Dolly Parton opens up as HeartSong Lodge debuts at Dollywood: 'I hope I'm a light'
Dolly Parton doesn’t talk about politics too much, and she definitely doesn’t dwell in negativity. But trust she’s aware of what’s going on in East Tennessee and around the world, and she’s working well over 9 to 5 to do what she can to make this place a little bit brighter.
“I try to find the good in everybody (and) everything,” Parton told Knox News, part of the USA TODAY Network. “I try to do as much good as I can in the area that I've been confined to and, if I'm a light, I hope so, because I ask God to let me shine. Let me do and say things that would be uplifting.”
Parton chatted with Knox News following the grand opening of HeartSong Lodge, her second Dollywood resort in Pigeon Forge.
“It's easy to see why everybody loves Dolly,” commissioner Mark Ezell of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development said, praising how Parton’s work and philanthropy touches people's lives.
But Parton is only one person. She doesn’t have the answers to all the troubles of the world. “I'm no angel, I just play one on TV,” she reminded Knox News, adding that we all must work together to bring positive change.
“I think we all have our own little light. Some of us don't get a chance to let it shine, but I try to keep mine shined up and polished up and do as much good as I can,” she said.
Because we needed more of the Queen of Country’s joyful radiance, Parton shared her heart and thoughts with Knox News about HeartSong Lodge, personal expression and what keeps her motivated.
Bringing families together at HeartSong Lodge
HeartSong Lodge is inspired by Parton’s deep love for the Great Smoky Mountains and was specifically designed for families.
“I'm just big on family,” Parton said. “It's something for everybody to do … It's just really a wonderful spot to refresh and to be entertained.”
The 302-room resort with balcony views of the property and the Smokies offers arts and crafts activities, an outdoor cove with a waterfall, a full-service restaurant, a grab-and-go market and you can even relax by the communal firepit and roast marshmallows and sing campfire songs.
“I want (guests) to feel like they've been appreciated and that they've been pampered and spoiled just a little bit and catered to, especially the moms of the house, and the dads, too.”
The HeartSong Suite is available for those wanting the ultimate Dolly Parton lodge experience. It’s a premier apartment-style room on the top floor of the resort overlooking the cove area and surrounded by the Smoky Mountains.
“I like having something that's a little rustic. And I'd say this is high-fashion rustic," she joked during the resort’s grand opening ceremony.
‘These are my people’: How Dolly Parton stays true to her roots at Dollywood
A journal for your thoughts
Those who attended the HeartSong grand opening received a heartfelt gift: a journal with “Dollywood’s HeartSong” logo embossed on the cover. Parton said it’s important for everyone to express themselves and she hopes people will utilize the keepsakes to jot down what they experience and feel.
Surprisingly, the prolific songwriter rarely writes down her own feelings in a journal, she revealed to Knox News.
“I keep my memories just very personal to myself, unless I'm writing a song,” she explained. “I've often said, if you want to know anything about me, you'll find it in the words of my songs.”
Music becomes even more powerful for those who don’t journal often, she said. Its joy, excitement, sorrow, heartache and all the emotions that are deeply felt, but are sometimes hard to articulate.
“I've always been so thankful that I could do that for other people (through music),” Parton said. “I feel like a servant in that way, that I could express things for people, as well as for myself.”
She sometimes keeps a “spiritual journal,” though, which she uses to write down scriptures that relate to something she’s working on or a particular topic. Everything else remains safely in her heart and prayers.
The one and only Dolly
From her bedazzled dresses, big hair and colorful nails, Dolly Parton has been known for unique style since the moment she come on the country music scene.
“Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones,” a book that celebrates Parton’s iconic looks and the stories behind them was released in October. An exhibition at Lipscomb University in Nashville featuring 25 of Parton's fashions is open to the public until Dec. 9.
Just as much as her songs, fashion has always been a way for Parton to express herself. It’s given many of her fans the freedom to do the same.
“Who else can you be if you can't be you? I mean, it's OK to be different than other people,” she said. “I've just always wanted to be me. I want people to leave me alone to be myself. And I want people to leave you alone to be yourself.”
“It's like that saying, 'To thine own self be true,'” she added.
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What motivates Dolly Parton to achieve new heights?
Parton is the hardest working person in Dollywood and Hollywood – she never stops. And that’s just how she likes it, even at a spry 77.
“I need to be busy,” she told Knox News. “I'm motivated and I'm inspired, and I live on spiritual and creative energy and those are two mighty forces. And love is the greatest force of all.”
What Dolly Parton does at Dollywood: It's not roller coasters
Coming up for Dollywood and Dolly Parton
During the HeartSong opening, President of Dollywood Eugene Naughton and Parton (Dollywood's dreamer-in-chief) announced exciting Dollywood Parks and Resorts plans coming in the next year, including a refresh for the brand’s first resort, DreamMore.
“You know every few years, I get a little facelift, a little nip and tuck, myself. So, I think it’s only right that we do the same for (DreamMore),” Parton joked.
More Dollywood plans include:
“Joyful,” a nightly drone show debuts for this year’s Smoky Mountains Christmas. The popular holiday event runs until Jan. 6.
The new Dolly Parton Experience museum will open in May and feature interactive exhibits. Museum attractions include “Behind the Seams” and “Precious Memories."
Three new full shows for the “I Will Always Love You” music festival in 2024.
“Paradise Road,” a musical celebrating Parton’s career will return.
A tribute album by the Dollywood group Three Times a Lady will be released.
More Dollywood resorts are in the works.
And don’t forget Parton’s first (and likely only) rock album comes out Nov. 17. The album features several classic rock anthems that she covered with appearances from many legendary rock and pop artists.
Devarrick Turner is a trending news reporter. Email devarrick.turner@knoxnews.com. Twitter @dturner1208.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Dolly Parton speaks from her heart opening Dollywood's HeartSong Lodge
