Arabic version: تجمّع المعزّون في دوليوود بعد وفاة دوللي بارتون

According to The Guardian, thousands of people visited Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, on Wednesday to honour Dolly Parton after the country music star died on 25 August at the age of 80, shortly after being diagnosed with cancer. A memorial at the theme park entrance was covered with bouquets, letters, drawings and other tributes.

Becky Bullard, travelling home to Austin, Texas, learned of Parton’s death while waiting for a flight in Albany, New York. With a connecting flight through Charlotte, North Carolina, she rented a car and drove nearly four hours to the park. Bullard wore a gold-sequined dress, white cowboy boots and earrings bearing Parton’s name, saying the singer had helped her feel able to express herself.

Dollywood opened in 1986, a few miles from Parton’s home town, and attracts more than 4 million visitors each year. The 160-acre park includes rides, Appalachian craft vendors, a chapel, and museums focused on Parton’s music and philanthropy. It is also Sevier county’s largest employer, with about 4,000 people on its payroll, according to park president Eugene Naughton.

Naughton said staff would carry Parton’s light forward and retain ambitious plans for the future. Visitors described a solemn atmosphere. Savannah Duncan, 19, said Parton inspired her pride in Appalachia and her willingness to be herself. Ashley and Cynthia Pandolfo, visiting from Philadelphia with their six-year-old son, said they felt compelled to enter the park after hearing the news. Their son asked why so many people were crying; Ashley Pandolfo replied that it was sad to lose “a really nice person.”