Austin businesses are paying tribute to Dolly Parton following her passing, from themed cookies, to film screenings and honoring her legacy by giving back.
AUSTIN, Texas — Dolly Parton’s legacy is being remembered in Austin through music, movies — and sugar cookies.
Following the death of the country music icon at age 80, local businesses are finding ways to honor Parton while supporting causes close to her heart.
At Sugar Mama’s Bakeshop in South Austin, owner Jennifer Starkey is selling Dolly Parton-themed sugar cookies through the weekend.
The cookies feature pink hearts with Parton’s familiar signature, along with blonde-haired unicorns.
Starkey, a longtime Parton fan, said she was heartbroken when she learned of the singer’s death.
“I cried a lot, but I also know that, you know, she lived a great and wonderful life,” Starkey said.
For every cookie sold, Starkey is donating $3 to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, the nonprofit children’s literacy program Parton founded in 1995. The program provides free books to young children and became one of the most recognizable parts of Parton’s philanthropic legacy.
Parton’s connection to Austin also stretches back more than four decades.
In July 1982, Parton came to Austin for the world premiere of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, the musical comedy based on the real-life Chicken Ranch in La Grange. The film, which starred Parton alongside Burt Reynolds, was filmed in Central Texas.
The premiere turned downtown Austin into a Hollywood-style celebration, with Parton, Reynolds and other stars appearing before a crowd of fans.
The event also served as a fundraiser for the Paramount Theatre.
“It was really an extravaganza week,” said Jim Ritts, CEO of the Austin Theatre Alliance. “World premieres didn’t happen that frequently in Austin, Texas, and thousands of people had waited for hours out in the July sun until we had Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise and Charles Durning.”
According to Ritts, the premiere and related events raised about $180,000, helping pay off renovations at the historic theater.
He also said Parton’s only solo musical performance ever was in this venue back in January 1977. Ritts said this show really validated the three men who created the Paramount Theatre nonprofit that saved it from being replaced.
Now, decades later, the Austin Theatre Alliance is once again using one of Parton’s films to raise money in her honor.
The Paramount Theatre is currently closed for renovations, but the neighboring State Theatre will host two September screenings of Parton’s 1989 film Steel Magnolias.
Ritts said 15% of ticket sales will be donated to the Dollywood Foundation.
He also said the first screening, scheduled for Sept. 9, sold out within minutes. A second screening was added for Sept. 10.
“So when we announced Sept. 9 at 7:30, it literally sold out in almost minutes,” Ritts said. “That’s the reason there are two of them.”
For Austin businesses and arts organizations, the tributes offer another way to celebrate a performer whose connection to the city goes back generations — while continuing the spirit of giving that became a defining part of Parton’s legacy.
Parton died Aug. 25 after a brief battle with cancer.
In Austin, her legacy is living on through the causes she championed, the films she made and the people inspired to give back in her name.