By Jackie Sheckler Finch

Dolly Parton says that she is still living her childhood dream. And she has no intention of quitting what she loves so much.

"I always knew I would be a star from the first time I sang into the can on the tobacco stick on the front porch," Dolly says. "I thank God every day."

The fourth of twelve children of Robert Lee and Avie Lee (Owens) Parton, Dolly was born and raised in a ramshackle cabin in the Smoky Mountains of Sevier County, Tennessee. The country doctor, Dr. Robert F. Thomas, who delivered Parton on January 19, 1946, received a sack of cornmeal for his work.

"I was always acting out, probably to get noticed," Dolly says. "When you are one of a bunch of kids, getting noticed is important."

Before she learned to read or write, Dolly was "making up" her own songs. "My Momma used to write down rhymes I would make," she says.

When she was about three, Dolly wrote a ditty for her dolly.

"The first song I ever wrote was called ‘Little Tiny Tassel Top' about a doll my Daddy made me out of a corn cob," she recalls. "It had corn silk for hair, and he burned in two eyes with a fireplace poker."

The family struggled to make a living but life was good, Dolly says. "Growing up in the Smoky Mountains was wonderful. You know we had it kind of hard, but not any more than most folks. I had an incredible family, and we had so much love we didn't know we were poor."

The family home had "two rooms, a path, and running water ... if you were willing to run get it, that is."

Her parents were hard workers, Dolly says, and had great expectations for their children. "They were determined to set a good example for all us kids."

Music was an important part of Parton family life. "I was always singing," Dolly says. "I come from a very musical family. My mother's people are very musical. My Aunt Dorothy Jo and my Uncle Bill and Uncle Lester still perform at Dollywood. Some of my brothers and sisters are also very talented."

Although her farmer father did not play, her mother played guitar and her grandfather, Rev. Jake Owens, was a fiddler and songwriter. His "Singing His Praise" was recorded by Kitty Wells. When Dolly was seven, her Uncle Bill Owens gave her a guitar. Three years later, she got a big radio job.

"My first break came from a gentleman named Cas Walker in Knoxville," Dolly says. "He had a chain of grocery stores, but he also had a radio show on every day. He hired me. My first record was a song called ‘Puppy Love' that my Uncle Bill got me to record in Louisiana."

Her career steadily climbed and in 1959, Dolly made her debut at the Grand Ole Opry. The day after she graduated from high school in 1964, the eighteen-year-old packed her cardboard suitcase and moved to Nashville to seek her fortune—and found her husband.

"I met Carl my first day in Nashville at the Wishy Washy Laundromat," she says. "Carl and I have been married forty-one years this year."

Owner of an asphalt paving business in Nashville, Carl Dean has always shunned publicity. Although they have no children of their own, the couple raised several of Dolly's younger siblings.

Dolly's initial success came as a songwriter, writing hit songs for Skeeter Davis and Hank Williams, Jr. In late 1965, she signed with Monument Records where she earned her first national chart single for the pop record "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby." Her first country single, "Dumb Blonde," reached No. 24 on the country chart in 1967, followed later the same year with "Something Fishy," which went to No. 17.

About this time, Porter Wagoner was looking for a new "girl singer" for his syndicated television show. Dolly accepted the job in 1967, signed with RCA Records in 1968, and joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1969. Her career was in high gear.

After several hit duos with Porter, Dolly left the show in 1974 as her
solos—"Joshua," "Coat of Many Colors," and "Jolene"—topped the charts. After their split, Dolly wrote the song "I Will Always Love You" for Porter, and it reached No. 1 for the first time in 1974.

Over the years, Dolly has published almost six hundred songs and earned twenty-four Broadcast Music, Inc., (BMI) awards for her songwriting. And, she says not a day goes by that she doesn't write. She was named the Country Music Awards' top female vocalist in 1975 and 1976 and won entertainer of the year in 1978.

Turning her attention to movies, Dolly starred in 1980's 9 to 5, where the title song earned her an Oscar nomination. In 1982, she starred in Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, where her song "I Will Always Love You" appeared on the soundtrack and reached No. 1 again. The song would once again hit the charts in 1992 when it was performed by Whitney Houston on The Bodyguard soundtrack.

Dolly has appeared in more than fifteen movies. She earned her second Oscar nomination in 2006 for "Travelin' Thru," which she wrote for the movie Transamerica. She's also been nominated for an Emmy and a Golden Globe and won countless Grammys.

In fact, Dolly has become the most honored female country performer of all time. She has sold more than one hundred million records worldwide, including having more than twenty No. 1 hits. In 2006, she was recognized by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for her lifetime of contributions to the performing arts.

Despite all the awards and international acclaim, Dolly has never forgotten her roots. In the early 1980s, she began musing about projects to help her Tennessee hometown.

"I was thinking I wanted to give something back to the area where I was born," Dolly says. "I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, but when I was back home, I used to take my nieces and nephews to a theme park called Silver Dollar City in Pigeon Forge. Thanks to a man named Ted Miller who managed the place, we were able to start a partnership with Jack and Pete Herschend and their families to create Dollywood."

The name had stuck in Dolly's mind from her first visit to Los Angeles. She had looked up at the landmark Hollywood sign and thought, "I would like to change that H into a D.'' But she hastens to add that the theme park is "much more about the mountains and the people who live there than it is about Dolly Parton. I saw Dollywood as a chance to honor them."

Now in its twenty-second year, Dollywood is bigger and better than ever. The park has more than doubled in size, encompassing 130 acres. More than $110 million in expansions and additions are a result of Dollywood's ongoing commitment to offer guests something new each season.

"It brought a lot of jobs to the area for my kinfolks and others to work. We just added a new ride called Mystery Mine this year at Dollywood, a whole new area at Splash Country, and Dixie Stampede is celebrating its twentieth anniversary," she says, adding with a laugh, "I am not sure how they keep getting older, and I just stay the same age."

Several old favorites continue to welcome guests to Dollywood, including Klondike Katie, a 110-ton, coal-fired steam train built in 1943 that still roams the tracks through the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. A one-room country church, the Robert F. Thomas Chapel, has simple wooden pews and hardwood floors that echo with the sounds of families and neighbors gathering for Sunday morning worship. The chapel, of course, was named in honor of the doctor who delivered little Dolly Rebecca Parton.

Dollywood is also home to Eagle Mountain Sanctuary, a thirty-thousand-square-foot aviary that houses the country's largest presentation of protected bald eagles. Over the past eighteen years, the foundation has become widely recognized as a national non-governmental leader in bald eagle conservation, recovery, and public environmental education.

In 1988, Dolly decided to add another fun family attraction to her hometown. Located just one mile from the entrance to Dollywood, Dixie Stampede is a dinner attraction with an emphasis on down-home cooking and a modern-day Wild West revue. The thirty-five-thousand-square-foot arena features thirty-two magnificent horses, talented actors, dramatic lighting, and thrilling pyrotechnics, all seen while guests enjoy a hearty, four-course meal. One hour prior to the main dinner and show, guests are seated in a "Carriage Room" where a live band, Wild Oats, plays bluegrass and country music. Dolly thought visitors should have a good time waiting to see the main show, so Wild Oats is sort of a warm-up band. When the doors to the Dixie Stampede theater open, most visitors are already in the waiting room and ready to go, plus they have had an enjoyable time listening to good live music.

Dixie Stampede proved so popular that the attraction was expanded to three other Southern cities—Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (1993); Branson, Missouri (1995); and Orlando, Florida (2003).

In 1996, Dolly developed another gift for her native Sevier County—and for children everywhere. Her Imagination Library is all about inspiration and discovery. Dolly wanted every preschool child to have his or her own collection of books. Imagination Library is currently at work in six hundred communities in forty-four states. Although Dolly initiated the program only for her home county, it became so popular that she soon expanded it to other communities where her businesses now operate, at Branson and Myrtle Beach. She also opened Imagination Library for other communities. In those programs, the community pays for the books and postage, registers the children, and enters the information into the database. From there, the Dollywood Foundation takes over and manages the system to deliver the books to every preschool child in that area.

"We were always helping kids through the Dollywood Foundation," she says. "We had a scholarship program and then a program to keep kids in school. When I asked how early we needed to reach kids to help them the most, experts told me at birth, so we started the Imagination Library."

The Library provides books to children of any income in that county from birth to age five. "The first book they receive in the hospital is The Little Engine That Could. It was my favorite book as a child, next to the Bible, and it has a great message for kids," Dolly says.

Books were scarce and valued in her childhood. Her father, who died in November 2000, was a smart man and a wonderful father but never learned to read. He was proud that his daughter finished school and chose to promote child literacy.

Through the program, children get a book each month in their mailbox from Dolly. "They think I am like the Easter Bunny or something," she says. "They call me the Book Lady. We sent out more than three million books last year and are inching closer to mailing out our ten millionth book ever. The program has grown a lot."

Dolly herself has produced a children's picture book, Coat of Many Colors, based on her hit song of the same title. The story tells of a coat she owned as a child that her mother had stitched together out of many different pieces of cloth. Although the other children at school made fun of her, Dolly took pride in her coat and the love her mother had sewed into it. Her mother died in December 2003.

Visitors to Chasing Rainbows, the museum devoted to Dolly's life history at Dollywood, can see a replica of that childhood coat, as well as family photos and other memorabilia.

In December 2006, Dolly pledged $500,000 toward a new $115 million hospital and cancer center being constructed in Sevierville with a building dedicated in the name of the doctor who delivered Dolly. She also held a benefit concert in May to raise additional funds for the project.

As only Dolly can say it, she wants to put her money where her mouth is. "And with such a big mouth, that's a pretty large sum of money."

Labels: Branson, Dixie Stampede, Dolly Parton, Dollywood, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

By Jackie Sheckler Finch

Kicking up his heels, Woody the cowboy from Toy Story leads guests on a rollicking hoedown. When the Frontierland show is done, the characters wave goodbye and dance down a side street at Walt Disney World.

Once they hit the magic yellow line, however, those hot costumes come off, and the dancing slows to a walk. This part of Disney is hidden from guests.

"That line was measured very carefully,” says Disney guide Matthew Arter. "Once you get to that line, the people in the park can no longer see what’s going on. When you cross that line, you can get out of character."

The special line is just one tidbit that visitors learn on fascinating Behind-the-Scenes Tours at Walt Disney World at Orlando. The programs offer a chance to see the park from the inside out. And, oh, the surprises waiting to be discovered. Tour-takers might never look at Disney the same way again.

"It’s a side of Walt Disney World that most people don’t get to see," says Matthew, who has worked at Disney for twelve years. "When you take one of these tours, you get to see where the magic begins."

Take the Keys to the Kingdom tour, for example. As a walking tour through the Magic Kingdom—as well as under it and behind it—the tour takes about five hours and costs sixty dollars, plus theme park admission. Other tours vary in length and cost. Most of them are only open to visitors age sixteen and older, and cameras aren't allowed.

On this sunny day, a small group with ID badges falls in behind Matthew to start the Keys to the Kingdom Behind-the-Scenes Tour. Keeping track of the tour guide will be easy. Looking like a turn-of-the-century bandleader, Matthew is dressed in a long-sleeved white shirt with a button-down collar, a blue vest with a plaid back, and a plaid necktie. He also carries a bandmaster's baton, which he'll sometimes twirl or use as a pointer or hoist up high when he is ready for his followers to move onward.

Little things that most Disney visitors don't even notice are pointed out. "The whole theme park concept is set up like you're going to a movie," Matthew says. "Walt Disney wanted to be in charge of all your senses. When you walk through the turnstile to the park, you're hit by the smell of popcorn."

A constant soundtrack floats over the park. "And those are the opening credits," Matthew says, gesturing to old-timey business names on second-story windows. "These are the names of real people who helped build the park."

Above the confectioner's shop is Roy O. Disney. "He was Walt's brother, the accountant," Matthew says. "They loved like brothers and fought like brothers."

Above the ice cream parlor is the make-believe office of Walter E. Disney—Graduate School of Design & Master Planning. "They put Walt Disney's name over the ice cream shop because he loved ice cream," Matthew says.

Unfortunately, Walt Disney did not live long enough to see the park completed. He died December 15, 1966. His brother Roy took over construction of the park and completed it to continue Walt's legacy. It was Roy who officially had the name changed from Disney World to Walt Disney World. Roy died two months after the opening of the park on December 20, 1971.

Although the old-fashioned buildings on Main Street USA look like they are three stories tall, they are only two stories. A technique called Forced Perspective is used to create the illusion. For buildings they don't want seen, Disney uses a paint called "go-away-green." "We can't make the building disappear, so we paint it with a green that makes your eyes go away from it to brighter colors around it," Matthew says.

Since most Americans are right-handed, they tend to move to the right and look to the right. Disney took that into consideration for the park layout. "When you enter Magic Kingdom, you'll find things that you might need for the day on your right," Matthew says. "And what you need when you're leaving, you'll find on the left."

Sure enough, stroller rental, breakfast eateries, places that sell supplies like film and suntan lotion are located on the right. Walking down Main Street on the way out, you'll find souvenir shops on your right. Since Tomorrowland is on the right, it is one of the first to fill up every morning. If you want to beat the crowds, head to your left and go to Adventureland or Frontierland instead.

Cleanliness and trash disposal are big deals at Disney. Legend has it that Walt Disney ate a hot dog in Disneyland and counted how many steps it took to finish it—almost twenty-five steps, which is roughly how far apart trash cans are placed. It's also said that Walt himself reportedly handed out candy at Disneyland and then counted the number of steps before people would drop the wrapper. He reasoned that a handy trash can would help prevent litter.

"We have the standard of being one of the cleanest parks in the world, and we work hard at that," Matthew says. Behind the Pirates of the Caribbean ride is a massive rubbish compactor where rubbish is sucked from around the park by a Swiss-built network of pneumatic tubes. The combustibles are burned to generate about a third of Disney's electricity.

"All the trash is sorted by hand to pull out recyclables and things that people accidentally throw away," he says. "There are about twenty-three tons a day of trash just in the Magic Kingdom."

Keys, wallets, sunglasses, cameras, and retainers for braces are among the most common items tossed by accident. The most unusual? A glass eye. Think it's strange that someone could throw away something like that? Consider that each year nineteen thousand cars are locked at Disney World with their keys in them, and fifteen hundred of them have their engines still running.

Then comes the Utilidor, which some people dismiss as pure folklore. But it's true. Under Main Street USA is an elaborate system of utility corridors built to connect the lands. But it's not correct to say that the Utilidor is a tunnel or even that it's underground. "The park was built on top of it," Matthew says.

Since Walt Disney World was built from the ground up, Disney had engineers build utility corridors for the first floor of the park. The water table in Florida is very high so it would have been quite expensive to keep tunnels dry. Instead, the utility corridors were constructed at ground level and then covered with dirt. The Magic Kingdom is built on top of this so Main Street USA is actually on the second floor, or about fourteen feet above the original ground level of the area.


The corridor loops around the outside edge of the park with a wide passageway that leads down the middle. Scattered all over the park are stairwells and elevators that lead up to the public areas. Using the color-coded catacombs, "cast members"—the preferred name for folks who work at Disney (remember this is supposed to be a theater experience)—can walk from one side of the park to the other in ten minutes without being seen by guests. Walt Disney World employs about 59,500 cast members.

Cast members are supposed to abide by basic grooming guidelines and are expected to keep the magic alive. Cast members bid guests to "Have a magical day." They abide by the four keys of safety, courtesy, show, and efficiency. At Disney, the word TEAM means Together Everyone Achieves Magic.

"If I have problems, they stay in my car when I come in," Matthew says.

Every single costume is designed at Walt Disney World, and the park has the world's largest working wardrobe. Each costume has a bar code to identify its use; and Disney laundry, called Textile Services, washes about sixty-nine tons of laundry a day. "They get about a ton of lint every day," Matthew says.

Mickey has over 175 different outfits, from a scuba suit to a tuxedo. Minnie has even more, about 200, including a cheerleader outfit and evening gowns. With some of the furry costumes weighing up to sixty-five pounds, there's a limit as to how much time a character can visit with guests in the park. "There's nothing in the costume to cool you off so you can't be outside very long if it is really hot," Matthew says, noting that characters have to practice signing their autograph for happy kids "until they can do it blindfolded."

All of the utilities—water, electricity, fiber optics, trash, sewage—are in the Utilidor. "If something breaks down," Matthew says, "you aren't going to see them digging holes on Main Street to fix it."

The Utilidor also serves as a neat photo gallery for the history of the park. "There wasn't even a paved road when Walt Disney came here," Matthew says. "We built something out of nothing down here."

When word got out that Walt Disney was buying property for another theme park, the price of Orlando land suddenly skyrocketed. Disney used a fake name, M.T. Lott, so he wouldn't be charged extra. That is one of the names on a Main Street window.

Now comes the really big question. How does Tinker Bell fly? On the tour, Matthew says only that the cable that stretches from the top of Cinderella's Castle is "where she hangs out her laundry."

For those now in the know, that cable is where Tinker Bell makes her nightly flight. The cast member who plays Tinker Bell must be no more than five feet tall and weigh no more than ninety-five pounds. She wears heavy safety equipment, harnesses, and lights. She earns actor's equity wages plus hazard bonus and gets paid for eight hours whether she flies or not.

"She climbs all the way to the top of the castle with a guide," Matthew says. "Then he shoves her out the window in the castle turret."

Two people with a huge comforter wait at the end of the cable. "She curls up into a ball and slows down when she flies into the comforter," Matthew says. "Tinker Bell has a pretty good gig, if you think about it."

Labels: Behind the Scenes, Florida, Orlando, Walt Disney World

Give Grandma's house a break this season

By Barbara Gibbs Ostmann

The countdown to the holiday season has begun, and it's time to start planning your holiday getaway. Instead of the usual get-together at Grandma's house, grab Grandma and round up family and close friends and go over the river and through the woods to an exciting destination. It will be a Christmas to remember—and no one will have to worry about decorating elaborately, cleaning the house, or cooking the meals.

• An Ozark Mountain Christmas Celebration

• Holiday Magic in Orlando

• Winterfest in the Smoky Mountains

• Eureka! It's a Victorian Christmas

Labels: Arkansas, Branson, Christmas, Eureka Springs, Florida, Gatlinburg, Holiday, Missouri, Orlando, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

By Barbara Gibbs Ostmann

Nestled in the Ozark Mountains in northwest Arkansas, the Victorian Village of Eureka Springs provides a picture-postcard setting for Christmas celebrations. The winding streets and historic buildings lined with twinkling white lights set the stage for a whirlwind of holiday activities.

The festivities begin in November with Santa’s appearance at historic Basin Spring Park and the lighting of the town Christmas tree. A Christmas parade, candlelight tour of homes, tea party, and several concerts in the historic City Auditorium stoke the holiday spirit. The Pine Mountain Jamboree and Ozark Mountain Hoedown, longtime local country music shows, both offer special Christmas productions throughout the season. Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, just south of town, offers special services to bless the beasts and the children.

Perched high on a hillside, the 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa overlooks Eureka Springs. This historic hotel’s annual Christmas at the Crescent includes brunch with Santa, special concerts, and the traditional New Year’s Eve gala. Book a room there, or just stop by for a meal, a drink, or a tour.

If you’re exhausted from all the holiday hustle and bustle, visit the New Moon Spa (newmoonspa.com) on the garden level of the Crescent Hotel for a relaxing massage, facial, or manicure—a holiday gift for yourself!

The historic Palace Hotel and Bathhouse (palacehotelbathhouse.com) is another popular choice. The spa has been restored to its original 1901 condition and is like a step back in time. Other lodging options are abundant and range from rustic cabins to quaint bed-and-breakfasts to modern motel chains. There are more than a dozen spas, designed to pamper your mind, body, and spirit.

Allow plenty of time to wander through the heart of the downtown area, stopping in the one-of-a-kind boutiques, gift shops, and art galleries.

Only a scenic two-hour drive apart, it’s easy to visit both Branson and Eureka Springs during one vacation.

Labels: Arkansas, Christmas, Eureka Springs, Holiday

By Barbara Gibbs Ostmann

The Smoky Mountains literally sparkle in the wintertime. Both Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, Tennessee, poised near the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, celebrate Winterfest from November through February. The activities vary somewhat in each town, but both are decked out in millions of twinkling lights that are guaranteed to put you in the holiday spirit.

The Pigeon Forge Winterfest kicks off in early November for four months of holiday spirit, fun, activities, and most noticeably, five million lights. The best way to view the lights is onboard the Trolley Tour of Lights, featuring heated enclosed trolleys with step-on guides. Theaters in Pigeon Forge produce special holiday shows in November and December, and nearby Dollywood becomes a winter wonderland recreation of a traditional Appalachian Christmas celebration. The outlet malls team up to offer The World's Largest Outlet Sale in December—a true shopping frenzy.

Also included in Winterfest are the 18th Annual Wilderness Wildlife Week (January 12-19), 17th Annual Smoky Mountains Storytelling Festival (February 7-9), and the 8th Annual Saddle Up! Festival (February 21-24). During Wilderness Wildlife Week, visitors explore the Smoky Mountains via workshops, lectures, and guided hikes that range from easy walks to strenuous treks. The storytelling festival brings some of the country's finest storytellers to the Smoky Mountains to spin tales of fact and fiction, ranging from folk-lore to ghost stories. West meets southeast during Saddle Up!, which features cowboy poetry, Western music, songwriting workshops, and a Cowboy Clothing Mart.

In Gatlinburg, Winterfest kicks off with a Chili Cook-Off on November 7. During that day's festivities, a flip of a switch will trigger Gatlinburg Winter Magic, the second phase of a three-year roll-out of more than one million dollars of custom-designed LED outdoor lighting displays. The first phase, introduced in 2006, featured winter forest scenes along sections of the Downtown Parkway. This year's addition will illuminate the entire parkway, from one end of town to the other, plus adjacent River Road and the triangular junction of the two. Some of the new lighting displays will feature animals typical of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Next year's lighting additions will include an international zone, Santa area, snowman land, and whimsical children's characters.

Visitors can enjoy the light displays from the comfort of the Gatlinburg Winter Magic Trolley Ride of Lights.

Winter Magic Tunes & Tales also debuts this season. Throughout November and December, visitors can meet storytellers and costumed characters and enjoy caroling and entertainment along the Downtown Parkway every evening.

Other Winterfest activities include the Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Holiday Show, the nighttime Fantasy of Lights Christmas Parade, old-fashioned hayrides, and a gala New Year's Eve celebration with a street party, ball drop, and fireworks show.

Labels: Christmas, Gatlinburg, Holiday, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee