Dolly Parton Spots Super-Excited 8-Year-Old in the Crowd at Dollywood Parade — and His Reaction Is Priceless

On March 14, Jordan Ramey and his family headed to Pigeon Forge, Tenn., for passholder opening day at Dollywood, an amusement park co-owned by Dolly Parton.

As the parade began, Jordan stood on the bridge near Mountain Laurel, camera ready, with his 8-year-old son, Owen. When they saw the parade approaching, Jordan, 35, immediately FaceTimed his mom to show her Parton, 79. Meanwhile, his wife April, who is also Owen’s stepmom, began recording the moment on video.

That’s when April captured Owen’s priceless reaction to seeing Parton in person.

“Oh my God, oh my God!” Owen yelled while shaking a pink pom-pom upon seeing Parton pass by. As he continued screaming, Parton rolled by in a carriage, spotted Owen, and pointed at him in awe. Then, Jordan asked his son who that was, to which Owen screamed, “Dolly!”

“I was laughing and shocked at the way he was reacting,” Jordan tells PEOPLE, recalling his son’s response. “The whole time we were standing there, he didn’t act that excited at all. But the moment he laid eyes on her and she acknowledged him, he lost it. He’s always seen her pictures all over the DreamMore [Resort], and I think when he saw her in real life, he realized, ‘WOW, she’s real!’ “

“Owen has been going to Dollywood since he was 3 years old,” the dad adds. “He is crazy about Dollywood! He loves everything about it. He’s fearless when it comes to riding roller coasters. He also loves staying at the DreamMore. That’s where his admiration comes from.”

Not long after the parade, Jordan posted the video on TikTok. “Please Watch! Our 8 year old seeing @Dolly Parton for the first time!,” he captioned the video.

After posting, the dad thought it would get a decent amount of likes, but when the video surpassed 6 million views and nearly 10,000 comments, he was speechless. Jordan says when he told Owen the video had gone viral, his son was equally amazed.

“He had always wanted to go viral, and it finally happened,” Jordan says.

“All of the comments seemed to be positive. I gathered that a lot of people would have acted the same way over Dolly,” the dad adds. “My favorite comments are the sarcastic ones saying, ‘At least he remained calm.’ That one is hilarious. I also liked seeing all the verified accounts that commented on the video. I thought that was really neat.”

Some big brands also chimed in with comments, including Spotify, which wrote, “Honestly, everyone should be matching his energy—it’s DOLLY PARTON!!!”

“The only valid reaction tbh,” Ulta Beauty commented.

“This is the only appropriate reaction 😭,” Visa wrote.

Barbie added, ” same buddy…… same.”

Since going viral, Jordan and Owen have yet to hear from the singer, but they’re remaining hopeful. And Jordan has advice for other parents who find themselves in similar situations with their children.

“Let your kids enjoy being a kid and always have your camera ready to capture unexpected moments!” the dad adds.