Dolly Parton is back in the spotlight after recently sharing an update on her health.
The country music icon appeared in Cornersville, Tenn., on Wednesday for the grand opening of her new Tennessean Travel Stop, a project that combines fuel services, shopping, food options and entertainment inspired by the singer’s larger-than-life personality.
Parton arrived at the event wearing a blue-and-pink fringe outfit paired with her signature high heels.
“I’m sure some of you are wondering why I would have a truck stop. Well, I couldn’t leave it to beavers,” Parton joked, drawing laughs from the crowd.
She later downplayed any notion of a rivalry with the popular chain.
“I had to throw my skinny little self in there,” Parton said. “We’re not trying to compete with anybody. We don’t think we’ll have to. We think we’ll have everything you want or need.”
The new tour stop features Dolly-themed merchandise and attractions, making the singer the unofficial face of the destination.
The appearance comes weeks after Parton revealed she was stepping back from acting as she continues to recover from health issues. Earlier this year, she canceled her planned stay in Las Vegas and shared an update with fans in a May 4 Instagram post.
“Thank you for standing by me and showing me so much love and support over the past year,” Parton wrote in the caption. “I still have some healing to do, but I’m on my way! See you soon.”
In the accompanying video, the 80-year-old tells singer explained that while her condition was improving, she was not yet ready to return to the stage.
“Well, hello there, it’s Dolly and I’m here to give you an update on a few things going on in my life,” she said. “Firstly, it’s about my health – and I have some good news and some bad news. But the good news is that I’m responding really well to medication and treatments and I’m improving every day.”
Parton added that recovery would take time because some of her treatments affect how she feels.
“Now the bad news is it’s going to take me a while to get up to stage performance because some of the medication and treatments make me a little dizzy, as my grandmother used to say,” she said.
