Einan's at Hillcrest invites the community to join an open house celebration honoring the life and legacy of country music icon and philanthropist Dolly Parton, who passed away on August 25, 2026, at the age of 80. “A Celebration of Dolly Parton: Music, Memories and Reading” will be held Tuesday, September 1, 2026, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Einan's at Hillcrest in Kennewick.

Guests are encouraged to wear their favorite Dolly attire, share their favorite Dolly memory, and enjoy Southern comfort-style finger foods while celebrating a life that touched millions. The open house will also welcome Dolly's longtime fans to bring memorabilia, photos and keepsakes to display during the celebration. Anyone interested in exhibiting memorabilia is invited to contact Caren at Einan's at Hillcrest – Kennewick for more information. An obituary honoring Dolly Parton's life, along with links for her charitable causes, has been posted to our website to offer community members a convenient way to make donations in her honor. A guestbook and memory book will also be on display during the event, giving guests a place to share how Dolly's music, generosity and spirit impacted their lives; the book will remain on permanent display at Einan's at Hillcrest – Kennewick.

In honor of Dolly Parton's lifelong love of reading and her Imagination Library, which has donated hundreds of millions of books to children around the world, community members are invited to bring a children's book to donate. Guests can write a memory of Dolly, or simply a meaningful word, inside the cover before it is donated. Collected books will be given to the Mid-Columbia Reading Foundation to benefit local children in Dolly's honor.

“Dolly Parton's music and generosity reached across generations, and so many in our community have a memory or a story tied to her,” said Holley Sowards, Director of Operations for Einan's at Hillcrest. “We wanted to create a space where neighbors could gather, share those memories, and honor her legacy together – including her love of reading, which is why we're inviting the community to help us give books to local children in her name.”

The open house is free and open to the public; no RSVP is required.