God Bless Dolly Parton!

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I am a fan of Dolly Parton's. I have been since I was a little girl and watched her on the Porter Wagoner syndicated TV show on Saturday afternoon. Dolly was born and raised in Sevierville, Tennessee, which was a small town when she was growing up 70 years ago. It still is a small town, but thanks to Dolly's international superstardom it's "on the map" as her hometown. There is a statue of her in front of the county courthouse. One town to the south, in Pigeon Forge, her attractions Dollywood, Splash Country, and the Dixie Stampede are popular tourist stops for the millions who visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park every year. If you've watched the news in the past couple of days you know that the town of Gatlinburg, next door to Pigeon Forge, was brutalized by a fast-moving wildfire whipped up by hurricane-force winds on Monday evening. It was particularly heartbreaking to me because I love that area. I go there when I need to "run away from home," when I need to celebrate, when I need to recharge my spiritual batteries, or for no good reason. Today Dolly Parton announced that she is giving back to her devastated home county in a big way: she is donating $1,000 a month to the families who've lost everything until they can get their insurance claims settled and get back on their feet. Additionally, Dollywood announced this evening that, although this is the "slow season" for the area, they will do everything they can do to provide temporary employment for those whose places of employment were destroyed in the fire. God bless the people in Gatlinburg and the surrounding areas. God bless the firemen and first responders. And God bless Dolly Parton for her generous spirit, giving back to the people who made her the legend she is!! Here's Dolly's great song about her home region: