On Tuesday, the Junior League of the Roanoke Valley announced that multiple Roanoke organizations will partner with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in an effort to bring free books to kids under five.

On Thursday, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed a proclamation declaring Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, as Dolly Parton Day in honor of her 80th birthday!

Dollywood is welcoming guests of all ages to experience an authentic Smoky Mountain Summer from June 15- August 11

Is there anything Dolly Parton can’t do? One of the benefactors of that vaccine research is Parton herself, according to the preliminary report posted by The New England Journal of Medicine. On April 1, she announced on Instagram that she would be making a $1 million donation to support the research of her longtime friend, Dr. Naji Abumrad, at Vanderbilt University to help fund the university’s coronavirus research. An mRNA Vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 — Preliminary ReportAs you can see, “the Dolly Parton COVID-19 Research Fund (Vanderbilt University Medical Center)” is among the supporters. If indeed Moderna’s vaccine is distributed, we certainly have one legendary entertainer to thank.