09/04/2026
Garth Brooks and his wife, Trisha Yearwood, have declared September 25 “Dolly Day” at their Nashville honky-tonk, with every dollar taken in at the bar that day going to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
The date is a deliberate nod to Parton’s classic hit “9 to 5,” reading as 9/25 on the calendar. Brooks and Yearwood’s Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky-Tonk will donate its entire income for the day to the cause behind the Imagination Library, the children’s literacy program Parton founded in 1995 that mails free books to children. The gesture follows Parton’s d*ath, after which her family had asked well-wishers to send donations to the Imagination Library rather than flowers.
Yearwood framed the fundraiser as a direct continuation of Parton’s own priorities. “Whatever the cash register says at the end of the day is going to Dolly’s passion,” she said. “This is 100% about Dolly and her love for children’s literacy.”
Brooks, for his part, described the tribute as more than a nod to Parton’s music career, calling it a recognition of her decades of generosity. “Dolly may be the perfect example of if you spend your whole life loving, you WILL live forever,” he said.
The Imagination Library currently operates in five countries, including the United States, Australia, Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom, and Parton had continued working to expand its reach up to her d*ath. Separately, Tennessee lawmaker Seal has proposed a bill designating September 25 as “9 to 5 Day” statewide in Parton’s home state, a measure aimed at formally honoring both her musical legacy and her charitable work.
