ALBANY – The Empire State could officially designate Sept. 25 as Dolly Parton Day under legislation introduced by Albany pols looking to memorialize the iconic country star.
The proposal, meant to mimic a similar effort in Parton’s home state of Tennessee, would establish ‘9-25’ as Dolly Parton Day, a nod to her her hit 1980 film and song, “9 to 5” to honor the singer’s legacy and philanthropic efforts.
“She brought joy to millions, stood up for working people, championed the LGBTQ community and women’s empowerment, gave millions of children the gift of reading, and did it all with an extraordinary spirit of kindness and generosity,” state Sen. Erik Bottcher (D-Manhattan), one of the bill’s sponsors wrote in a statement.
While Parton always called Tennessee home, she took up residences on Fifth Avenue and later on York Avenue.
But State Sen. Jeremy Cooney (D-Rochester) who has annually pushed for state grants to help pump funding into Parton’s “Imagination Library” program, said that the country’ star’s impact on New York is far greater than the time she spent in the Empire State physically.
“Dolly’s impact extends far beyond her musical talent, with her Imagination Library providing free monthly books to over 170,000 children in New York, supporting childhood literacy and bringing joy to families,” Cooney said.
Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered state landmarks to be lit up pink in honor of Parton last week.
“She spent a lifetime giving back to communities in need and her legendary career made the world a more hopeful place — we will miss Dolly and commemorate her love and light as New York illuminates pink in her honor,” the governor wrote.
