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Dolly Parton helped transform Pigeon Forge from a small mountain town into a global tourism destination, creating jobs, fueling local businesses and giving back to the East Tennessee community she called home, City Manager David Wear told FOX Business.
“Pigeon Forge and Dollywood kind of grew up together,” Wear said. “After that, it really just took off and made a huge economic impact in our area.”
The country music icon died in Nashville on Aug. 25 at age 80 following a “brief battle with cancer,” her team confirmed to Fox News Digital. Her death prompted global tributes and has deeply affected the community where the star’s influence is woven into the local economy.
Parton partnered with the operators of Silver Dollar City, an existing Pigeon Forge theme park, to open Dollywood in 1986. The attraction helped put Pigeon Forge “on a world map,” drawing visitors from across the U.S. and around the world, according to Wear.
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“[Dollywood] is a wonderful place. It has kind of put Pigeon Forge not just on the map, but on a world map where people know that Dolly is from here and that’s what they think about when they come to this area,” Wear said.
That visitor traffic has generated a ripple effect for businesses across the region. Dollywood is also Sevier County’s largest employer, according to Wear, creating jobs and paychecks for local families.
From the beginning, Parton wanted to ensure “her people” could find work and build lives in the community where she grew up, Wear said.
“She always referred to her Sevier County home as ‘my people,’” he said.
Although Pigeon Forge welcomes millions of visitors annually, Wear said it remains a tight-knit town of about 6,300 residents.
In the days following Parton’s death, locals have been sharing personal stories about the entertainment icon and her impact on their lives.
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“If you’re from here, you’ve got a Dolly story,” Wear said. “Everybody is really just sharing their experiences, honoring her and, I think, probably trying to live a little better – live a little bit like Dolly.”
Wear said Parton’s philanthropy may ultimately be even more impactful than her role in building the local tourism economy.
“The economic impact is huge. However, I think the larger impact to Sevier County and to Pigeon Forge is her philanthropic work and her charity work,” Wear said.
Wear said he experienced her generosity firsthand through the Buddy Program, which the country star launched in the early 1990s to combat Sevier County’s high school dropout rate. Seventh- and eighth-grade students paired with a “buddy,” and Parton promised each student $500 upon graduating from high school, according to the website for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
Wear participated in the program and later returned to his hometown to work in local government.
“That was my first experience with her,” he said. “It’s just amazing that I got to experience that charity, get to know her a little bit and then come back here to my hometown.”
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Parton again came to the region’s aid after devastating wildfires swept through East Tennessee in 2016.
Through the My People Fund, Parton’s Dollywood Foundation provided financial assistance to families whose homes were destroyed or left uninhabitable.
“Dolly came in, raised a lot of money and gave it out to her people,” Wear said. “That changed the trajectory of our recovery significantly.”
Those efforts represent only a fraction of Parton’s contributions to East Tennessee, he said.
“Her impact is significant in our economy, but her impact in this community and to the people here is even more significant,” Wear said.
Fox News Digital’s Janelle Ash contributed to this report.
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