DOLLY Parton announcing her visit to Tamworth is a dream come true for fan and impersonator, Donella Plane.
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Ms Plane is a country artist from Tamworth who often appears as Dolly in her own shows and the Strictly Nashville show with Willie Nelson (Bruce McCumstie) and Kenny Rogers (Stephen R Cheney).
“I’m so glad she is coming,” she said. “It’ll be a nice exclamation mark to finish off the festival and a good mood creator for the rest of the year.”
Ms Plane has loved Parton for about 30 years – since she was about 10 years old, and said, on a scale of one to 100, this would rate a definite 120 or 200.
“I feel like I’m 10 again,” she said.
The singer and fan said she was going to try to meet her idol and might even go dressed as Parton.
Ms Plane said Parton encouraged people to impersonate her and felt flattered that people would go to that trouble.
“I’ll do anything to get noticed and I’m not going to waste this time,” she said. “I went to the Hunter Valley one (in 2011) with my Dolly wig on, but just dressed as myself. Now that I know, I’m going to be organising friends from all around to come with me.
“Dolly Parton is my idol in every way – her music, the way she lives her life, she’s a giver.”
Ms Plane said people just loved her and she had even dreamt about meeting her.
“I cannot let it not come true when she is that close,” she said. “The fact she is coming to Tamworth and I’m going to see it with everybody is a dream come true.”
She said she wanted to kiss everyone in council for getting Parton here.
“I will be singing along with her every word,” she said.
During the Tamworth Country Music Festival, Ms Plane will mark Parton’s birthday on January 19 at the Tudor Hotel.
“I’ll be dressing up and I might have some Dolly memorabilia and hoping I’m hoping others will get involved,” she said.