Dollywood opened for its 39th Season on Friday to Season Pass holders and members of the media. We attended the festivities and were thrilled to visit the park for the first time and see why it is beloved by so many.
Dolly Parton and Dollywood Parks & Resorts President Eugene Naughton introduced new attractions, shows and events at the park for the 2024 season during the opening press conference that took place in the Celebrity Theater on Friday morning.
One upgrade that was mentioned was total of $1 million dollars in sight and sound upgrades were made at the park. New performances and shows will include: From The Heart: The Life & Music of Dolly Parton, Trio, Again featuring Three Times a Lady, and Sing-a-long with Dolly.
Dolly has spoken about her connection to her own life and childhood when visiting the park. Nowhere is this more evident than in one of the newest musical productions at the park called From The Heart: The Life & Music of Dolly Parton which chronicles the life of the singer from childhood through her rise to fame as one of the most beloved stars in the world.
On Saturday we went back for a second day to see the full shows come to life at the park. We started with the 11 a.m. performance of From the Heart and at the end Dolly Parton came onstage to greet the audience who were braving the rain to attend the opening weekend at the park.
Dolly entered stage right as the cast was taking their final bow wearing a sparkly blue skirt and jacket with a nod to her coat of many colors. Dolly is well-known for popping up at the park but every time the fans go wild to see the superstar live and in person and Saturday was no exception.
The show’s cast was amazing and truly brought Parton’s story to life through the greatest hits of her life. If this show is a preview of the production that Dolly is creating for her upcoming Broadway musical fans from all over the world will be in for a special treat.
Our second stop of the day was to see Trio, Again featuring Three Times a Lady. The show highlights the years that Dolly sang with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris. Dolly describes singing with these super talents as some of the best times of her life.
Three Times A Lady is comprised of Hannah Blaylock, Lauren Mascitti, and Kennedy Scott. With Hannah Blaylock singing the parts of Dolly Parton, Lauren Mascitti as Linda Ronstadt, and Kennedy Scott as Emmylou Harris this trio brings these songs to life for a new generation of fans.
The ladies opened their 2 p.m. show by welcoming the Dollywood Dreamer-in-Chief Dolly Parton to the stage to greet the crowd and talk about how much the songs meant to her and how perfect the ladies were performing them.
Dolly came out onto stage wearing a black cowgirl style outfit with pink roses to celebrate the Trio and make her final appearance of the weekend at the park. She thanked everyone for attending the show and will forever have a special place in this East Tennessee theme park that she helped bring to life to everyone’s enjoyment.