Gigantic birthday cakes for a cat. Singing vegetables. A dog wearing a Dolly Parton wig. Bits and pieces of a bizarre dream? No, these were just a few of the elements that made up Friday’s grand opening of Dollywood’s KidsFest.
Running through August 10, the park’s newest festival bills itself as the “largest kidsfest in the South.” A variety of shows are included in the summer-long event. Garfield, the popular comic strip cat, celebrates his 25th anniversary in a live stage show. Another live show features VeggieTales, the talking vegetable characters who have delighted youngsters since 1993. Two additional attractions showcase world-class athletes. The Purina Dog Chow Incredible Dog Team features 10 dogs catching Frisbees and displaying acrobatic abilities, while the extreme sports show offers five professional bike riders, skateboarders, and inline skaters.
Dolly Parton was on hand to kick off Friday’s opening ceremonies. She joined several of the KidsFest performers onstage and led the audience in singing “Happy Birthday” to Garfield. Dolly took questions from the media, who had been invited to the day’s festivities. Everyone was encouraged to share in the oversized birthday cakes honoring Garfield.
A few children and their parents then joined the media for a special private lunch. Those kids selected for the honor were the winners of a coloring contest held earlier. Though Dolly was not present for lunch, the youngsters were delighted to find stuffed animals such as Garfield, Odie, and the VeggieTales characters as table centerpieces. Each table also held candy favors such as giant Pixie Sticks and Smarties necklaces.
The grand opening afternoon wrapped up with a show at VeggieTales, followed by performances of the dogs and extreme sports athletes. The Purina Dog Chow Incredible Dog Team proved to be so popular that not all of those standing in line for the first show were able to get seats. The show was to be repeated two hours later, however. Audience members who did manage to see the inaugural show got an extra laugh: Dolly’s appearance at the conclusion of the performance with a wig-wearing dog she called “Polly.”
The price of a one-day pass includes all of the KidsFest shows. Though the event runs only during the summer this year, Parton hopes in the future to have year-round children’s shows at Dollywood.

… read the rest of the story by Subscribing now.

... read the rest of the story by Subscribing now.