The annual Andouille Festival presented by Marathon Petroleum Company, LP returns to the grounds of the Community Center in LaPlace for a fun-filled three-day weekend Oct. 19-21, featuring tasty andouille-inspired dishes, rockin’ bands, rides and more!

Everyone is invited to join us for our 45th anniversary with thrilling, new rides, tunes by your favorite local bands, a Kid’s tent featuring a DJ and Talent Show, Second Line Parade, children’s activities and of course delicious andouille-inspired food.

A children’s art tent will be open throughout the weekend for canvas art and kid-friendly entertainment.

Some of this year’s delicious offerings include jambalaya, gumbo, andouille chips, andouille and smothered okra, andouille corn dogs and andouille po’boys.

Other tasty temptations such as crawfish bisque, seafood pasta, fried and boiled seafood, cracklings, meat pies, boudin balls, desserts and more will also be available. There will be a variety of items for purchase in the craft section including seasonal wreaths, jams, candles, gift baskets, Kettle Corn, headbands and purses!

Find memorabilia, festival souvenirs, t-shirts, hot sauce and more at the Festival General Store!

On Sunday/Oct. 21, the annual Andouille Run, a 5-mile run and 2-mile run/walk, will begin at 8 a.m. at the festival grounds. Admission to the festival is $5 for adults and $2 for children ages 3-12. The festival is open from 6 p.m. to midnight on Friday, 11 a.m. to midnight on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday.

We can’t wait to introduce the 2018 Official Andouille Poster to be used as a collector’s item for many years to come. The public is invited to attend a festival kick-off and poster reveal at 11 a.m. Tuesday (Sept. 18) at San Francisco Plantation, located at 2646 Highway 44 in Garyville. The kick-off will unveil the official 45th Annual Andouille Festival Poster, as well as other event details.

Order forms for the poster will be available during this event and beginning in October, posters will be available at the St. John Parish government building, Matherne’s Supermarket, Don’s Supermarket and Gregg’s Neighborhood Market.

Do you know someone that would love to reign over this year’s festival? Contestants are needed for the Annual Miss and Teen Andouille Pageants scheduled for Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. at the St. John Theatre. This year’s theme is “Arabian Nights.”

To be eligible for participation, contestants must be single, childless, a resident of St. John the Baptist Parish and between the ages of 13-16 for the Teen Division and 17-23 for the Miss Division on the date of the pageant.

Applications can be downloaded at andouillefestival.com and turned in at the Andouille Queen Informational Meeting Sept. 24 at the St. John Theatre.

Come join us the weekend of Oct. 19-21 for a Smokin’ good time! Please “like” the Andouille Festival on Facebook and also new to this year — Instagram, to not miss any of the announcements, including the band lineup, food and craft vendor information and more!

You can also sign up for Parish announcements by visiting sjbparish.com or calling the Parish office during business hours. See you at the Fest!   

Natalie Robottom is St. John the Baptist Parish President. She can be reached at communications@stjohn-la.gov.