Tonight We Get to Celebrate Dolly and Give Back
There are sentences I never expected to say when I moved to Texas.
“Tonight I’m heading to a historic Texas dance hall to help host a Dolly Parton Prom” is definitely one of them.
But here we are and honestly, I cannot wait!
Tonight is Dolly Parton Prom at Orvie’s Hall in Burton, Texas, and I’m heading out to help get ready for a night of big hair, rhinestones, boots, music, dancing, and what I can only assume will be an absolutely unreasonable amount of sparkle.
There’s Just Something About Dolly
Obviously, there’s the music. There’s the hair. The rhinestones. The outfits. The very specific ability to make “too much” somehow look exactly right.
But that’s not really why people love Dolly Parton. Dolly has always seemed to understand something bigger.
People matter.
Stories matter.
Kindness matters.
And the little things we do for one another matter.
She built the Imagination Library around the simple idea of putting books into kids’ hands. She has spent decades giving back while somehow remaining exactly, unapologetically herself.
Maybe that’s part of why an entire room full of adults will happily put on rhinestones and show up to celebrate her.
And tonight, we get to celebrate Dolly in a way that feels especially fitting.
Celebrate Dolly and Give Back to the Burton TX Community
Yes, we’re throwing a prom.
Yes, there will be big hair.
Yes, I fully expect the rhinestone-to-person ratio to be completely unreasonable.
But this night is also about taking care of our neighbors.
100% of tonight’s door proceeds benefit the Food Pantry at Burton Bridge Ministry.
We’ll also be collecting nonperishable food donations at Orvie’s Hall. If you’re coming tonight and would like to give a little more, bring something from the pantry’s most-requested list.
So come dance.
Come dressed as Dolly.
Come dressed as yourself.
Come have a ridiculously fun night with us.
And while we’re at it, we get to help put food on our neighbors’ tables.
I have a feeling Dolly would approve.
Can’t Make It Tonight?
You can still be part of it.
The ticket site has a non-participant ticket specifically for people who can’t attend but still want to contribute.
Purchase one as a donation, stay home in your pajamas, and know you still helped us support the Burton Bridge Ministry Food Pantry.
Maybe We Need More Nights Like This
Life gets serious very quickly. There are jobs and kids and bills and appointments and laundry and emails and approximately 47 things somebody forgot to tell you they needed until this morning.
And somewhere in all of that, having fun can start to feel like something we need to justify.
Then every once in a while, somebody says:
What if we threw a Dolly Parton Prom?
At a Texas dance hall?
And used it to help feed our neighbors?
YES.
That.
Tonight I'll probably be running around Orvie’s doing 37 different things at once with an amazing team and a community we adore.
But I also hope I remember to stop for a minute.
Look around.
Take it in.
Notice the people who showed up. The ridiculous outfits. The dancing. The laughter. The people carrying bags of groceries through the door because they wanted to help somebody they may never meet.
Because those little moments are usually the ones worth remembering.
Give a Little, Like Dolly Would
Today, give a little like Dolly would.
If you’re coming to Orvie’s, bring something for the food pantry.
If you can’t come, grab a non-participant ticket and help from home.
And if you want to keep the giving going, snag two copies of InBetweenies. One for you, and one to gift to someone who could use a reminder to notice the good stuff, too.
Dolly noticed the little things. The people. The stories. The moments that mattered.
I hope you slow down today to do the same.
Life isn’t lived in the milestones. It’s lived in the InBetweenies.
Comments