Portland City Council will hold a 9:30 a.m. Wednesday pre-gavel ceremony honoring Dolly Parton; the city will proclaim September 25 as Dolly Parton Day. The date is a nod to the singer's 1980 hit “9 to 5,” with 9/25 standing in for 9-to-5, and it comes a month after Parton died in August at age 80.
The proclamation was reported by The Oregonian/OregonLive, which detailed plans for the 9:30 a.m. ceremony and the citywide celebration Portland is calling on restaurants, venues, and hospitality partners to join. Businesses have been invited to offer Dolly-themed drink specials, pink decorations, all-day Dolly playlists, themed events, and even extra discounts for customers who show up dressed as the singer herself.
Portland City Council President Jamie Dunphy framed the tribute around what he sees as Parton's enduring example. According to the outlet, Dunphy said Dolly Parton made people laugh, think, sing along, and believe things could be better, and that she did not make people smaller in order to make her message bigger. He added that people need more of her positive influence today.
A Program Built Into State Law
The literacy angle isn't symbolic. Laurie McNichols, state director for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of Oregon, is set to participate in the celebration, and the program she oversees continues to send free books to children across the state. Per The Oregonian/OregonLive, the Imagination Library has sent more than 4 million free books to children in Oregon since its launch.
That reach has deep roots in state policy. Governor Tina Kotek signed House Bill 4022 into law, permanently codifying the Oregon Imagination Library into state statute and authorizing up to a 50 percent state matching grant for purchasing and mailing the books, according to BillTrack50. Oregon had previously funded the program through temporary legislative appropriations back in 2023 before lawmakers made the commitment permanent this year. By the time Parton died, more than 77,000 Oregon children under age 5 — about 36 percent of that age group statewide — were actively enrolled, according to figures McNichols shared with OPB.
Music for the council ceremony will come from Nicole Onoscopi, according to The Oregonian/OregonLive's report, rounding out a morning that blends civic ritual with genuine fandom. When Parton died on August 25 at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville following a brief battle with cancer, Oregon's response went beyond words: Governor Kotek ordered flags at state public buildings flown at half-staff, a gesture reported by Rogue Valley Magazine.
Oregon's Own Dolly Lore
Portland's connection to Parton includes a local story from a past visit. During an April 13, 1985 stop on her “Real Love” tour with Kenny Rogers at Portland's Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Parton famously roasted the Trail Blazers on their own home court, cracking, “Oh, you can't score either?” after Rogers said he felt a kinship with the struggling team, according to the Portland Mercury.
Further south, Parton wrote a song called “Eugene, Oregon,” as reported by OPB. And in 2022, the Oregon Zoo named a baby orangutan Jolene after its birth on April 13 that year, per the zoo's own announcement.
A National Pattern With Portland's Own Spin
Portland isn't alone in marking the date. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine also signed a statewide proclamation designating September 25, 2026 as Dolly Parton Day, according to Ohio's state government, recognizing her childhood literacy contributions. The “9 to 5” wordplay also echoes Parton's song and film.
Locally, the city is inviting businesses to take part. It's a fitting bookend for a city with connections to Dolly Parton — from a coliseum punchline to a zoo enclosure to, now, a council chamber proclamation.
