A voluptuous mega– star and The Winnsboro Rotary Club have a lot in common.

In 1996, Dolly Parton, child of Appalachian poverty and witness to the bonds of illiteracy, became dedicated to helping youngsters of her home community break free of those bonds. “I want children to dream more, do more, care more, be more,” she said.

A year ago, The Winnsboro Rotary Club realized that Dolly’s hopes for her Sevierville, TN community were much in accordance with their own.

Dolly Parton set up a program certain to inspire children to read: The promise of a hard cover, age appropriate book every month for every registered child, regardless of family income, until that child reaches age five.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, part of The Dollywood Foundation, has now surpassed any initial dream she may have had. Currently, 100,000 books a month are received by children in 40 different states.

A community’s sponsorship for each child is less than $30 per year. In Fairfield County alone, there are more than 200 registered children at last count, with a potential 3,000 children eligible.

As part of Winnsboro’s March 19 celebration called, “Turning Back the Clock,” the Winnsboro Rotary Club will sponsor an Antiques Road Show, where for a nominal fee, folks can receive expert identifications and appraisals of their family treasures. Proceeds will go to support The Fairfield Imagination Library, a branch of The Dollywood Foundation.

The Antiques Road Show will feature a panel of experts well known to Columbia, including Roger Stroup, director of Archives, SC State Museum; Bill McDonald, journalist and Columbia Vista antiques dealer; and Dr. Jack Meyers, historian and antique weapons specialist. The show will be held in Thespian Hall, just behind The Town Clock, from 10 am–2 pm.