Hersheypark has expressed regret for a social media response that some fans of Dolly Parton deemed insensitive.
The park acknowledges that it has upset admirers of the country music legend, who passed away on Tuesday, August 25. However, what precisely are the park officials apologizing for?
What information did Hersheypark share regarding Dollywood?
The situation between Dollywood and Hersheypark started when Hersheypark's social media team seemingly reacted to a post that appeared harmless.
This post emerged following Parton's death, as a user on X remarked that Parton consistently maintained reasonable prices at Dollywood. It garnered over 1.7 million views.
This post featured a screenshot of an exchange on X dated August 25 — the day of Parton’s unfortunate passing after her battle with cancer — where a heartbroken fan commended the Jolene artist for maintaining "reasonable prices in this economy" at the theme park and expressed a commitment to "support the estate."
The post, which was seemingly authored by someone unrelated to Dollywood or Hersheypark, drew a response from a representative from Hersheypark's social media team, saying: "Our summer tickets are $49.99." However, the comment was deleted later.
{{/usCountry}}The post, which was seemingly authored by someone unrelated to Dollywood or Hersheypark, drew a response from a representative from Hersheypark's social media team, saying: "Our summer tickets are $49.99." However, the comment was deleted later.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, several Parton's fans started denouncing Hersheypark's social media team and demanding accountability.
“Everyone in these comments mentioning the intern getting fired. In what world is an intern given write access to a corporate social media account? This was a full time employee and they are cooked,” one person commented.
“Bro, I’ve never been to Dollywood, but have been to Hershey a lot since I’m from PA. Of course their tickets are so cheap. Half the rides were put together with two sticks and a rock. This was weird af Hershey Park,” another said.
“The kid who wrote probably doesn't even know who she is, probably doesn't even relate the name of the park to Dolly,” one more reacted.
Hersheypark seeks an apology
Hersheypark issued an apology following user demands after it quickly removed its response to a post about Dollywood.
Despite the deletion, the call for an apology persisted, leading Hersheypark to address the situation.
"A reply clarifying our ticket price in another conversation was posted without seeing the context of the chain so we removed quickly to avoid any confusion or insensitivity over intent," read Hersheypark's apology, which can be viewed on its X account. “We absolutely apologize for the error.”
Tennessee theme park to remain open after Dolly Parton's death
On Tuesday, Dollywood's management shared on Facebook that the Tennessee theme park would continue to operate on Wednesday, honoring the wishes of the Country Music Hall of Famer.
“In her spirit, Dollywood will be open Wednesday as Dolly wanted, always reminding everyone with her signature sparkle — ‘the show must go on,’” they stated.