PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. — Dolly Parton made an appearance at her namesake theme park two weeks after the death of her husband of almost 60 years, Carl Dean.

Parton appeared at Dollywood’s Celebrity Theater to kick off the 40th anniversary of the Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, theme park.

She was there on March 14, 11 days after Dean died at the age of 82 in Nashville.

Entertainment Weekly said Parton referred to her hit “I Will Always Love You” telling the crowd, “Of course I will always love him, and I’ll miss him, but I wanted you to know that I will always love you.”

In her normal Dolly upbeat mode, she also spoke about the creation of the park and previewed what the new season will entail.

The Country Fair area will have some upgrades, there will also be another large parking lot and a new restaurant.

There will be several festivals including the I Will Always Love You Music Festival, Dollywood’s Harvest Festival and the Smoky Mountain Christmas.

Parton ended the preview with a performance of the song “Celebrate The Dreamer In You.”

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