Lainey Wilson’s Hometown To Honor Her With Highway Dedication: Mayor Shares Exciting Details [Exclusive]

Lainey Wilson’s hometown of Baskin, Louisiana is honoring her in a big way. 

This week, the Mayor of the Village of Baskin, George Curtis, announced that the small town of 245 people will be naming a portion of Louisiana Highway 15 in Franklin Parish the “Lainey Wilson Highway.” The post shared on Facebook noted that as of August 1, 2024, the Bill has officially been passed, allowing the town to move forward with the next steps. Curtis’ message revealed that the section dedicated to the megastar begins at the intersection of Louisiana Highway 577 and runs all the way down to the northern parish line of Franklin located on the northern side of the body of water known as “Big Creek.”

While speaking to Country Now exclusively on Friday morning (Aug. 2), Curtis went on to express how honored the Village of Baskin is to be the place Lainey Wilson calls home. He also shared his gratitude for those involved in making this heartfelt dedication in their town possible, including Senator Womack, and Representatives Neil Riser and Francis Thompson, as well as Bill Holdman, owner of Amethyst Construction, for acting as the sponsor of the signage that will be placed around the town.

“This is just out of respect for Lainey. She’s just so big in country music, she loves her hometown. We are super blessed. She just represents us so well,” he shared. “This is something that’s needed to be done for a very long time. Mr. Bill actually took action to put it into force with help from the representatives and the senator. So I’m just super thankful for Mr. Bill to step up and take the bull by the horns and get the job done.”

“I’m a young mayor and these kinds of things take time,” he added, noting that this process has been in place since around March and is just now seeing movement. “We are super proud of her. We love to acknowledge Lainey and I’m just glad that this has finally moved forward and we’re just waiting on the sign placements.”

Over the next few months, the town will install a total of six signs in recognition of Wilson and her accomplishments. A ceremony will also be held in the coming weeks/months (date TBD) to celebrate the official unveiling of the new signage, which both the country star and her family have been invited to. 

“I believe that the senators and representative reached out to her family, just out of respect. We try to respect them as much as possible because we are in a small town, so they are very aware and they will also be invited to all ceremonies.”

From a young age, Music City felt like a second home to Lainey Wilson. She officially made the move to Nashville in pursuit of her dreams in 2011 and lived in her camper trailer while trying to get her feet wet in the industry. She faced plenty of ups and downs in the beginning, but her community of people in Louisiana is what gave her the courage and the drive to get back up and continue pursuing her goals.

“I went from being in raised in Baskin and being raised by Baskin and the people of Baskin to where I am right now because it’s just what I saw. You get up and you do what you love and you do it for your family and just don’t stop,” she said on TODAY’s Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist. “It’s good people and I think when you grow up in a place like that, you understand the importance of community.”

The “4x4xU” singer has come a long way since those days with her countless accolades and growing list of No. 1 hits, but no matter how many awards she’s racked up or milestone moments she’s experienced, Wilson has always stayed true to her Louisiana roots because that is where her love for country music began. 

“Country music is my life and especially where I grew up in a town of 200 people, it’s more than a genre of music. We eat sleep and breathe it, it’s the story of our lives so I don’t know any different…I’m proud of where I come from, I’m proud of the people that raised me and I’m proud of the place that raised me,” the fifth-generation farmer’s daughter told Country Now and other outlets moments before taking the stage for her Grand Ole Opry induction. 

Not only is this new signage across Baskin, LA a testament to all of Wilson’s hard work, but according to the mayor, it is also representative of the fact that “no matter where you come from or no matter how small your town is, that the opportunity is there. You can be successful.” Wilson has played a vital role in instilling this belief in her fellow small-town natives around the world. 

“We come from a small village. There’s some poverty, I’m not going to sugarcoat it. People can make it [even though] times get tough, but she always says, ‘push forward,’” Curtis continued.  

The ACM and CMA Entertainer of the Year will continue showcasing her most authentic self on the road as she prepares to return to her headlining Country’s Cool Again Tour this month.