By: Karen Kasler | Statehouse News Bureau
Posted on: Wednesday, August 26, 2026

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — Flags in Ohio will be lowered to half-staff at all public buildings in honor of Dolly Parton, at the order of one of her best-known fans in Ohio. Gov. Mike DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine named their dog for Dolly, and Ohio leads the country in participation in one of her namesake projects.

A total of 60% of all eligible kids in Ohio are enrolled in the Dolly Parton Imagination Library (DPILO), which sends free books in the mail to children from birth to age 5. The program is available in all 50 states, but not in all areas. It’s been expanded to all 88 counties in Ohio, and Ohio is the first state to allow parents to sign up their newborns directly through birth certificate paperwork. The current state budget sets aside $8 million for the DPILO.

Dolly Parton performs at the celebration of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library in Ohio on Aug. 9, 2022. [Daniel Konik | Statehouse News Bureau]

It was DeWine who brought the library into Ohio when he was elected in 2019. He talks it up in every major speech and works comments about it into many events. That includes one at a uranium enrichment plant in Piketon on Monday, where he said he discussed it with his wife Fran when he was running for governor in 2018.

“She took that on. And we now have, I think, 430,000 kids—430,000 kids every month—getting a free book in the mail in the state of Ohio,” DeWine said. “We have sent out during that period of time a total of 27 million books.”

“Mike and I are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Dolly Parton. She touched countless lives in profound and meaningful ways,” wrote Fran DeWine in a statement. “Her devotion to children and literacy is unparalleled. Because of Dolly, millions of children around the country and the world are getting free books and learning how to read, which will, in many cases, change the trajectory of their lives. Because of Dolly’s vision and generosity, over one million Ohio children have received free books in the mail, totaling nearly 28 million books. Her generosity and selfless spirit leave a legacy that will live on for generations to come. We remain incredibly grateful for her compassion and commitment to others.”

When a friend brought the DeWines a springer spaniel puppy in 2020 following the death of their dog in December, they named the new addition Dolly. And when Parton visited Ohio to celebrate the library on Aug. 9, 2022, DeWine declared the date Dolly Parton Day in Ohio.