Dolly Parton's secret visit to South Devon
Dolly Parton has a special place in the hearts of Dartmoor villagers
Memories of country music legend Dolly Parton have come flooding back for a small South Devon community after details of a secret meeting almost 50 years ago emerge.
The superstar, famous for her songs around the globe including ‘’Jolene’ and ‘I Will Always Love You’ has died at the age of 80 after a brief battle with cancer.
In the spring of 1979 the locals in the small Dartmoor village of Manaton, including members of the cricket club after their weekly practice session, gathered as usual in the Kestor Inn.
But that particular midweek night the regulars were joined by someone so unmistakable as to make them rub their eyes.
A list of the most instantly recognisable people in the world then would include our late Queen, Muhammad Ali, Nelson Mandela and...Dolly Parton.
And there she was in that Devon pub, with her great blonde hair, ever-cheerful voice and kind smile, saying ‘Hi’ to everyone who wanted to say Hello.
How she arrived in Manaton is a happy, slightly involved story, but it says much about her.
Bob Hunka, a close friend in the American recording industry, was about to get married and decided to celebrate with a ‘bachelor’ trip to Europe to visit friends in London, Paris and Devon.
Dolly announced that, since she had no concert commitments at the time, she would help to pay for the trip as her wedding present – as long as she could join him.
And so, on the first leg of their journey, they arrived in Manaton to meet Hunka’s friends, the Butler family. Bob is still a vice-president of the cricket club.
It was long before mobile phones or the Internet, but Dolly asked all the locals to keep her visit a secret until she had left. For nearly three days no one said a word.
Dolly, Bob and their friends walked on Dartmoor – they had to find a pair of gumboots to fit her.
She helped to cook dinner in the Butlers’ small thatched cottage, tucked in like the country girl she was, helped with the washing-up and cuddled their baby son Sam, who was fascinated by her huge earrings.
The party eventually squeezed into the Butlers’ small family car – Dolly wasn’t in the least concerned – and stopped on the A303 so she could see Stonehenge on the way back to London.
The friendships forged then have lasted over the years. Family members have visited in California, VIP tickets were always laid on for her UK tours, Christmas messages exchanged.
Dolly’s death at the age of 80 has saddened millions around the world, all touched by her unique talent and tireless but always genuine humanity.
When the Butlers got home to Manaton from that London trip in 1979, they went to a drawer in young Sam’s bedroom and found...the earrings he had loved as he bounced on her knee.
Dolly – the best of the USA.