Georgia town remembers Dolly Parton’s love story and legacy
More than six decades after Dolly Parton and Carl Dean married in Ringgold, the Georgia town is honoring her with flowers, notes, and butterflies.
RINGGOLD, Georgia (CNN/WXIA) — For a town this small, Dolly Parton’s love story still looms large.
More than six decades ago, Parton and Carl Dean chose Ringgold, Georgia, for their wedding. The town sits just south of Tennessee, but for many people there, its connection to Dolly feels personal.
“It’s very special here for a lot of reasons, and one of them, of course, is Dolly and her love story with Carl Dean,” one person said.
Parton and Dean’s marriage became part of Ringgold’s story.
“She had a love story that is very hard to come by,” one person said. “Her and Carl were just the best of the best, and she never forgot her small town roots.”
A wedding chapel tied to Dolly’s story
People still come to Ringgold to get married because of its connection to Dolly Parton.
“We get people all the time that say they want to get married in Ringgold because that’s where Dolly got married,” Heidi Roderick said. “We’ve had three generations of people get married in this little chapel.”
Roderick covered her wedding chapel in butterflies Wednesday as a tribute to Parton.
“I would say Dolly’s legacy was an example to women all over the world, across the line, to not give up on your dreams, to dream big, and don’t let no stop you,” Roderick said.
Remembering Dolly’s impact
Others brought flowers and handwritten notes to a mural on Tennessee Street, thanking Dolly for the example she set.
“She grew up poor in the East Tennessee hills and became somebody on her own,” one person said. “So I think that that’s just the American dream.”
Others said Parton will be remembered not only for her music and Dollywood, but for the way she treated people.
“That’s how you remember her,” one person said. “Not just for Dollywood and not just for her music, but her love of people and what she did.”
She may have belonged to the world, but a piece of Dolly will always belong in Ringgold.
“I don’t think there was a person that didn’t love her, and I don’t think there was a person that she didn’t love,” one person said.
