It cannot be said that people who reside in and around Bogalusa do not want to work for a living, although the company that was accepting applications was surely part of the attraction that drew a crowd that nearly clogged a highway early Friday morning.

International Paper had advertised that it would accept applications for entry-level positions at the American Legion Home on Louisiana Highway 10 starting at 8:30 a.m. Friday.

By 7:45 a.m. the front of the building was thronged with hopeful candidates, the Legion property, plus public rights-of-way and even business parking spaces on both sides of the highway for a substantial stretch, were packed and a continuous flow of traffic streamed into the area.

The applications were accepted for a period of one hour. According to IP spokeswoman Kalisa Hyman, an estimated 500 people succeeded to that point, and then the hours-long written testing began.

Hyman said she was not sure how many positions were available, but that the company was happy with the response.

“We are very pleased to see a large turnout for the opportunity to work with International Paper,” said Mill Human Resources Manager John Regan. “IP is a great place to work, and we’re looking forward to having new employees join our organization.”