Gov. Mike DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine stopped at Dublin's Sawmill Road Kroger on Friday, Sept. 25, to mark Ohio's first Dolly Parton Day. The visit highlighted a literacy program that has delivered nearly 28 million free books to Ohio children since 2019.

DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel signed a proclamation earlier in September declaring Sept. 25 as Dolly Parton Day statewide. The date is a nod to Parton's famous song "9 to 5," with the calendar reading 9-2-5, as first reported by 10TV.

Parton died Aug. 25 at age 80. DeWine ordered all Ohio flags lowered to half-staff.

At the Dublin store, the DeWines spoke with 10TV reporter Kristen McFarland about Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of Ohio. The program mails one free book each month to enrolled children from birth until their fifth birthday.

It launched statewide in 2019 and has been available in every Ohio zip code since November 2020, according to the Ohio Imagination Library website. Ohio leads the nation in enrollment, with more than 400,000 children receiving books each month.

"We're seeing now our kindergarten readiness scores are going up," Fran DeWine said at the Dublin Kroger. "If we're getting kids ready for kindergarten, that's our goal."

She said the program helps children develop a love of reading by putting physical books in their homes. Fran DeWine also recalled Parton's 2022 visit to Columbus to celebrate the program's growth, saying there was "nothing like having Dolly Parton at your party."

Kroger stores across Ohio invited customers to round up their purchases at checkout on Sept. 25 to support local Feeding America food bank partners, according to the Scioto Post. Kroger matched every dollar raised and donated to the Imagination Library of Ohio.

After the Dublin stop, the DeWines traveled to Cleveland's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for a "9 to 5 Day" event honoring Parton's music and cultural legacy. For every ticket sold, $2 went to the Literacy Cooperative, Cuyahoga County's local Imagination Library partner. Parton was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.

Dublin-area parents can enroll children from birth to age five at ohioimaginationlibrary.org.