WINCHESTER, Tenn. — JFK, Elvis Presley, and Dolly Parton. What do these three people have in common? The day they died, the country collectively stopped and mourned. On Tuesday, beloved Tennessean, musician, and philanthropist Dolly Parton passed away at the age of 80 at Vanderbilt University Hospital after a battle with cancer.
This Saturday and Sunday, the nearby Oldham Theatre will offer two free screenings of A Coat of Many Colors in tribute to Dolly Parton, the beloved East Tennessee icon. Screenings are set for Saturday, August 29, and Sunday, August 30, both at 5:15 p.m. Admission is free.
A Coat of Many Colors tells the story of Parton’s childhood in the mountains of East Tennessee, drawing from the same rural, working-class roots that shaped her music for more than six decades. The film has become one of the most beloved retellings of her early life, based on her 1971 song of the same name. It stars Alyvia Alyn Lind as young Dolly as well as Jennifer Nettles and Ricky Schroder as her parents in the tight-knit Parton family. The made-for-TV film originally aired on NBC in December 2015.
The screenings come as tributes to Parton continue to pour in from across the country and around the world. Beyond her music, Parton was widely known for her philanthropy, including her Imagination Library literacy program, and for an influence that reached far past country music into film, television, and popular culture more broadly.
The theater’s announcement of the screenings leaned on Parton’s own words to frame the tribute, quoting her well-known line: “The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.” Organizers are encouraging families to attend together.
If you can’t attend but would like to honor Dolly in another way, locals can make donations to the Moore County Imagination Library at Farmer’s Bank or via USPS at PO Box 232, Lynchburg TN 37352. •
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