Southern California will celebrate the first Dolly Parton Day established under state law Friday with concerts, singalongs, children’s programs and other tributes to the late country music legend across Los Angeles County.
DTLA Alliance and Grand Performances will hold a noon celebration Friday at Cal Marketplace at Grand Avenue and Third Street featuring live performances by Leslie Stevens and Andy Keathley, a DJ, book drive and giveaways, according to organizers.
At the Santa Monica Pier, a Dolly Parton Day celebration is planned from 11:09 a.m. to 3:05 p.m. at the carousel, with a ceremony beginning five minutes before noon. Organizers said the event will include tributes to Parton and her Imagination Library, a moment of silence and group performances of “9 to 5” and “Jolene.”
Beginning around sunset, Pacific Park will illuminate its 90-foot-tall Pacific Wheel on the pier in pink, with “DOLLY” and “WE WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU!” displayed across the Ferris wheel along with pink hearts, stars and spiral animations. The display is scheduled to continue until midnight.
LA County Library branches will also mark Dolly Parton Day with programs Friday, including children’s activities in Lomita, West Covina and Los Angeles, a teen line-dancing program in Baldwin Park and a 4 p.m. screening of the Imagination Library documentary “The Library That Dolly Built” at the San Fernando Library.
Amoeba Music in Hollywood will donate a portion of Friday’s proceeds to Parton’s Imagination Library, offer 30% off used books and feature a Dolly Parton-inspired photo opportunity.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 931 on Sunday establishing Sept. 25 as an annual Dolly Parton Day in California. The measure was authored by Sen. Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, and Sen. John Laird, D-Santa Cruz.
The date — 9-2-5 — is a reference to Parton’s hit song and the 1980 film “9 to 5,” in which she starred alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin.
“Dolly Parton sparkled on every stage she ever stood on, but her brightest sparkle was the literacy legacy she built through the Imagination Library,” Grove said following the bill’s signing. “I am incredibly proud of the bipartisan work we have accomplished, from bringing her bilingual reading program statewide in California with former Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins, to introducing a bipartisan bill with Senator Laird to establish this annual day of remembrance.”
Parton founded the Imagination Library in 1995 to provide free books to young children. The program mails books monthly to participating children from birth to age 5.
Grove said she previously worked with Atkins to expand the Imagination Library statewide in California. The state also became one of the first to offer a bilingual English-Spanish book option through the program.
More than 182,000 California children are enrolled in the Imagination Library, which has full coverage in 45 of the state’s 58 counties, according to Grove’s office.
“I’m grateful to Governor Newsom for signing our bill and to Senator Grove for her partnership in making September 25 Dolly Parton Day in California,” Laird said. “Dolly brought joy to a lot of people, but her legacy goes well beyond her music. Through the Imagination Library, she put books into the hands of millions of children, and throughout her life she led with kindness, acceptance, and a belief that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.”
Parton died Aug. 25 at age 80 after a brief battle with cancer.
She was one of the most successful country music performers of all time, with a career spanning more than six decades. She wrote and recorded “9 to 5” for the 1980 film of the same name and also starred in such films as “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” and “Steel Magnolias.”
Parton’s philanthropic work extended beyond literacy efforts and included support for disaster relief, medical research and the LGBTQ+ community.
Newsom ordered flags at state buildings flown at half-staff following Parton’s death, praising her music, philanthropy and support for a variety of communities.
“The world will be less sparkly without Dolly, but the joy she brought and the stories she shared will shine for generations,” Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom said in a statement following her death.