Country music icon Dolly Parton recently revealed a secret gift she is leaving for future generations — one that will not be opened until 2045.
Appearing on “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” Parton talked about a special song that is sealed and buried in a time capsule. She wrote it for her Dollywood resort park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and it is part of her chestnut “Dream Box” that holds a collection of memories and wishes.
Parton would be 99 years old by the time the song is released, so she knows she may not be around when it is finally heard by her fans. She said sealing the tune for the future “felt like burying one of my kids, putting it on ice.”
She also admitted she will likely not make it “to see it brought back to life.”
Dolly Parton confirmed she recorded a tune that no one will be able to hear until 2045, when her “Dream Box” time capsule at Dollywood is finally opened. https://t.co/ijLdJHkp0I
— KTSM 9 News (@KTSMtv) December 24, 2022
Parton joked that she did not know whose idea it was, but they weren’t expecting her to be around for its release. She added, “I might be there, who knows?”
The dream box includes several items of an intensely personal nature for the legendary singer. One is a copy of her 2012 book, “Dream More: Celebrate the Dreamer in You.” This writing expands on her wildly popular 2009 commencement speech at the University of Tennessee.
Another is a piece of wood from the Tennessee Mountain Home’s front porch where she spent her childhood. The porch is remembered as a special gathering spot for family and loved ones, and it’s also where she sang many songs as a child in the Great Smoky Mountains.
Of course there’s the song, which by 2045 will be legendary before a single note is heard. All Parton will reveal is that it shares “her hopes and dreams of the future.”
And then there’s the box.
The sealed mystery box is constructed of chestnut in honor of her beloved uncle Bill Owens’ efforts on behalf of the American Chestnut Foundation to restore the tree to the eastern woodlands.
It was Owens who very early on saw the budding talent in his young niece and supported her fledgling career.
The contents of the box are known only to Parton and will remain that way until 2045. At that point — and hopefully she will be around for it — the rest of the country music world will be ready and waiting to see the treasures inside.
Dolly Parton is truly an American treasure. She embodies all that is good and right with the nation, and her love for her country and everyone in it shines through in her brilliant music. Her Dream Box and the mystery song it holds will be eagerly anticipated 23 years from now.
