GONZALES, La. (WAFB) - The Boots on the Bayou Music Festival is set to bring thousands of country music fans to Gonzales.

Locals hope the festival will give the area an economic boost, especially the people who work at the Holiday Inn and Frenchy’s Bar and Grill. They said construction on Highway 30 has made staying busy difficult.

“It’s definitely been a headache for the last year and a half,” admitted Mason Lirette, General Manager of the hotel and restaurant.

Lirette and Megan Boutte have been struggling to keep their booking rates high.

“The LSU games and maybe the occasional Saints guests that want to stay a little outside New Orleans, we’ll pick up some of that, but there’s not a lot that brings in guests otherwise, so these events definitely help us to thrive,” explained Boutte,

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