Busken Bakery has sold more than 12,000 hot pink Dolly Parton cookies. The Hyde Park bakery plans to donate over $19,000 to the late singer's Imagination Library.
The bakery launched the specialty cookies on Aug. 28, shortly after Parton's death, with all proceeds going to the literacy program that mails free books to children. Friday, Sept. 25, marks Ohio's official Dolly Parton Day, a nod to her hit song "9 to 5."
The Cincinnati Enquirer first reported the fundraising milestone on Thursday, Sept. 24. The cookies, adorned with Parton's likeness, are available at all Busken locations and online through the bakery's website while supplies last.
Busken Bakery president Dan Busken, a grandson of company founder Joe Busken Sr., said when the campaign launched that the bakery wanted to use what it does best for something bigger. "Dolly Parton has brought so much joy to people, and we thought this was a fun way for our customers to join us in giving some of that joy back," he said in late August.
All proceeds go to literacy.
Busken also said in late August that the bakery is proud to donate every dollar from the Dolly cookies and "help put books into the hands of kids."
Gov. Mike DeWine posted on X on Sept. 24 that Ohio is recognizing Sept. 25 as Dolly Parton Day. He encouraged Ohioans to commemorate Parton's legacy by reading an Imagination Library book or visiting one of the state's storybook trails.
DeWine also announced on X on Sept. 22 that Kroger would match donations to Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of Ohio on Sept. 25. The matching offer gives residents another way to support the program on Dolly Parton Day.
Parton started the Imagination Library in 1995, inspired by her father's inability to read and write. The program, administered by The Dollywood Foundation, mails a free book each month to enrolled children until their fifth birthday. As of March 2025, the program had delivered more than 20 million books to children across Ohio since launching in August 2019.
The bakery at 2675 Madison Road in Hyde Park is open Monday through Saturday, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Families can sign up for the Imagination Library at imaginationlibrary.com.
