Narromine Dolly Parton Festival dazzles in its second year

But on Saturday, September 30, it was standard fare as the town held its second annual Dolly Parton festival - the only festival of its kind in the world.

The party started out with a free, all-ages event on Narromine's main street and kicked on late into the evening at the Narromine Golf Club, where a star-studded line-up of Dolly enthusiasts wowed the crowd.

Jen Ballhausen, a member of the organising committee, said like the Parkes Elvis Festival and the Trundle ABBA Festival, the Dolly Parton festival puts Narromine on the map for tourists.

"One thing we really love is there's a lot of out of towners visiting for the event and bringing money into our community as well," she said.

"We know of people that have come from Canberra, Albury, Adelaide, Newcastle, Port Macquarie, Brisbane ... The festival is showcasing Narromine as much as trying to showcase Dolly Parton.

"You could come and not spend anything and just enjoy the atmosphere and the entertainment ... or you could come and spend a little bit of money and support a local business."

One local business that got behind the event again this year was Macquarie Clothing Narromine, selling festival merchandise including stubbies, hoodies and shirts.

"We just wanted to keep up, keep up the tradition, last year was so much fun," said Crystal Paine, one of the store's owners.

"These types of things are fantastic, especially when we're heading into a drought. The committee did a great job... It's great for our little town."

Speaking to the Daily Liberal as she was packing up from the street party ready to head to the main event, Ms Ballhausen said she couldn't wait to see how much fun people would have in the evening.

"What I am looking forward to tonight is actually seeing people have a good time and just seeing our vision come together and just taking great pride in it," she said.

"We're only a committee of about 12 to 15 people and just seeing all that hard work come together and seeing 1000 people plus enjoy it.... That's what we want and that's what we get great satisfaction out of."

This year's lineup included international Dolly Parton impersonator Kelly O'Brien, the only impersonator who has been invited to sing with Dolly Parton's band in Nashville.

Also featuring at the festival was local artist Tanya Andrew, 2023 Golden Guitar-winning duo Brooke McClymont and Adam Eckersley and ARIA Award winning comedy singer Buddy Goode.

And, of course, drag performer Timberlina was back to host - this time joined on stage by two other queens.

With no support from the government this year, organising committee president Susie Rae said the festival was only possible with the support of the community and the event's sponsors.

Sponsors for the event this year included Alkane Resources, the Narromine Shire Council, Macquarie Credit Union, Essential Energy and Inland Rail.

"It's big. A lot of work goes into these kinds of things that people don't necessarily see when they show up on the day," she said.

"Next year, we would really love a major sponsor. It's a big shout out because this is a festival that is not going anywhere, it's here forever.

"We know how much everyone loves Dolly."

This article first appeared in The Daily Liberal