Loretta Lynn was one of the most successful and iconic country music artists in history, and her fans are now rallying to honor her legacy by renaming a park in her hometown of Butcher Holler, Van Lear.
A petition initiated by a group of fans shortly after Lynn’s death in October has gained almost 25,000 signatures to rename Paintsville Lake State Park to Loretta Lynn Paintsville Lake State Park.
“I really hope they consider it,” Peggy said, according to News Express. “I know mom is just smiling over this.”
State Senator Robin Webb has drafted a bill to officially rename the park in Lynn’s honor, and her daughter Peggy Lynn said that her mother would be “tickled to death” to know that the people of Kentucky wished to honor her in this way.
“It would be an incredible honor,” Peggy said. “She carried Kentucky with her no matter where she was, it was important to her; she was proud to be a coal miner’s daughter.”
Loretta Lynn’s career was one of the biggest and most successful in the world of entertainment.
She was the most awarded woman in country music history, the first female millionaire in country music, the first woman in country music to chart 50 top-10 hits, the first living entertainer to have a major motion picture of their life, and the first woman in country music to be a headliner with her own band and bus.
She released 60 studio albums and charted top-ten albums for seven consecutive decades. Her “rags to riches” story inspired many, and she continues to be a beacon of inspiration to people from poverty and lack of education, showing that they can rise above it all.
“It would be an overwhelming honor to Loretta,” Cornett said, according to News Express. “It’s more than deserved; she sustained a 60 year career, she is one of the largest musical icons in all of pop culture.”
Renaming the park in her honor would be a lasting legacy for future generations to see, enjoy, and experience.
Loretta Lynn took Butcher Holler with her around the world with great pride, and it is time to give back to her.
Peggy Lynn said renaming the park would be an incredible honor, as her mom was always so proud to be from Kentucky and loved her hometown very much.
It is a fitting tribute to an artist who carried her Kentucky roots with her everywhere she went and always shared her Kentucky pride.
If you’d like to sign the petition to rename the park after Loretta Lynn, you can click here to sign. As of press, the petition already has over 20 thousand signatures.