Dolly Parton’s passing this week brought back memories of the first time I visited her neck of the woods. Long before Dollywood broke ground, the 1982 Knoxville World’s Fair brought more than 11 million visitors to the mountains of east Tennessee, exposing the potential appeal for a major theme park in the region. I was privileged to be among those visitors, part of a contingency of Girl Scouts from my Arkansas council (that’s young me on the left). East Tennessee might not seem that different from western Arkansas, but for me just getting to travel anywhere was a treat. Girl Scouting provided that opportunity to open my world.
In recent years I have had the privilege of visiting Dollywood (truly one of the most beautiful theme parks you’ll ever see), but I’ll never forget that first Girl Scout trip to its precursor of the World’s Fair.
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