Colin Marshall was named best-dressed at Narromine's Dolly Parton festival, held in the rural New South Wales town redubbed 'Dollymine' for the weekend. The event, now in its fifth year, sold a record 1,600 tickets—equivalent to nearly half of Narromine's population.
A Tribute to a Legend
The festival is the first to take place since Parton died in August. Many attendees wore memorial T-shirts reading "We will always love you, Dolly" and "forever and always."
Jen Ballhausen, a local resident and festival committee volunteer since its start, said the event was inspired by a desire to revitalise the community after a devastating drought from 2017 to 2019. Organisers had to wait until 2022 to run it due to Covid-19.
"It was a fun group of people, mostly women, that had a common goal to provide something for the community, to support our community," she said. A super fan volunteer suggested a Dolly homage, and the committee agreed. "We needed a female icon," Ballhausen added.
A Town Transformed
The party began at 9.30am in Narromine's main street, which had been transformed into a "micro-Dollywood" with pink, rhinestones, and butterflies. Parton's face appeared on windows, cupcakes, and merchandise. Line dancers, drag queens, and local primary school children performed, with temperatures climbing to 30C.
Wynonah Dove, a Dolly impersonator performing on Saturday evening, said Parton's death made the event "especially poignant." "When Dolly passed, we had our first rehearsals the day after, and it was hard, I had trouble even singing the songs," she said. Dove, who grew up in Tennessee, recalled going a year without running water and credited Parton's work with boosting the local economy.
Celebrating Inclusivity
Nikolaas Kostraby, known as Dolly Delicious, travelled from Canberra for the third year running. He won best-dressed in 2023 and now serves on the committee and as a judge. "People are so kind out here, so respectful, there's no judging," he said.
The main-stage celebrations began at 5pm, with attendees linking arms and dancing to banjo music. Lucas and his family wore custom-made T-shirts for the "Dolly Department Company," with titles like "director of hair and volume" and "chief vibes officer."
Drag queen Timberlina emceed the event for the fifth year. After children and best-dressed Kenny competitions, the Dollys took to the red carpet. Dolly Delicious awarded the sash to Marshall, part of a tour group of 30 from Brisbane run by Fun Over 50 Holidays. His wife, Leanne, crafted his outfit—a hot pink tasselled dress, blond wig, cowboy hat, heels, and large sunglasses. "It wasn't just the look, it was the warmth, the attitude," Dolly Delicious told the crowd. Marshall's response: "Good, great. It's hard work being a woman."
