Dolly Parton Prepares Time Capsule For 100th Birthday

Dolly Parton, with an eye towards the future, has been putting together a time capsule that will be opened on her 100th birthday.

Dolly Parton’s Time Capsule

Parton, who will turn 70 on Jan. 19, has diligently been collecting items from her childhood and the storied life she’s lived as an entertainer. She’ll soon be sealing the treasure chest, and keeping it buried for the next 30 years. In addition to the keepsakes, Parton will also be storing a new track she’s recorded just for the time capsule.

“What we’re gonna put in this is little pieces from my childhood, from the porch where I used to sit and sing with a tin can for a microphone, and a song I wrote this year, called “My Place in History,” and I’m gonna open it when I’m 100…,” Parton told the Today show.

“And if I’m not around…,” Parton continued.

“You’ll be here, Dolly,” the Today‘s Willie Geist assured her.

Parton conceded, “You know, I won’t be surprised.”

Earlier this year, Parton shared her appreciation for her hardscrabble upbringing, believing that it helped form the person she ultimately became.

“I think my childhood made me everything I am today,” she told Entertainment Tonight last month. “I would trade nothing for being brought up in the Great Smoky Mountains. I’ve never been ashamed of my people, no matter how poor or dirty we might have been. I’ve always loved being from where I am, and having the folks that I’ve had.”

“It’s that spiritual base; it’s that family; love of family; it’s just that simple life, feeling like part of nature,” the singer and actress added.

Parton’s autobiographical NBC TV-movie Coat of Many Colors, which was based on Parton’s song, premiered Thursday to a record 13 million viewers. There are future films based on Parton’s other songs in the works, including “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You.”