TACOMA, Wash. — Dolly Parton’s rhinestone-covered life and career have captivated imaginations the world over for the past six decades. And it’s imagination that brought the iconic entertainer to Washington on Tuesday.
Parton celebrated the implementation of her Imagination Library program in the Evergreen State with an event at Tacoma’s Pantages Theater.
After a discussion about her program and her upcoming album, she grabbed her sparkly guitar and performed "Coat of Many Colors" and "Try."
The Imagination Library, launched in 1995, delivers one free book a month to children from birth to age 5 who are enrolled in the program. More than 200 million books have been gifted under the program.
As with some of her most iconic songs – “Love is like a Butterfly” comes to mind – Parton’s inspiration for the Imagination Library came from her family’s struggles growing up poor in rural Tennessee. In particular, her father’s inability to read.
She said her dad was so happy to see the success of the program.
"He got a bigger kick out of people calling me the 'Book Lady' than he did about 'Dolly Parton the star,'" Parton said. "I know my daddy's always looking down saying, 'We did it! We did it!'"
Tennessee was the first state to implement the Imagination Library statewide. To date, the program now sends books to children in 15 states and five countries.
Never having had children of her own, a choice the “Jolene” singer has spoken publicly about in the past, Parton’s charitable endeavors often focus on kids.
"I do other things, but I don't think I'll do anything more important to me or more personal to me than this," Parton said.
To register for the program in Washington, parents just need to fill out an enrollment form. Within eight weeks, their child will receive their first free book. When their child turns 5, they will receive their final book, "Look out Kindergarten, Here I Come!"
Parton’s visit to Tacoma on Tuesday wasn’t her first time in T-Town. In 1988, Parton and the late Kenny Rogers played the Tacoma Dome. She has played other shows in Washington in the years since, including a stop in Everett in 2004 as part of her “Hello, I’m Dolly” tour, and most recently in Kent in 2016 with her “Pour & Simple” tour.
The Smoky Mountains girl was quite impressed by the Cascades.
“I was so excited when I saw that, because we just had the perfect view from the plane, we were like little kids, like on a tourist trip or something,” said Parton, “You’ve got a lot to be proud of here this is a beautiful state."
Parton said she has several cousins who live in the state and looks forward to getting apples every Christmas from her family in the Wenatchee area.
Watch KING 5's full interview with Dolly Parton here: