Dolly Parton made a rare public appearance at the opening of her Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop despite recent health struggles.
Parton, 80, attended the ribbon cutting of the new travel center inspired by her decades as a touring musician.
“I wanted to welcome all of you, we’re very excited about our truck stop,” Parton told attendees on Wednesday, June 24, per footage obtained by Us Weekly. “I’ve spent my whole life traveling on the road, so anyways I wanted to welcome you and say thanks.”
She playfully issued a jab to competitor Buc-ee’s, teasing, “I’m sure some of you want to know why I wanted a truck stop. Well, I couldn’t leave it to beavers. I had to throw my spurs in there myself.”
Jokes aside, Parton stressed that she isn’t “trying to compete” with other businesses.
“We don’t think we’ll have to. We’re going to have everything you want or need,” Parton stated. “So, thank you so much for coming.”
After cutting the ribbon, Parton further gushed about opening Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop.
“Well, the doors are open and I could not be prouder. Whether you are hauling loads, hauling the family, or just passing through, we built this place for you,” Parton added, per Rolling Stone. “Good food, real rest, a little music, and people who are genuinely glad you stopped in. That’s what the road has always deserved, and that is what you will find here. Welcome home.”
The appearance came as a surprise after Parton announced in May that she postponed her Las Vegas residency over health concerns.
Dolly Parton is celebrating 80 trips around the sun. The country music superstar celebrated her milestone birthday on Monday, January 19, after revealing she has been battling health issues. Parton shared three photos via Instagram of herself posing with a butterfly-shaped cake decorated with flowers. She licked frosting off her finger in one snap and […]
“I am here to give you an update on a few things going on in my life,” she began in a social media video shared last month. “First, it’s concerning my health. And I have some good news and a little bad news. The good news is I’m responding really well to meds and treatments and I’m improving every day.”
The singer continued, “Now, the bad news is, it’s gonna take me a little while before I’m up to stage performance level. Because some of the meds and treatments make me a little bit swimmy-headed, as my grandma used to say. And of course, I can’t be dizzy carrying around banjos, guitars and such on five-inch heels.”
Comparing herself to a “classic car” in need of restoration, Parton pledged to return “better than ever” after her recovery.
“When they raised the hood on this old antique, they realized that I need to rebuild my engine and that my transmission is slipping, my oil pan is leaking, my muffler is busted and my shocks and pistons need to be replaced, and for sure, my spark plugs need to be changed,” Parton acknowledged. “My immune system and my digestive system got all out of whack over the past couple three years, and they’re working real hard on rebuilding and strengthening those and hopefully I’ll be up to snuff again soon.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.usmagazine.com ’
