As the world continues to mourn the passing of country music icon and philanthropist Dolly Parton, Eugene Naughton, the President of Dollywood, has spoken up about the park’s future plans. The park, which opened in 1986, is located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, near the late singer’s birthplace.
In the days after her death, Naughton told outlets that the park is not going to change its vision or name, and her inspiration and lasting legacy would continue to drive the park’s future. And he mentioned last year’s Dolly Parton Experience as something that would continue to be a focus for visitors.
“One of the biggest honors that I can do for her is to make sure that people all over the world get a chance to see the Dolly Parton Experience,” Naughton reported to Knox News on August 26th. “It’s all in her words, which is really, really important to me because I want people to not hear other people. I want people to hear her. It was something that she really was emotional with me when I had the pleasure of walking her through arm-in-arm together and as we showed her the completion, and I could see her life flash before her eyes.”
Naughton also said that a stream near Robert F. Thomas Chapel will be added to the property as a tribute to Parton by next year, because “water represents life” and he doesn’t ever want visitors to forget her life or her faith.
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