LAKE ST. JOHN, La. &045;&045; It was a tough crowd for an Ole Miss fan.

Four out of 24 boat entries in the 12th annual Lake St. John Flotilla waved purple and gold and touted LSU’s recent National Championship as they passed by hoots and hollers on land. One float, carrying screaming Tiger fans, posted the LSU/Ole Miss score from the 2003 season and dragged an Eli Manning jersey in the water. Other entries included overall winner &uot;Chillin and Grillin,&uot; and the winner in the non-patriotic category, &uot;Redneck Women.&uot;

Boats could enter three categories: patriotic, non-patriotic and small craft.

Other winners included &uot;Maternity Ward,&uot; &uot;Salsa&uot; and the Krewe of St. John’s &uot;American Bandstand&uot; boat pushing a small barge.

There was also a competition for pier decorating. The winning pier was decorated as Scooby Doo.

Cash prizes were awarded to first through fourth place and honorable mention. Float awards ranged from $50 to $500 and boats that completed a lap of the lake were eligible for an additional $200 prize.

Flotilla committee Chairman Donna Maroon said she was pleased with the number of entries in the flotilla. &uot;We’ve had so much rain and it is hard to decorate a boat at the last minute,&uot; she said.

Last year’s flotilla was held during the rain, she said.

Boat entries had to pay a $10 entry fee and piers a $5 fee. Money raised will go into the lake committee fund. Entry fees were used to pay for flotilla prizes in addition to donations from sponsors.

The lake committee has purchased buoys and flags for the lake and makes community donations around the holidays, Maroon said.

The king and queen of the flotilla were Jud and Aline Bender. Weekend events included the Queen’s Ball Friday night and the blessing of the boats from a pier during the flotilla Saturday.