Dragon Con opened its 40th convention with a midnight book drive honoring Dolly Parton, aiming to collect 3,000 children's books for the Fulton County Library System.
The drive ran from 11 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2, to 1 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 3, at a downtown Atlanta hotel during the convention's opening ceremonies, Atlanta News First reported. Organizers asked for new or gently used books for children ages 2 to 16, according to the library system's Instagram announcement.
Parton died Aug. 25 at age 80 of cancer. Her Imagination Library program mailed more than 300 million books to children in the U.S. and four other countries, NPR reported.
Dragon Con spokesperson Jolene Garland, whose mother named her after the Parton song, said the drive grew from fan demand. "It became this wonderful, organic way to make sure that we're honoring Dolly, but also still paying homage to our partnerships with the library and literature as a whole," Garland told Atlanta News First.
The Fulton County Library System is not affiliated with Parton's Imagination Library. The 34-branch system said donations will support its outreach programs and bookmobile, which bring reading material directly to children across Fulton County.
Johns Creek residents who could not attend Dragon Con can still help.
Dr. Cheryl Small, the library system's deputy director of Youth Services, said book donations are welcome at Fulton County branches that have Friends of the Library groups. Small directed residents to check with their local branch for details.
Whether the overnight drive met its 3,000-book goal had not been confirmed as of the morning of Sept. 3.
Upcoming
The Fulton County Library System will host a World of Wonder Pop-Up Library at Dragon Con's Hilton Lobby from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4, through Sunday, Sept. 6, according to the library's website.
