Expanding fair grounds also expands exposure

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Great decision.

Simply put, that’s what we think is the best way to sum up what thousands witnessed this past weekend on the grounds outside the St. John Community Center.

The decision by the St. John parish administration to move the Andouille Festival to that new site was a brilliant move and did much more than provide a great, new site for the parish to have its annual fair.

The Andouille Festival can potentially be an economic boost for the parish, and even more so than one weekend out of the year.

Thanks to the new setup for the festival this year, there were thousands of new faces who drove from New Orleans, Baton Rouge and many other areas to enjoy the Andouille Fest.

What did it do for St. John Parish?

It gave many of the people, and business owners, a chance to see one of the best areas of the parish, and the kind of management that is behind this parish.

Yes, the fair was simply good for businesses in the area to bring in some extra money, and that is always a good thing.

But the Andouille Festival this past weekend also served as a showcase for St. John Parish, and the way we do business here. Don’t think that went unnoticed by some of the movers and shakers in the huge crowd, who were taking note of that as well.

And with the new site comes the potential for this fair to get much bigger in years to come, which will continue to draw more and more people to our area, to see what good we can offer if you live in our region between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

Yes, the fair was a great success just from the standpoint of being a well-run festival for the tens of thousands who showed up.

But it also showed off how St. John is now being managed, and that could have a much longer, much bigger effect down the road.

Good job to all who had a hand in the effort.