Vidalia — As gas prices in the Miss-Lou dropped below $2 a gallon, cars were lined up five deep at almost every pump at the Murphy U.S.A gas station in front of Walmart in Vidalia.

The price drop is the first time in recent memory that gas has fallen below the $2 line.

Patrons waiting to fill up were relieved and excited to see the new low price.

Amy Clark from Jackson was in town visiting her mother and stopped to fill up before her trip home.

Clark said that gas in Jackson had already dropped below $2, and averaged $1.85 a gallon before the weekend.

“When I came in to Natchez last night it was $2.12,” Clark said. “I was excited to see it was under $2 here. It’s a blessing.”

Clark, a mother of three boys, said before the drop in gas prices her family had to cut out extra expenses to cover the high cost of fuel.

“The kids sure weren’t getting many toys,” she said.

But now, the money she saves at the pump, will be put to good use. Clark said lower gas prices will make her trips to the Miss-Lou more frequent.

“I usually would come once a month,” Clark said. “I’ve already come twice this month.”

Allison McCarty of Wisner, La., sat patiently waiting for a pump to open up so she could fill up on her way to the LSU football game in Baton Rouge.

McCarty said that while she was planning to stop soon for gas, the price on the sign at Murphy U.S.A. was too good to pass up.

“When we saw the price, we had to stop here,” she said.

McCarty said that gas in Wisner had not yet dropped below $2, and averaged $2.19 before she left town Saturday morning.

For McCarty the trip to Baton Rouge won’t be her last road trip in the near future. She said the falling gas prices will enable her to travel more now, something she had put off when gas was closing in on $4 a gallon.

“I’ll be able to travel more now. I hadn’t been able to do much extra driving lately,” McCarty said. “I have a friend in Houston, and I haven’t been able to go visit her because of gas prices.

“It will make Christmas a little easier, too.”

While McCarty is already planning ahead, Clark is just happy for today’s low price.

“It’s good for now,” Clark said. “I’m just waiting for it to go back up.”

Gas prices in Natchez remained over $2 Saturday. Prices ranged from $2.08 to $2.19.