Introduction
### A Growing Movement to Honor Dolly Parton at Nashville Airport
A movement to honor Dolly Parton in Nashville is growing faster than anyone could have expected.
A petition calling for the city’s airport to be renamed in Dolly’s honor has now reached **175,000 signatures**, and the number continues to rise as the crucial vote approaches.
The campaign gained extraordinary momentum following Dolly’s death. On the afternoon she died, the petition had around 54,000 signatures. By the following morning, that number had climbed to 80,000. Just days later, it had passed 130,000.
Support has continued pouring in from across the country.
At one point, a banner was flown over downtown Nashville urging people to support the effort. Country music star **Sheryl Crow** also publicly endorsed the idea during an Instagram Live conversation with Katie Couric. When asked whether she believed the airport should carry Dolly’s name, Crow gave a simple answer: “Yes, I think we should.”
Nashville itself has also found a way to honor the beloved country icon. The airport illuminated its parking garages in pink throughout the week, creating a striking tribute to a woman whose influence stretched far beyond music.
The proposal received an important boost on August 28, when Tennessee’s governor and the president of the Nashville airport announced their intention to pursue the renaming.
Dolly’s team responded that they were deeply touched by the outpouring of support and were open to discussing the idea.
But the final decision will not happen overnight.
The **Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority** is scheduled to consider the proposal on September 17. Before the plan can move forward, however, officials must address a rule requiring a two-year waiting period for major airport naming changes.
For Dolly’s millions of fans, the petition represents more than changing a sign.
It is an attempt to place her name permanently in the city she helped make famous — a lasting tribute to an artist, philanthropist and Tennessee icon whose influence has touched generations.
And with 175,000 signatures already collected, the message from her supporters is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.