Dolly Parton’s old home offered as free wedding venue for couples affected by TN fires
Dolly Parton’s former mountain home in Tennessee is offering couples displaced by wildfires a venue for their wedding — for free.
From April 1 until May 1, the “Red Top Smoky Mountain Lodging” will be available for free for eligible couples that had their original venues, whether it be churches or businesses, impacted or destroyed by the fires near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Jeannine Emory, director of Red Top Destinations told McClatchy News.
“That’s what we’re here for, we help each other out,” Emory said.
The home originally belonged to Avie Lee and Robert “Lee” Parton where the couple raised 12 children, including Dolly.
In 2003, Dolly Parton bought the home after her parents’ deaths, according to Fox.
The new owners, Mike Whitcomb and his family, have chosen to keep the homestead name, Red Top, and the home still features the Parton family heirlooms, according to the venue’s website.
“Imagine the music these walls have heard over the years from the talented Parton Family,” the website states.
Guests will be able to take a peek at “the family jam session areas” as well as the famous Double D Roses, named after Dolly Parton.
The first couple to benefit from the offer will get married on April 15, Emory said.
Parton herself took to social media and expressed her concerns regarding the fires.
The venue is already considering extending the dates even further, according to the director.
As of April 1, the wildfires have burnt through 3,700 acres of Wears Valley in Sevier County, just east of Knoxville, according to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.
The estate is located in Sevierville, 30 miles east of Knoxville.
This story was originally published April 5, 2022 at 2:33 PM with the headline "Dolly Parton’s old home offered as free wedding venue for couples affected by TN fires."
