For the second consecutive year, Marathon Petroleum Company LP served as the presenting sponsor of St. John the Baptist Parish’s 43rd Annual Andouille Festival.

The festival was held Friday, Oct. 14 through Sunday, Oct. 16 and proved to be a huge success with over 25,000 people attending.

This year, the festival set a record for the number of attendees.

I was proud to participate in the festival.

The food vendors were fantastic, serving everything from funnel cakes to Andouille on a stick.

Festivalgoers were treated to rides, arts and crafts, a cooking competition and a Dang Douille eating contest. From the long line waiting for the gates to open on Friday, to the closing band performing on Sunday, it was a perfect weekend.

Our team is proud to be a part of St. John Parish, and serving as the presenting sponsor of the event allows us to play a major role in showcasing our community.

Equally as important, our partnership provides additional support for area non-profit organizations, and that’s a great feeling.

At MPC, we work hard to make a positive difference in the communities where we have the privilege to operate.

I’d like to thank the parish for partnering with us and allowing MPC to serve our community through the Andouille Festival.

Keith Hightower is the Human Resources Manager for Marathon Petroleum’s Garyville Refinery. He can be reached at thightower@marathonpetroleum.com.