Rock the Country music festival in Gonzales this weekend, expected to act as booster to economy

GONZALES – Cowboy boots were on gas pedals this morning as folks lined up early to beat the rush of thousands of other country music lovers.

Rock the Country’s first-ever inaugural stop landed in Gonzales Friday evening. The festival is a seven-stop tour to small towns across states like Kentucky, Georgia, Florida and Alabama, among others. As more than 25,000 tickets were sold, according to city officials, the economic impact is seen as a booster to surrounding businesses.

“Surely, it’s gonna be a shot in the arm for those folks,” Gonzales Mayor Barney Arceneaux said, comparing an influx of country music lovers on the Gonzales economy to a booster shot. “But I will tell ya, there’s not many that are struggling right now in Gonzales. I’m sure some do better than others, but I don’t know of anybody who’s really struggling right now. But this is surely gonna be a shot in the arm for those folks.”

Just a few miles from the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center, where country superstars’ big names like Jason Aldean and Kid Rock will take the stage this weekend, is Don’s Seafood. The Cajun seafood chain, with a location in Gonzales, expects to see an additional revenue upwards of $10,000 each day, if not more.

“I can already tell you that I’ve recognized a totally different clientele just from the concert,” Adam Rhodus said, the manager at Don’s Seafood. “And we love having them here, we like people from out of state, that’s great for business.”

Bobbi Jobreland, a festival goer, set up camp with her lawn chair before parking had even officially opened. She didn’t come from out of state, but she’s plenty aware that some people did.

“You’ve got people from Canada coming and you’ve got people traveling in from Kentucky and Texas and Alabama,” Jobreland said. “So, I think it’s gonna be a great impact for the state of Louisiana.”

In one cowboy boots store in Gonzales — also a few miles from the expo center — store associates talked of preparing the store before the flood of people came through the doors, expectant of a spike in sales with the festival’s presence.

Mayor Acreneaux said he expects hotels to be completely full during the weekend. And even with country music lovers like Brenda Arnold, who traveled from North Louisiana and is staying with a friend, hotels are still full and people will be racking up the lines outside of restaurants, and in lines at the festival, too.

“Little hanging fan, cool you off,” Arnold said, holding her fan as she prepared for the festival’s weather. “I love to dance, I’m here for the party… Enjoy it, this is great for Louisiana and everybody here is here for a reason. They come to party, they come to have a blast.”

While Rock the Country has never giddied up on over to Gonzales before, the full scope of its economic impact remains to be seen, but it’s expected to be plentiful.

“This being the first time we have something of this magnitude, it’s hard to put a number on it,” Acreneaux said. “All I can tell ya is that thousands and thousands of dollars, I really believe.”