Cultural Spelunking

Well, as always, the thoughts of other cool things I could be thinking about/exploring/blogging about are piling up. So I shall wrap up my Tennessee findings with these things that I learned and experienced.

1. That Dolly Parton is a businesswoman/media mogul extraordinaire who deserves great respect and discussion for more than just her physical standout qualities. New York magazine agreed the other week when they wrote this article, which I highly recommend if you get a minute. Dolly is the snap! She has written 75 albums, risen from the daughter of a sharecropper who couldn’t read to a multimillionaire off of talent, savvy business skills, and character. If that isn’t the American Dream, I don’t know what is. One of the many projects she has in Tennessee (other than Dollywood) is called the Dixie Stampede, a dinner show, much like Midevil Times, but with horse trickery. By all means, check out the flip clip (and please enjoy Melanie talking like Strong Bad in the background, it was kind if a phase of the trip/our lives):

The Dixie Stampede, along with Dollywood itself, all embody Dolly’s mission to promote her hometown and use her fame to give back to her community. Why else put it in Pigeon Forge, TN? My grandma used to work at Dollywood and has nothing but the utmost respect for Dolly, and my grandma is extremely savvy. She says that Dolly oversaw every aspect of her business, and knew treated every single one of her workers with respect.

Basically, I am impressed. Also, I will be eternally grateful for Dolly’s Dixie Stampede because it made this moment possible:

That’s right. My dad, on stage, playing ring toss with toilet seat covers. Words can’t really express the joy in my heart when our waiter pulled my dad aside and asked if he was wearin’ horse ridin’ shoes to go on stage with. Thank god for the flip cam.

Other things I have learned:

2. Fireworks are supremely entertaining.

After a lifetime of Southern Californian “fire restrictions,” all of us kids were pretty pumped to visit the firework supermarket next to our grandparents’ house.

And to make a great scene setting them off.

Grandpa found some old firecrackers whose fuses had been deemed too short to light safely. So we made Kevin light them.

3. That a house full of family is a house full of love.

But I guess I already knew that…