of only believe what Dolly says about Dolly's health, not anyone else, suggesting the issue had been overblown. Publiclists even took to reiterating the health issues are just kidney stones and "it got quite a bit blown out of proportion, weirdly," according to The Las Vegas Review Journal reported here. (Although Dolly has been notoriously private about her health for most of her life, she has acknowledged past issues with kidney stones requiring surgery, most recently on Dr. Oz in 2017.)

In response, Dolly's niece Danielle Parton shared to social media: "There has been no change in Dolly's health status from her statement last week. If Dolly had wanted to share more, give details, ask for prayers, whatever, she would have. If it doesn't come directly from Dolly it isn't authorized and unless she shared the information, you can bet it's private and none of mine or anyone else's business. Let's give her the space and grace she needs to handle whatever she is trying to handle. This hysteria isn't helping. In fact, it's causing undue stress for her and the rest of us. Even if good intentioned." The post resulted in a call from The National Enquirer, which she said on social media she declined to comment for, so they took quotes for their story from her post to make it look like she had granted an interview (something several tabloids have done in the past to your webmaster as well).

Less than 10 hours after the initial post, Freida shared the following clarification: "I want to clear something up. I didn't mean to scare anyone or make it sound so serious when asking for prayers for Dolly. She's been a little under the weather, and I simply asked for prayers because I believe so strongly in the power of prayer. It was nothing more than a little sister asking for prayers for her big sister. Thank you all for lifting her up. Your love truly makes a difference."

But even that didn't end the chatter, prompting Dolly herself the next day, Oct. 8, to interrupt her taping of commericals for The Grand Ole Opry (awaiting announcement of what that project is -- maybe Opry performances to celebrate the opening of her new Nashville hotel and museum?) to assure fans she's fine. "I know lately everybody thinks I'm sicker than I am. Do I look sick to you?" she joked in the video here or in the media player above. She thanked folks for the prayers and explained she didn't take care of herself as well as she should have in husband Carl's final days and after he passed, and now she has to take care of several health issues she had been putting off. "I wanted you to know that I'm not dying," she explained, adding humorous digs at the AI-generated claims otherwise with her and Reba (who replied with a video of her own here and in the media player below.

"I'm not ready to die yet. I don't think God is through with me," Dolly said. "And I ain't done working."

Another niece, Jada Starr, Freida's daughter, found the humor in it, posting a "put down your finger" video about her mom "making the Internet and entire world panic with one of her Facebook posts . . . "

Regardless, the situation showed just how beloved Dolly is nationwide and how close tens of millions of Americans feel to her.

'Star Of The Show' Contest Starts
To promote Dolly's new book, Star Of The Show: My Life On Stage on Nov. 11, Dolly is giving away a trip to her new hotel. One grand prize winner who enters by Nov. 16 will receive two tickets to Dolly's upcomiing Life of Many Colors Museum in Nashville, two nights at her upcoming SongTeller Hotel in Music City, two tickets to The Grand Ole Opry, two tickets for a daytime backstage tour or the Opry House, and a prepaid gift card of $1,000 to help with travel costs. Enter online here with your order number if you have pre-ordered the book. A free entry may also be made without purchase by sending your first and last name, home address, email address, and phone number with area code on a postcard postmarked by Nov. 17 and received by Nov. 21 to Star of the Show Sweepstakes, Penguin Random House, Attn: Allison Renzulli, 1745 Broadway - 1521, New York, NY 10019. Limit one entry per person regardless of method of entry. The trip must be taken at a date chosen by the winner within 12 months of the opening of the hotel, which is currently expected in June 2026.

Dolly Goes 'Dutch' With Lodge, Ovens That Is
Thanks to Dolly, Lodge is releasing its first-ever enamel cookware with a series of Dolly-branded dutch ovens. The glitter-kissed ovens bear Dolly's name on the lid and come in the shades of Blush & Bashful, Islands In The Stream, Mountain Mist, and Hard Candy Christmas. Check out a story from The Pioneer Woman here.

Second Round Of Joleans Jeans Released
Dolly has released her second collection of denim clothing and accessories in her Joleans line under Good American, available in retail stores nationwide as well as the brand's website. A total of 24 new pieces are available including Joleans flare in a new wash and a straight-cut denim.

'9 To 5, Jr.' Musical Released
Given its popularity in recent years as a high school and local theater production, Music Theater International has announced release of the edited middle school version of 9 To 5: The Musical as 9 To 5, Jr., running in at 60 minutes. Learn more here.

'London' Vinyl Tops U.K. Country Compilations
Across the pond, the vinyl double-album re-issue of Live from London lands that title at No. 1 on the British country compilation chart this week, knocking Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 down one spot to No. 2, while her Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection sits at No. 6, Glen Campbell's Ghost On The Canvas Sessions with a Dolly duet slips at No. 9, and Emmylou Harris's Original Album Series Volume 1 at No. 9 and Volume 2 at No. 10, both of which include Dolly appearances. Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, finds itself at No. 12 U.K. pop, No. 32 Scottish albums, No. 31 album sales, No. 29 physical album sales, and No. 11 streaming albums. Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, is No. 14 country albums. Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with its Dolly appearances, finds itself at No. 8 Ameriana albums No. 20 British country albums.

Oct. 7:
Latest Fallout From Dolly's Health Postponements
Since the news that health issues would postpone her Vegas residency in December, a few related items have popped up in the news. First, The Colosseum at Ceasar's Palace has announced that Tim McGraw has scheduled a mini-residency at the venue to replace most of Dolly's dates: Dec. 4, 6, 12, and 13, leaving her originally-scheduled nights of Dec. 7 and 10 open. A spokesperson told Deadline that her illness will not impact the development schedule for her Broadway biopic and its intended 2026 Great White Way debut. Also, her spokesperson told several media outlets, including USA Today, that her lack of appearance at the Nov. 16 Governor's Awards for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts to accept her honorary Oscar for humanitarian work was not because of her illness. The Academy was told in June when they notified her of the honor that a schedule conflict existed and she would have to accept remotely from Nashville that evening, and invitations issued shortly thereafter also noted the plan to skip the ceremony.

Two New Dolly Vinyls Coming Soon
A couple of special edition Dolly vinyls will be released over the next two months, it has been announced. First, a mini-single four-inch vinyl of her collaboration with Motley Crue, "Home Sweet Home", will come out as a Target exclusive on Oct. 17 here. In addition, a fifth anniversary edition of her most recent holiday collection, A Holly Dolly Christmas, will come out as a vinyl picture disc Nov. 21. Reserve your copy here.

'Rainbowland' Teacher's Firing Upheld By Court
A First Amendment suit by a Wisconsin teacher fired after publicly complaining her school prohibited elementary students from singing Dolly and Miley Cyrus' "Rainbowland" and Kermit the Frog's "Rainbow Connection" at a school function due to potential controversy of rainbows being associated with LGBTQIA+ acceptance was dismissed last week by a federal judge. Public school teachers, as government employees, enjoy freedom of speech protections greater than private employees and generally cannot be disciplined for off-the-clock and outside-the-classroom speech unless they falsely represent their comments as the position of the school itself or if the speech severely disrupts the learning environment. The judge found that calls from activists on both sides of the issue following her public disclosure of the controversy severely impacted the school's ability to function and therefore met the disruption exemption to allow her termination. Read more from Wisconsin Public Radio here.

EV Ports, Personal Charging Umbrellas Added To Dollywood
Dollywood last week unveiled 14 new electric vehicle charging ports in its parking lot and 10 solar-powered umbrella personal device charging units in the park.

'Very Best' Back At No. 1 In U.K.
Across the pond, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 regains the top spot on the British country compilation album chart, rising one to No. 1, while her Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection slips two to No. 7, Glen Campbell's Ghost On The Canvas Sessions with a Dolly duet slips one to No. 7, Dolly Parton & Family: Smoky Mountain DNA -- Family, Faith & Fables falls back off the top 20, down from No. 20, and The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe re-enters the top 20 at No. 14. Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, finds itself at No. 13 U.K. pop, No. 38 Scottish albums, No. 40 album sales, No. 38 physical album sales, and No. 10 streaming albums. Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, is No. 6 country albums. Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with its Dolly appearances, finds itself at No. 8 Ameriana albums and falls out of the top 20 country albums, down from No. 16.

Sept. 30:
Vegas Residency Postponed A Year
For the third time in the past few weeks, Dolly last week revealed a health issue prevented her from making a public appearance, but this time it appears to be more serious and will postpone her sold out Las Vegas residency to a year from now, nine months later than originally scheduled. In a message to fans on social media, Dolly revealed her continuing health issues will require surgeries to correct, preventing her from adequate rehearsal for the December string of shows at The Colosseum at Caesar's Palace. Her statement read: "I want the fans and public to hear directly from me that, unfortunately, I will need to postpone my upcoming Las Vegas concerts. As many of you know, I have been dealing with some health challenges, and my doctors tell me that I must have a few procedures. As I joked with them, it must be time for my 100,000-mile check-up, although it's not the usual trip to see my plastic surgeon! In all seriousness, given this, I am not going to be able to rehearse and put together the show that I want you to see, and the show that you deserve to see. You pay good money to see me perform, and I want to be at my best for you. While I'll still be able to work on all of my projects from here in Nashville, I just need a little time to get show ready, as they say. And don't worry about me quittin' the business because God hasn't said anything about stopping yet. But, I believe He is telling me to slow down right now so I can be ready for more big adventures with all of you. I love you and thank you for understanding." The six shows Dec. 4-13 will now run Sept. 17-26, 2026. Tickets will be honored for the new dates, and refunds will be available for those who can't make it. No information was given about the nature of the medical issues or surgeries, but she had previously cancelled Imagination Library appearances last month citing an inner ear infection that prevented her from flying to New Mexico and Montana on Aug. 27, and then earlier this month she said a kidney stone that had led to an infection prevented her from driving from Nashville to Dollywood to announce the park's 2026 addition on Sept. 17. She historically has been very private about her health, rarely sharing information about health issues, which makes these three announcements concerning to fans who are praying for her recovery.

Dolly Helps Wiggles Get Nomination
Kids entertainers The Wiggles received a nomination last week from the ARIA Awards in Australis for Best Children's Album for their country outing Wiggle Up, Giddy Up, which contains two Dolly covers and two additional Dolly collaborations. Winners will be announced Nov. 19.

'Butterfly' Falls From The Charts
After one week at No. 1 on the country digital song sales chart and one week at No. 6 on the all-genre digital songs chart, Dolly and the Zac Brown Band's "Butterfly" falls off both tallies in the Sept. 27 Billboard numbers released last Tuesday. In other charts:

Sept. 23:
Reba Interview With Dolly Streams Thursday

Dolly Misses New Ride Announcement Last Week

Dolly welcomed the crowd Wednesday via a pre-taped video explaining her absence before park officials discussed the ride. Watch the announcement here or in the media player above, and learn more about the ride here.

"I'm just so proud that Dollywood has grown so much in its first 40 years that we're able to add a ride like NightFlight Expedition," Dolly said. "I have no doubt it's going to be a huge part of Dollywood's next 40 years. We're always trying to take the natural beauty of the Smokies and make it part of everything we're doing in the park, and they've definitely been able to do it with this ride. A lot of people ask me about my favorite season in the Smokies, but no one ever asks me what my favorite time of day is. Our new ride sends you out into the mountains at night, which is the time that I think they really come to life! Obviously, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is known for the synchronous lightning bugs, but I also love to just sit and listen to the owls calling or the frogs croaking, and I love to see the stars sparkling like rhinestones up in the big old sky. It's pure mountain magic."  

The more than $50 million attraction in Wildwood Grove takes an amphibious ride vehicle through vivid multimedia projections, dynamic onboard and offboard audio, as well as special lighting effects, to immerse guests in an extraordinary Smoky Mountain adventure classified as an indoor family hybrid coaster and whitewater river raft ride. The five-and-a-half-minute adventure begins with a nighttime flight over the Smokies, followed by a whitewater rafting excursion through more than 500,000 gallons of surging water, a mountain ridge roller coaster ride, and a boat cruise across a mysterious shimmering lake. With a 39-inch height requirement, the ride operates in a temperature-controlled 44,000 square-foot building so it can operate independently of the park's weather. It is expected to open in spring 2026.

Check out additional coverage from Amusement Today here and The Knoxville News-Sentinel here.

In addition, the park last week began taking presale orders for season pass renewals, announcing new pass purchasers will be able to buy in a presale starting Oct. 13 if they register in advance. Changes to passes include:

'Butterfly' Debuts No. 1 Country Digital Singles

Christmas Goods Land At Dollar General
Dolly's latest line of holiday-themed home goods is arriving nationwide at Dollar General stores, License Global reports here.

'Still Working'; Headed To West Hollywood
The city of West Hollywood is screening the documentary Still Working 9 To 5 Oct. 11 as part of a triple-feature on women's empowerment to kick off LA Tech Week. Accompanying it will be Lilly and Show Her The Money. Get tickets here.

Dolly Track In TikTok Trend
Dolly at Chet Atkins have made the top 10 trends on TikTok, according to Parade here. Their 1976 duet of "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" has become the sound clip for a viral trend of showing you and your childhood best friend doing something together as kids and then something together today.

Sept. 16:
Musical Run Attracts Nearly 80,000
The out-of-town premiere of Dolly: A True Original Musical, which ran for six weeks and 49 performances at Nashville's Belmont University, attracted more than 77,900 attendees to its theater. For context, if the Broadway transfer can attract similar audiences in New York next year, it would be the No. 1 or No. 2 show on the Great White Way. In a statement, Dolly said: "As we continue to workshop our musical for Broadway, I am excited to know that the Belmont University Dolly U partnership will continue, with students playing a part in the next step of our journey, just as they did for our Nashville premiere." Read more on Yahoo courtesy The Tennessean here.

Standby Line For Wednesday's Appearance
Dollywood's announced last week that select Diamond passholders were invited to attend Dolly's Wednesday media appearance to announce the new ride addition for 2026 but added that a standby line will be available for Diamond passholders who were not invited to wait for seating at the announcement for any no-shows.

Ohio Library Added To Birth Certificates
Ohio has added registration for their statewide affiliate of Dolly's early childhood literacy charity imagination Library directly to the state's birth certificate paperwork, allowing parents to register at birth by checking a box on the form. First Lady Fran DeWine made the announcement last week at a luncheon headlined by Zac Brown, who was celebrating his own Dolly connection having just released their duet "Butterfly" together. Read more from Spectrum News here.

U.S., U.K., Aussie Chart Updates
Across the pond, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 slips one to No. 2 on the British country compilation album chart, while her Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection gains six to No. 7, Dolly Parton & Family: Smoky Mountain DNA -- Family, Faith & Fables falls off the top 20, Glen Campbell's Ghost On The Canvas Sessions with a Dolly duet holds steady at No. 6, while Emmylou Harris' Original Album Series Vol. 1 re-enters the top 20 at No. 17 and Linda Ronstadt's entry in the series falls two to No. 19, both of which contain several Dolly appearances. Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, finds itself at No. 11 U.K. pop, No. 28 Scottish albums, No. 28 album sales, No. 28 physical album sales, and No. 9 streaming albums. Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, is No. 9 country albums. Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with its Dolly appearances, falls out of the top 20 country albums, down from No. 13, and rests at No. 4 Ameriana albums.

Sept. 9:
'Butterfly' With Zac Brown Released

Dolly Visits Park Next Week, Earns Hall Of Fame Induction
Dolly will be on park next Wednesday to announce Dollywood's largest-ever attraction, a yet-to-be-revealed ride coming for 2026. The media invitation to the announcement stated: "the company's newest attraction which soars into the park in 2026. Park officials will plunge media into the heart of the excitement about the largest single attraction investment in the history of Dollywood. Media attendees can climb their way through thrilling information designed to help them as they navigate the most exciting ways to share the news of this unparalleled new project. The announcement represents the next step in the $500 million expansion plan first unveiled in 2021." Invitations began to be sent this week to select Diamond Passholders to attend the announcement. It is unknown at this time whether Dolly will do her weather-permitting park tour or not. In related news, the theme park industry association, IAAPA, announced last week that Dolly will be inducted into its Hall of Fame as part of its 2025 class. Tickets to the ceremony Nov. 17 in Orlando are available starting at $399 each here. It hasn't been announced whether Dolly will be in attendance. Learn more from Theme Park Insider here.

Dollywood Wins Three Golden Tickets, Slips To No. 2 U.S. Park
It took Harry Potter, How To Train Your Dragon, and Super Nintendo World, but a new theme park has dethroned Dollywood as the Best Theme Park in America after taking home the award for five consecutive years from the Golden Ticket Awards, known informally as the theme park world's Oscars. Dolly's park brought home three first place honors and several finalist spots this year.
Universal Epic Universe, the third Universal Orlando theme park to open, took the awards by storm in just its first three months of operation, debuting at No. 2 for Best Theme Park worldwide behind only Europa Park in Germany, making it by default the Best Theme Park in the U.S. Dollywood had held that No. 2 position, first in the U.S., four out of the past five years and took the No. 1 worldwide position from Europa Park two years ago.
Dollywood won Best Kids Area for Wildwood Grove for the sixth year, Best Family Coaster for Big Bear Mountain for the third year, and Best Guest Experience for the sixth year, an award that combines friendliness, cleanliness, operations, and value.
"We've really had a lot of fun this year celebrating our 40th season," Dolly said in a statement, "and it just keeps getting bigger. We've already won some great awards this year, and now our friends at Amusement Today have honored us with a few more. I'm humbled that so many wonderful people from all around the world who have visited us feel like our park is one of the best anywhere. I had big dreams 40 years ago about what Dollywood could become, but even I sometimes have a hard time believing it has become everything that it is now. And you know, when we share our next big idea very soon, I think it's going to have everyone's dreams soaring!"  
"Play On" placed second for Best New Show, the park placed third for Most Beautiful Park, Thunderhead was ranked as the fifth best wooden coaster in the world (down from No. 4), Splash Country maintained its fifth place spot for Best Water Park, and Lightning Rod fell out of the top 25 steel coasters worldwide, down from No. 22.  
The park's annual Harvest Festival kicks off Friday with the new Candy Corn Country in Country Fair and the return of the Great Pumpkin LumiNights.

'Little Golden Book' Getting Ultimate Fan Treatment
Random House has announced that it is re-issuing its Dolly "Little Golden Book" biography (which your webmaster helped create) in an expanded fan edition with a new cover, 22 bonus pages, and a page of stickers. My Little Golden Book About Dolly Parton: Ultimate Fan Edition will hit stores Jan. 6.

Sept. 2:
'Broken Angels' Duet Released With The Grascals

Ear Infection Cancels Appearances
Dolly was forced to cancel two planned Imagination Library appearances last week to celebrate statewide expansions in Montana and New Mexico. Via video, she apologized for missing the events, explained an inner ear infection prevented her from flying, and said she would reschedule them. Watch her videos in coverage from Montana Right Now here and The Sante Fe New Mexican here.

Dolly In New Hag Documentary
Dolly and Willie Nelson are interviewed in but don't perform in a new covers-heavy, three-hour long documentary by Ethan Hawke about the legendary Merle Haggard. Premiering at the Telluride Film Festival, Highway 99: A Double Album features mostly other singers interpreting Haggard's songs as it tells his life story.

Broadway-Bound 'Dolly' Ends Nashville Test
Dolly: A True Original Musical ended its Nashville try-out on Saturday. It is likely the show will undergo more fine-tuning before it premieres sometime in 2026 in New York.

U.K., U.S., Aussie Chart Updates
Across the pond, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 holds on to the top spot at No. 1 on the British country compilation album chart, while her Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection slips six to to No. 13, The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe falls out of the top 20, Dolly Parton & Family: Smoky Mountain DNA -- Family, Faith & Fables inches down two to No. 12, Glen Campbell's Ghost On The Canvas Sessions with a Dolly duet holds steady at No. 6, while Emmylou Harris' Original Album Series Vol. 2 rises four to No. 11 and Linda Ronstadt's entry in the series re-enters the top 20 at No. 17, both of which contain several Dolly appearances. Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, finds itself at No. 13 U.K. pop, No. 17 Scottish albums, No. 21 album sales, No. 20 physical album sales, and No. 8 streaming albums. Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, is No. 15 country albums. Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with its Dolly appearances, is No. 13 British country albums and No. 5 Ameriana albums.

Aug. 26:
New Grascals Duet Coming Friday
Dolly's former backing band The Grascals have a new collaboration with her coming out on Friday, the band revealed Monday. "Broken Angels," a new single written by Dolly and Grascals vocalist Jamie Johnson, will debut as a duet on Friday. Reserve your copy in advance through your favorite streaming service here.

Montana Getting Library Visit Wednesday
Dolly will make a brief appearance in person in Montana at 1:30 p.m. local time (3:30 p.m. Eastern) Wednesday to celebrate the statewide expansion of her Imagination Library early childhood literacy program with invited guests at a private event to be live streamed on NonStopLocal here, it was announced Monday.

Carpenter To Channel Dolly On VMAs
Sabrina Carpenter, with whom Dolly collaborated on a reissue of her hit single "Please, Please, Please," has revealed when she sings a medley of hits on September's MTV Video Music Awards she will do so in a performance inspired by Dolly in the film 9 To 5. No word on whether Dolly will join her.

Aug. 19:
Ted Miller Retiring, Jeff Conyers To Replace
Dolly this week announced a major leadership transition on her team. Ted Miller, who has served as Dolly's business advisor for her East Tennessee ventures as president of Dolly Parton Productions since the mid-to-late-1980s, will retire at the end of this year and his role will be assumed by Dollywood Foundation President Jeff Conyers. In addition to retaining his role leading Dolly's Imagination Library program in the U.S. and abroad as well as her other philanthropic efforts, he will also serve as her liaison for her business ventures with Herschend Family Entertainment including Dollywood Parks and Resorts and WCI/ZMC (through which she owns and operates their various dinner theaters). Read more from The Mountain Press here.

'Live From London' Coming To Vinyl
Dolly announced last week that her concert album Live from London, recorded live at the O2 Arena in 2008, will be released on vinyl for the first time Oct. 10. The double-album will be available in standard black here, cotton candy vinyl in the U.K., and blue skies vinyl from Dolly's official online store. This could be the first of other vinul reissues to come, as Dollymania.net learned from insiders associated with Vinyl Me Please that Dolly's team chose to end their partnership with the boutique retailer after its first year of Dolly vinyl releases in the Vinyl Me Parton series because they wanted to start releasing her albums on vinyl themselves in the future rather than the limited editions through the collector site.

Dolly Musical Interferes With Cancer Appearance
Dolly has continued making occasional appearances at the Nashville tryout of her Broadway-bound bio-musical Dolly: A True Original Musical as the show is tweaked by her and the creative team before its Great White Way transition next year. Unfortunately, the requirements working with the show forced her to cancel last Friday's planned live appearance at the multi-network fundraiser Stand Up To Cancer, organizers said. A new interview also came out of the show's promotions last week thanks to Woman's World here.

'Very Best' Returns To U.K. Compilation No. 1
Across the pond, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 this week moves up one to regain the top spot at No. 1 on the British country compilation album chart, while her Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection gains one to No. 7, The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe rises three to No. 10, Dolly Parton & Family: Smoky Mountain DNA -- Family, Faith & Fables climbs three to No. 11, and Glen Campbell's Ghost On The Canvas Sessions with a Dolly duet inches up one to No. 6, while Emmylou Harris' Original Album Series Vol. 1 falls back out of the top 20 down from No. 20. Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, finds itself at No. 11 U.K. pop, No. 30 Scottish albums, No. 27 album sales, No. 25 physical album sales, and No. 8 streaming albums. Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, loses two to No. 17 country albums. Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with its Dolly appearances, slips two to No. 11 British country albums and No. 5 Ameriana albums.

Aug. 12:
Dolly's Musical Officially Opens In Nashville

Dolly Speaks Of Reba, Kelly Grief
Dolly told Entertainment Tonight her advice to Reba and Kelly Clarkson on the loss of their loved one, Brandon Blackstock, from her recent experience losing her husband, Carl, here 

U.S., U.K., Aussie Chart Updates
Across the pond, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 holds steady at No. 2 on the British country compilation album chart, while her Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection rises two to No. 8, The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe gains five to No. 13, Dolly Parton & Family: Smoky Mountain DNA -- Family, Faith & Fables slips three to No. 14, Glen Campbell's Ghost On The Canvas Sessions with a Dolly duet climbs 13 to No. 7, Emmylou Harris' Original Album Series Vol. 1 re-enters the top 20 at No. 20 and Linda Ronstadt's Original Album Series falls back out of the top 20, down from No. 14. Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, regains two to No. 8 U.K. pop, 13 to No. 19 Scottish albums, seven to No. 20 album sales, and six to No. 20 physical album sales, holding steady at No. 7 streaming albums. Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, loses two to No. 15 country albums. Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with its Dolly appearances, gains one to No. 9 British country albums and dips one to No. 3 Ameriana albums.

Aug. 5:
Dolly Buys Another Florida Attraction
Just a few weeks after opening her latest Pirates Voyage dinner theater, the chain's third location and first in Florida, Dolly has expanded her Panama City Beach holdings by purchasing the SkyWheel attraction in the city, which features an observation wheel, 18-hole mini-golf course, and ropes course. Coverage of the acquisition of the Pier Park facility includes this story from WJHG here.

'Whorehouse' BluRay Ordering Page Added
Amazon has added an order page for the 2K BluRay special edition restoration of The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas coming out Sept. 23 which was reported here two weeks ago. Reserve your copy here.

In Memoriam: Jeannie Seely
Grand Ole Opry legend Jeannie Seely died last week at age 85. In a tribute on social media, Dolly responded: "I have known Jeannie Seely since we were early on in Nashville. She was one of my dearest friends. I think she was one of the greater singers in Nashville and she had a wonderful sense of humor. We had many wonderful laughs together, cried over certain things together and she will be missed." Seely moved to Nashville in 1966 where she joined Dolly as a Monument Records artist and briefly toured with Porter Wagoner as his girl singer after Norma Jean, being replaced by Dolly in 1967. She covered Dolly's "Put It Off Until Tomorrow" on her debut album and "Just Because I'm A Woman" on her fourth album.

Dolly Snags Five Spots On 'Opry' Top 100
If you haven't seen the full list of the Opry's 100 greatest country songs of all time, Dolly is tied with Willie Nelson and George Straight as the performer with the most appearances on the tally with five songs each. Dolly's are "I Will Always Love You," "Coat of Many Colors," "Jolene," "9 to 5" and "Islands In The Stream" See all 100 here.

Dolly Wines Bar Opens In Nashville
Dolly has opened a small wine bar in Music City to promote her two Dolly Wines available in the U.S. The Dolly Wines Bar is located inside the Assembly Food Hall at 5055 Broadway Place in downtown Nashville. Check it out in a story from Music Universe here.

'Christmas Carol' Adds More Dates
Dolly Parton's Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol last week added a few more dates to its first national tour to the ones reported here a week ago. The additions are:

Dollywood Named Among Best Women Employers
Dollywood Parks and Resorts was named last week by Forbes magazine on the list of America's Best Employers for Women, the only theme park company included. Check out the full list here.

U.K., Aussie, U.S. Chart Updates
Across the pond, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 holds steady at No. 2 on the British country compilation album chart, while her Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection loses four to No. 10, The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe drops eight to No. 18, Dolly Parton & Family: Smoky Mountain DNA -- Family, Faith & Fables moves up three to No. 11, Linda Ronstadt's Original Album Series and Glen Campbell's Ghost On The Canvas Sessions with a Dolly duet re-enter the top 20 at No. 14 and No. 20, respectively, while Emmylou Harris' Original Album Series Vol. 1 falls back out of the top 20, down from No. 19. Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, inches down one to No. 10 U.K. pop, loses three to No. 32 Scottish albums, falls one to No. 27 album sales, moves down two to No. 26 physical album sales, and rises two to No. 7 streaming albums. Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, loses one to No. 13 country albums. Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with its Dolly appearances, holds steady at No. 10 British country albums and rises five to No. 2 Ameriana albums.