KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — If there's one person Tennesseans cherish, it's Dolly Parton. Despite rising to stardom on the world stage, the country music icon has still managed to maintain connections with her roots in her community.
She reached out to Tally Bevis, otherwise known as Miss Tennessee, on social media Thursday. She posted a 13-second video just to wish her luck in the upcoming Miss America competition. The finals will air on Peacock TV on Dec. 16 at 8 p.m.
Bevis will sing Dolly's first million-seller record during the competition, 'Here You Come Again.' Miss Amerca then responded on Facebook, exclaiming how excited and delighted she was to know Dolly was supporting her.
"I know you're going to kill it. Good luck to you," Dolly said in the video.
The Miss America competition has a century of history and this year's competition is its 100th anniversary. In that history, it eventually evolved to start offering scholarship awards for young women hoping to attend college. Candidates also started sharing their social impact initiatives as part of the competition, to prove they were ready for the year-round job of being Miss America.
The job is paid through the Miss America Organization. Women chosen for it are paid on a contractual basis and usually involve traveling thousands of miles every month, furthering the charitable and community service goals of the organization, according to its website.
"There is no one who does more and asks for less recognition," Bevis said. "A businesswoman, an icon, a philanthropist, and a supporter of mine? There is no words to thank her the right way."