LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Dolly Parton wowed a packed house at the Lyric Theatre and Cultural Arts Center with an acapella version of "A Coat of Many Colors," but she wasn't just in Lexington for a performance.
Her visit on Tuesday was a celebration of her program “Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.”
The program gives away free books each month to kids from birth until the start of kindergarten and is now in all 120 Kentucky counties.
“Of course I want to be remembered as a songwriter and a singer but I can honestly say...certainly anything in my charity work,” Parton said.
Parton sat down with Governor Andy Beshear and First Lady Brittainy Beshear to discuss the program's impact.
“Did you ever even dream it would get this big?” Beshear asked.
“No. You never think at the time, I just wanted to do something for my daddy,” Parton replied.
Parton started Imagination Library in 1995 as a way to honor her father, Lee.
Since then, the organization has given away 240 million books. Parton even gifted Kentucky a special book, a copy of "Coat of Many Colors."
In return, this East Tennessee girl was made a Kentucky Colonel.
Covering Kentucky
