PIGEON FORGE, TN. (Top40 Charts/ Dolly Records) -
Dolly Parton brings her 2008 Backwoods Barbie World Tour to her Dollywood theme park on Aug. 16 and 17 with three concerts to benefit her Imagination Library program.
'This 'backwoods Barbie' has literally been around the world on this tour, but there's nothing like coming home to my friends and family at Dollywood,' Parton said. 'Even though I'll be home, they're putting me to work, but it warms my heart to know these shows will benefit something that's so very near and dear to me, my Imagination Library.'
Parton performs at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Aug. 16 and at 2 p.m. on Aug. 17. Concert ticket holders may enter Dollywood one hour prior to showtime for each concert. Tickets for all three concerts go on sale June 16 at 10 a.m. exclusively to current Dollywood season passholders at dollywood.com. Tickets go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. on June 23 at dollywood.com. Ticket prices are $75, $60 and $35 each. Tickets are limited to a maximum of six per person.
The Dollywood concerts benefit Parton's Imagination Library, a program that provides a book a month to participating preschool-aged children in 890 communities in the U.S., Canada and U.K. Since the program's inception in 1996, 13 million books have been distributed. The program currently mails books to 475,000 children each month.
Backwoods Barbie marks Parton's first mainstream country album in 17 years. Released on Feb. 26, 2008, Backwoods Barbie is the first on Dolly Parton Records, Parton's own record label. To date, it has produced the singles 'Better Get To Livin'' and 'Jesus and Gravity.' The 2008 Backwoods Barbie World Tour kicked off April 22 in Pittsburgh with stops throughout Europe in June and July. The tour currently is scheduled to conclude Oct. 24 in Atlanta.
Dollywood is a 150-acre family adventure park in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. Open nine months a year (March 21, 2008-Jan. 3, 2009), Dollywood offers more than 40 rides and attractions; award-winning live entertainment featuring country, bluegrass, gospel and mountain music; and a dozen crafters authentic to the East Tennessee region. For more information, call 1-800-DOLLYWOOD or visit dollywood.com. Operating days and hours vary.
