Parton pays visit after Kentucky fully checks out her library plan
By Burton Cole
FALMOUTH — When every county in a state participates in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, the musician/actor/songwriter shows up for a statewide livestreamed celebration.
That’s why a couple dozen educators, librarians and public officials gathered last Tuesday at the Pendleton County Public Library — to watch Parton thank the commonwealth for 100 percent participation in her program that provides free books to children monthly until they’re 5 years old and headed to kindergarten.
“I dream big. I always have,” Parton told the crowd at the historic Lyric Theatre in downtown Lexington, and those watching across the state.
To date, she told Gov. Andy and First Lady Britainy Beshear, the Imagination Library has delivered more than 240 million picture books to preschool children across the United States and in a handful of other countries. More than 6 million of those books have gone to Kentucky kids, Britainy Beshear said.
Henderson County established the first Imagination Library more than 20 years ago.
Pendleton County began serious discussions in 2020, but things kicked into high gear as the library found out from county schools Superintendent Joe Buerkley that the district had been talking about the same thing, Cheri Griffin of Pendleton’s Imagination Library Advisory Board said.
People from several local groups worked for several years toward joining Imagination Library.
The county library established its Imagination Library in May 2022 in affiliation with the Pendleton County Education Foundation, and the first books were mailed out in July 2022 to the 126 children who were enrolled at the time, Griffin said.
Kenton County was the last of the 120 counties in Kentucky to establish and Imagination Library, making the commonwealth the 21st to boast statewide participation.
Read the rest of this story and other great articles in this week’s Falmouth Outlook, in print or e-edition for $1.00
DOLLY continues on Page 2