Singer, actress Dolly Parton delights Girl Scouts who earned patch created in her honor

Dolly Parton surprises Girl Scouts, presents badge

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. — Country singer Dolly Parton delighted hundreds of Tennessee Girl Scouts when she made a surprise entrance at a ceremony to present them with a patch created in her honor.

Parton appeared on stage at the Pines Theatre in Pigeon Forge, where 400 Girl Scouts were receiving the new “Coat of Many Colors” patch. It is named for Parton and her 1971 song of the same name.

Parton is a lifetime member of the Girl Scouts. She wore her own uniform, hugged and chatted with the girls on Saturday.

The song tells the story of how schoolmates made fun of a coat Parton’s mother made from rags. The patch requires Scouts to help others, then design a collage of what makes them special

Parton told the girls, “A person can make money, but money can’t make a person.”