‘For all people’: Dolly Parton visits Lexington to celebrate Imagination Library in KY
Celebrating a program “for all people,” country music icon Dolly Parton joined Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and First Lady Britainy Beshear to praise the availability of the Imagination Library throughout the state.
Parton’s Imagination Library Program, launched in 1995 to provide free books monthly to kids ages 5 and under, is available in every ZIP code in Kentucky as of earlier this year. To celebrate the program’s expansion, Parton joined the Beshears at the Lyric Theater in Lexington on Tuesday evening.
“The Imagination Library has meant as much, if not more, to me than nearly anything that I have done,” Parton said Tuesday.
After talking with the Beshears, Parton performed “Coat of Many Colors” — which turned into an a capella performance after technical difficulties — and “Try,” a song Parton said was inspired by the work of the Imagination Library.
Gov. Beshear presented a proclamation, marking the month as Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Kentucky Month, “to honor the great work your doing here,” he said.
She was made a Kentucky Colonel, a title of honor given by the governor recognizing someone’s achievements and service. She presented the Beshears with a signed copy of her children’s book, also called “Coat of Many Colors.” The crowd was filled with educators and program directors from across the state.
The Imagination Library started as a program to spark a love of learning and reading in Parton’s home county of Sevier County, Tennessee, inspired by her father who could not read. From there, it expanded throughout Tennessee and is now available in multiple states and countries around the world.
More than 251 million books have been distributed since 1995, according to the program’s website.
“It’s really a great way to teach children when they’re very young to learn to love books and to learn to read,” Parton said.
State funding helps ensure books are available across the commonwealth, with community partners raising 50% of the funds while the state provides the other half. The Fayette Education Foundation is the local partner for Fayette County. Around 45% of preschool aged children in Kentucky are enrolled in the Imagination Library, Britainy Beshear said.
“This makes it easier for families to be together and enjoy a great story, which parents and guardians love just as much as their children do after a long day of working ‘9 to 5,’” Britainy Beshear said. “My very favorite memories are reading to our own children, Will and Lila, when they were younger. Thanks to Dolly, every family can have that special memory too.”
More than 120,000 children in Kentucky are currently enrolled in the program, and more than 5 million books have been delivered in the state since 2001.
To enroll a child in the program, visit www.imaginationlibrary.com.
This story was originally published August 27, 2024 at 7:43 PM.