08/26/2026
There have been so many wonderful tributes to Dolly Parton over the last 24 hrs that are better than anything we could offer, but what we will humbly add is that Dolly Parton's Imagination Library has been an in-kind sponsor of our Festival for several years and it's a partnership we've always been very proud of. In interviews, Dolly said the Imagination Library program was a tribute to her father, who grew up so poor that he didn't have a chance to be educated and could not read. This program, through which she gave hundreds of millions of books (no exaggeration) to children in low income households, has had an impact on reading and literacy that is truly immeasurable. Bless her sweet soul for all the good she added to our world. RIP Dolly. π