Dolly Parade

Annual Dolly Homecoming Parade Celebrates 31st Year

With often more than 50,000 visitors lining the Parkway in Pigeon Forge, it’s one of the area’s most anticipated events of the year: The Smoky Mountains’ sweetheart, Dolly Parton, will return as grand marshal of the 31st Annual Dolly Parade on May 6, 2016.

The free event kicks off Pigeon Forge’s Springfest with colorful floats, marching bands, entertainers and local celebrities.

It starts at 6 p.m. at Traffic Light No. 6 and continues north on the Parkway all the way to Traffic Light No. 3.

If you want to get a good spot along the Parkway – a place where you’re guaranteed to catch all the action – get there early!

Dolly Parton was born on Jan. 19, 1946 in Locust Ridge, Tenn. The day after she graduated from Sevier County High School, she packed her cardboard suitcase with songs and moved to Nashville.

The gifted singer, songwriter and actress wrote songs from an early age and made appearances on WSEV Radio in Sevierville by the age of nine. By the age of 10, she became a regular performer on the “Cas Walker Show,” which was broadcast on Knoxville television.

Only three years after leaving home, country legend Porter Wagoner selected Dolly as his new girl singer for his syndicated show. Seven years later, she left the show with two Country Music Association Awards for “Duo of the Year” in search of a solo career. In just two years, she joined the Grand Ole Opry.

In 1999, Dolly was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. The prolific songwriter was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001. In a 2009 interview with CNN’s Larry King, she said that she had written at least 3,000 songs, having written seriously since the age of seven.

The icon has entertained on the big screen in several films, including “Nine to Five” and “Steel Magnolias.” She is also a champion for literacy, having founded Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in 1995 to benefit the children of East Tennessee. The effort has since expanded across the United States and into Canada and the United Kingdom.

In 1986, she joined the Hershend brothers in owning the amusement park Silver Dollar City – that year it became known as “Dollywood.”

Dollywood is Tennessee’s most visited attraction with more than 2 million visitors each year. It prides itself on family values, with its workers striving to help its guests make “Memories Worth Repeating.”

Is there anything Dolly Parton can’t do? Despite her worldwide fame and success, she has never forgotten where she came from. What an experience to see her – along with the beautiful area where she grew up.

So don’t wait – May 6 will be here before you know it! We would love to host you during your stay. Call Heartland Cabin Rentals at 1-888-711-0087 to make your reservations today.