NYS landmarks to be illuminated in tribute to legendary Dolly Parton

17 landmarks to be lit pink statewide; NYSDOT to display Dolly-themed safety messages along state highways on Thursday & Friday

Submitted by the Office of Gov. Kathy Hochul

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced 17 landmarks across New York will be illuminated pink this evening, Thursday, Aug. 27, to honor the life and legacy of country music icon and lifelong philanthropist Dolly Parton, who passed on Tuesday at the age of 80. The New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) will also feature Dolly-themed safety messages on variable message signs along state highways today and Friday. These messages include: “JOLENE, JOLENE, JOLENE DON’T SPEED” and “I WILL ALWAYS LOVE SAFE DRIVING.”

“New York is honored to return the love Dolly Parton has always shown us,” Hochul said. “A voice that warmed the soul and a beacon of hope to millions across the globe, Dolly will forever be remembered for her extreme generosity and humanitarianism. She spent a lifetime giving back to communities in need, and her legendary career made the world a more hopeful place. We will miss Dolly and commemorate her love and light as New York illuminates pink in her honor.”

The following 17 landmarks across New York will glow pink:

• One World Trade Center
• Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge
• Kosciuszko Bridge
• The H. Carl McCall SUNY Building
• State Education Building
• Alfred E. Smith State Office Building
• Empire State Plaza
• State Fairgrounds – Main Gate & Expo Center
• Niagara Falls
• The “Franklin D. Roosevelt” Mid-Hudson Bridge
• Grand Central Terminal – Pershing Square Viaduct
• Albany International Airport Gateway
• Lake Placid Olympic Center
• MTA LIRR – East End Gateway at Penn Station
• Fairport Lift Bridge over the Erie Canal
• Moynihan Train Hall
• Roosevelt Island Lighthouse

Across her six-decade career as a country music singer-songwriter and actress, Parton supported children and communities, building a legacy of philanthropy. Her donations helped fund healthcare research, provided disaster relief around the country, and gifted over 330 million free books worldwide to her Imagination Library – a global book-gifting program providing free books to children from until they begin school in participating areas.