Posted on 09/25/2026 5:58:29 AM PDT by Red Badger
It's 9/25, and America has every reason to pour itself a cup of ambition.
Friday marks Dolly Parton Day in cities and states across the country, exactly one month after the country music legend died. The date, of course, is no accident. September 25, or 9/25, is a nod to Parton's 1980 hit "9 to 5," and cities are using it to celebrate a woman whose legacy grew far beyond country music.
Nobody is leaning into it quite like Nashville.
Music City is going pink for the day. Participating venues will play "9 to 5" at 5 PM, businesses and landmarks are lighting up pink, and downtown Nashville will cap things off with fireworks at 9:25 PM. Visitors can make "kindness pledges," and participating attractions are donating proceeds to charity.
Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood are joining the cause as well. Proceeds from Friday's Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky-Tonk, will benefit the Nashville Public Library and Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, while the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum is donating $9.25 from each admission to the Library.
The celebration has spread well beyond Tennessee.
California established Sept. 25 as an annual Dolly Parton Day when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB 931, legislation authored by State Sen. Shannon Grove (R-12) and State Sen. John Laird (D-17). The 9-2-5 date was specifically chosen to honor Parton's "9 to 5."
Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) and Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel (R-OH) proclaimed Sept. 25, 2026, Dolly Parton Day in Ohio. Manhattan, New Orleans, Portland, Oregon, and counties in Texas are among the other places recognizing Parton.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) summed up the idea behind California's new day:
"We could all afford to live a little more like Dolly. Be kind, be humble, and have some fun…Be a diamond in a rhinestone world. With this bill, we are not just establishing a day to celebrate Dolly Parton, we are creating an annual reminder to us, every year, to live the way she did — joyfully, graciously, and with a whole lot of heart."
Parton died Aug. 25 after a brief battle with cancer, leaving behind a career that lasted six decades and stretched from the Grand Ole Opry to Hollywood to Dollywood.
Parton sold more than 100 million records worldwide and recorded 25 No. 1 country hits. "I Will Always Love You" topped the charts for Parton in both 1974 and 1982 before Whitney Houston turned it into one of the best-selling singles of all time.
But one of the biggest numbers attached to Parton's name has nothing to do with record sales.
Parton launched the Imagination Library in 1995 in honor of her father, who could not read or write. What began in her home county in East Tennessee grew into a program sending free books to young children around the world. More than 330 million books have now been distributed.
Ohio offers a snapshot of what that looks like on the ground. More than one million children from all 88 counties have participated in Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of Ohio since the program went statewide in 2019, receiving a free, age-appropriate book in the mail every month.
Grove, the Republican California senator who co-authored the Dolly Parton Day legislation, pointed to Parton's faith and literacy work in explaining why she wanted California to honor her.
"The love Dolly gave so freely, rooted in her deep and openly shared faith, and the love the world returned to her, shows how deeply she was cherished by everyone."
There were plenty of rhinestones. There were the songs, movies, jokes, and an unmistakable look that Parton was usually the first person willing to make fun of.
She also sent hundreds of millions of books to children, provided disaster relief in her native Tennessee, and gave to charity for decades.
That's why, a month after her death, communities separated by geography, culture, and politics are finding themselves doing essentially the same thing.
So wear some pink, do something kind for somebody, and put on "9 to 5."
It's Dolly's day.
She and the President have something in common. They both appeared on the cover of Playboy of which I only read for the articles speaking of literary pursuits. :)
She paid for her chauffeur’s gender transition surgery. No reason to celebrate Dolly.
The lesbians will love that.
NEWSOM ISN’T QUALIFIED TO CHECK THE AIR IN THE TIRES ON HER TOUR VEHICLE
Just a single, old senior citizen here. I admire much of what Dolly did for music, but doubt if I’ll do much celebrating this day. Just lucky to be alive.
Believe it or not, at the time of her death, I could not identify a single Dolly Parton song. The only one I was familiar with was “Nine to five,” but I didn’t know that she was the singer. After her death, I listened to several of her hit songs on Youtube, none of which I had ever heard before.
Today, helium balloons are selling like hotcakes.
One of the best comments I saw in the wake of Dolly’s passing was “We need to bubble wrap Allison Krause.”
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