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Hello, Dolly! Eats and Sweets To Throw Parton a Birthday Bash

By Patty Wetli | January 13, 2016 9:42am
 Eats and Sweets
Eats and Sweets "All Dolly-ed Up" event will also raise funds to buy books for women in prison.
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Facebook/Dolly Parton

RAVENSWOOD — January hasn't given us a whole lot to celebrate but on Tuesday, Dolly Parton turns 70, and that's a good enough excuse for Eats & Sweets to throw a party.

The cafe's "All Dolly-ed Up" dinner will serve up a southern-style three-course meal in honor of Parton's Tennessee roots, and also raise funds for a cause close to the country singer's heart — literacy.

The event was inspired by customers' response to photos of Parton hanging up at Eats and Sweets, 1636 W. Montrose Ave., alongside pictures of some of co-owner Margaret McCall's other favorite celebrities.

"Nobody gets the reaction Dolly Parton does," McCall said. "She's the universal love of all people."

Parton, who penned hits like "I Will Always Love You" and "Jolene," is as famous for her looks and self-deprecating humor — "If something is bagging, sagging or dragging, I'll tuck it, suck it or pluck it," she told The Guardian — as her music.

But it's Parton's philanthropic efforts that make her "such a cool lady," McCall said.

As she planned Tuesday's party, McCall had the idea to turn the event into a fundraiser for a charity Parton would approve of, and that's when she came across information about Parton's Imagination Library, which has distributed more than 75 million free books to children.

That led McCall to investigate neighborhood charities involved in literacy efforts, which is why All Dolly-ed Up will benefit Ravenswood-based Chicago Books to Women in Prison.

Five dollars from every meal served Tuesday, as well as all proceeds from an accompanying raffle, will be donated to the charity, which, as the name suggests, sends paperback books to women in prison nationwide.

For those who miss out on the dinner, Eats and Sweets is also holding a book drive for the organization through the end of February. Dictionaries are the top request and are rarely donated, McCall said.

Since McCall and her husband Tim Benedict purchased Eats and Sweets in June 2015, they've gradually increased the cafe's charitable efforts.

"We live in Uptown, which, I think of all neighborhoods on the North Side, gives you the ability to be aware that not everyone lives like you do," McCall said.

Tickets to All Dolly-ed Up, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Jan. 19, are $35 per person and include dinner, entertainment (hello, Dolly impersonator) and one raffle ticket. To book your table, email rsvp@eatsandsweetscafe.com.

Available seats are limited but anyone can purchase raffle tickets —$5 per ticket or $10 for three. Prizes have been donated by Koval Distillery, Hazel, Two Brothers Brewing, and Cloud & Bunny children's boutique.

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