Southern California fans of Dolly Parton will have another reason to celebrate the country music legend, with state lawmakers on Tuesday designating Sept. 25 as Dolly Parton Day in California.
Sen. Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, announced Tuesday that Senate Bill 931 will proclaim Sept. 25 — a “9-2-5” reference to Parton’s hit song and film “9 to 5” — as Dolly Parton Day throughout California.
“Dolly Parton has a remarkable ability to bring people together, and her heart for children and literacy is one of the greatest parts of her legacy,” Grove said. “The Imagination Library has given thousands of California children the opportunity to discover a lifelong love of reading, and I am incredibly proud of the work we have done to expand its reach across our state. It is only fitting that California now has a day to celebrate Dolly and the tremendous impact she continues to make.”
The measure was jointly authored by Sen. John Laird, D-Santa Cruz.
Parton founded the Imagination Library in 1995 to provide free books to young children. The program sends books monthly to participating children from birth to age 5.
Grove said she previously worked with then-Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins to expand the Imagination Library statewide in California. The state also became one of the first to offer a bilingual English-Spanish book option through the program.
More than 182,000 California children are enrolled in the Imagination Library, which has full coverage in 45 of the state’s 58 counties, according to Grove’s office.
“Dolly Parton brought joy to a lot of people, but her legacy goes well beyond her music,” Laird said. “Through the Imagination Library, she put books into the hands of millions of children and helped give them a love of reading from an early age.”
Laird also praised Parton’s support for the LGBTQ+ community, saying she has emphasized that “everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.”
Parton was one of the most successful country music performers of all time, with a career spanning more than six decades. She wrote and recorded “9 to 5” for the 1980 film of the same name, in which she starred alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin.