Dolly Parton Fans Can Now Attempt to Navigate Their Way Out of Her Head
Dolly Parton started off as a musician, but she’s grown into so much more than that. The multihyphenate acts, runs businesses, and does charity work. Her prolific career has rightfully gained her a legion of fans. People prove their dedication to her in a variety of ways. Recently, a farm revealed a temporary tribute to Parton, one that fans can try to map their way through.
Dolly Parton’s parents paid a doctor in corn
Parton was born in Locust Ridge, Tennessee to parents Robert Lee and Avie Lee Parton. She was one of 12 children raised in their mountain cabin. Her father was a tobacco farmer and construction worker who worked to support his large family. Her rural home — of which there’s a replica at Dollywood — had just one bedroom and no electricity or running water.
Given the remoteness of their location and their poverty, the Parton family had to make do when someone needed a doctor. There were no roads near their home, and the hospital was too far away. When her mother was delivering Parton, the family had to call a nearby missionary doctor.
“The mountain people didn’t have any way to pay him with money, so you paid them with whatever you had, your canned goods or some ham or some whatever. We grew corn, and Daddy would take our corn to the mill to be ground,” she explained.
When her father went to get the doctor, he traded the cornmeal for the medical service. The exchange resulted in Parton’s safe entry into the world.
“Mama was having problems with me, so Daddy had to run out and get [the doctor]. They came back on horseback and Daddy paid him with a sack of cornmeal, and I’ve always joked and said that I’ve been raking in the dough ever since,” she said.
A corn maze was designed to look like the singer’s face
For their fall 2021 season, Van Buren Acres, an Ohio farm known for creative corn mazes, designed one in Parton’s image. According to Knoxville’s WBIR News, visitors to the elaborate corn maze have to make their way out of Parton’s face. The maze also includes her guitar, the mountains, books in reference to her Imagination Library, and a butterfly.
Though the maze isn’t located in Parton’s native Tennessee, it feels like a fitting celebration of the musician given her past.
There are many other Dolly Parton-themed attractions
The corn maze is just the latest Dolly-themed attraction that fans can visit. There’s the theme park Dollywood, of course, which Parton purchased in 1986. In Tennessee, fans can also visit Dolly Parton’s Stampede if they’re looking for a rodeo, concert, and dinner rolled into one night. Scattered throughout her home state, fans can find murals dedicated to the legendary singer.
Parton-themed landmarks and businesses aren’t just concentrated in Tennessee, though. Parton has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles. On the opposite coast, New Yorkers can visit Dolly’s Swing and Dive, a bar with wallpaper made up of Parton’s album art.
