Dolly Should—A Tribute to America’s Fairy Godmother

Talk of the Town - September 2026

With the passing of Dolly Parton, America’s uncontested sweetheart, the world lost everyone’s favorite fantasy fairy godmother from Tennessee. And if you live in the Bay, you know the special connection we have with the Queen of Country Music.

- by Melanie Cole

Dolly Parton famously wore her massive heart on her sleeve, and it was every bit as big as her iconic hair. That approach to life, combined with her vast artistic gifts, genuine warmth, humor, and self-deprecation, united people across seven decades. She truly felt like family.
 

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“And this dumb blonde ain’t nobody’s fool,” Parton announced to the world in her 1967 country hit, “Dumb Blonde.” She threw down the gauntlet, challenging stereotypes at a time when an entire generation of women was struggling to define feminism for themselves.
 

Her “Backwoods Barbie” caricature was a strategy that inspired women everywhere, as Parton went about running her multimillion-dollar empire, writing music history, and funding global philanthropy. She once famously quipped: “I’m not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I’m not dumb... and I also know that I’m not blonde.”

Here in the Bay, Dolly has been a presence for a decade. Founded in 2016 by Ann Madden and Sandy Maggio of Smith & Lens, the Dolly Should event started as a tongue-in-cheek invitation for Dolly to come and celebrate her January 19th birthday in Bay St. Louis. Over time, it morphed into a local cultural mantra: What would Dolly do (WWDD)? Dolly Should …

Originally created together with the Old Town Merchants Association as a Second Saturday attraction to boost foot traffic for downtown businesses, the event has evolved into a beloved annual tradition honoring Parton’s big hair and core values.
 

 
In 2022, Maggio and Madden officially passed the torch—and the glitter—to Alicein Schwabacher and her Mockingbird Cafe team. Schwabacher notes that Parton is a role model because “she turned hardship into something positive, believes in lifting people up… and leads with kindness rather than judgment.”
 
Schwabacher emphasizes that the event is less about celebrity worship and more about community values while having fun. “The festival reflects the core ethos of the Mockingbird Cafe, which served as a crucial gathering space for healing and rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina.”

Dolly Should is a vibrant annual community celebration that honors the country music icon with a full day of Dolly-centric events (wigs and rhinestones encouraged), like the “9-to-5K Run,” a Dolly look-alike contest, and a biggest hair competition. In parallel, it has in recent years become a conduit for child literacy outreach by hosting a children’s book drive benefiting local initiatives and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, the flagship program operated through the Dollywood Foundation.

 
What started as a small project in 1995 to honor Parton’s father, who never learned to read, has turned into a global initiative. To date, her foundation has shipped over 300 million books to kids across the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, and Australia, reshaping the conversation around childhood literacy. Libraries and community groups worldwide have adopted her model of putting physical books directly into children’s hands.
 
This month, the Hancock County Library System has officially joined forces with the Library Foundation of Hancock County and the United Way of South Mississippi to significantly expand local access to the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Launched at the start of September 2026 for National Library Card Month, this community-wide initiative aims to put free, age-appropriate books into the hands of every eligible child in the county from birth until their fifth birthday.

“Our goal is to have every child who's eligible in Hancock County enrolled and participating,” explained Kevin Cole, PR/Marketing Coordinator for the Hancock County Library System. He noted that enrolling the remaining eligible population will cost between $60,000 and $80,000 overall.
 
To reach this goal, the Foundation launched a fundraising campaign. “We are trying to get people to donate $31 to support one child for one year,” Cole said, or $155 total for the full five years.

 
The primary outreach will kick off at local branch events this fall. “Our first effort will be to get everybody who attends the Story Time Reading Programs at all five of our branches enrolled,” Cole explained.
 
To maximize the community’s impact, the Library Foundation is matching all September contributions dollar-for-dollar. Combined with a $5,000 grant from Coast Electric’s Community Foundation Fund, the initiative already has $10,000 in matching funds secured.

You can support the cause by stopping by the Second Line Used Bookstore, a volunteer-run bookstore located inside the Bay St. Louis Library at 312 Hwy 90 in Bay St. Louis, or by making a $31 donation directly to the Library Foundation online or by mail.

To donate online, you can use the Library Foundation of Hancock County's general donation form. Just be sure to add a note specifying that your donation is for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.

 
If you prefer to mail a check, make it out to The Library Foundation of Hancock County, write “Imagination Library” or “DPIL Match” in the memo line, and send it to The Library Foundation of Hancock County, 312 Highway 90, Bay St. Louis, MS 39520.
 
Any $31 gift you make in September will automatically be doubled to $62 by the foundation’s matching pool!
 

So tease that hair high, grab a book, and shine your brightest—because around here, doing good never goes out of style, and Dolly Always Should.
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