CLERMONT, Ga. — Dolly Parton devotees across North Georgia celebrated 9-2-5 day by singing along to her unforgettable melodies and honoring her legacy of advocating for childhood literacy.
Sept. 25, the day to delight in all things Dolly, is a nod to one of her biggest hits and the 1980 movie of the same name – “9-to-5.” The star died last month at the age of 80.
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WCON 99.3 FM in Cornelia spent the day playing a Dolly Parton song at the top of every hour.
“We’re hitting all of the good ones – ‘Jolene’, ‘9-to-5’, ‘I Will Always Love You’ – because we love Dolly. I think she impacted so many folks’ lives,” said Mary McCay, the midday host on WCON.
McCay grew up in Habersham County, and she grew up on Dolly Parton. She remembers watching “A Smoky Mountain Christmas” every year with her family.
“I think she’s such an icon, and she has impacted so many lives not only through her music, movies and Dollywood, but she had such a kind and caring heart that you can’t not love her,” she said.
WCON is a station that plays classic country and songs from several years back but not any current hits.
“Yeah, we play Dolly all the time because she’s the music that made country great,” she said.
About 20 miles away in the small town of Clermont, with a population of about 1,100, Amy Lomax spent some of 9-2-5 day reading to children.
A group of little ones gathered at the town’s library where she read Dolly Parton’s book, “Coat of Many Colors.”
Lomax, who’s a former preschool teacher and now the town clerk, brought Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to town four years ago.
“I went to the mayor and council, I went to the historical society and asked them to partner with us,” she said. “They were all 100% onboard, and we were able to get it started.”
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Dolly Parton started her Imagination Library in 1995 to get children learning and loving to read at an early age. Her father was illiterate, so getting books into the hands of children became one of her missions in life.
In Clermont, parents go online and sign up for the program. The town pays for all the shipping, and a book arrives in the mail once a month. Since the Imagination Library came to town in 2022, it has provided more than 2,000 books to pre-school children in Clermont.
“I’m very passionate about children learning how to read,” she said. “And I believe the impact is truly getting the books into their hands and having parents read to them.”
Lomax had small children of her own 30 years ago when the singer launched the program.
“I thought it was an awesome thing. We don’t a lot of times think that there may be a child out there without a book to read, but there are,” she said.
She thinks 9-2-5 as a day dedicated to Dolly is a fitting way to honor a star who came from humble roots and enriched so many lives.
“I think it’s a great day for all of us to stop and take a look at Dolly and her generosity and the giving she’s done over the years.”
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