Father and daughter to reign over flotilla

Published 12:00 am Saturday, August 19, 2006

FERRIDAY &8212; The arrival and onset of summer has brought the Lake St. John flotilla festivities around yet again.

Band members of Black Bayou will serenade the kick off of the 14th annual Flotilla at the Queen&8217;s Ball Friday, where this year&8217;s king and queen will be honored.

The crowning ceremony, crowning Bobby Marks and daughter Lisa as king and queen, begins at 7 p.m. at the Dock. Glen McGlothin will be grand marshal.

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Marks, a 237-win high school football coach and 61-year lake resident, remains humble about the honor.

&8220;I feel real good when I&8217;m talking about football, but I don&8217;t know much about being a king,&8221; he said. &8220;They usually just pick somebody that has lived on the lake for a long time.&8221;

Marks and his wife were chosen as king and queen for last year&8217;s flotilla, but didn&8217;t serve after his wife&8217;s death. This year Marks and daughter Lisa will fulfill the duties. Lisa is a diagnostic medical sonographer at Franklin Medical Center in Winnsboro and said she has &8220;pretty much lived on the lake all her life.&8221;

&8220;My mother was a true beauty queen,&8221; Lisa said. &8220;I had a wonderful mother inside and out and it&8217;s just an honor to be chosen. It makes me feel wonderful and I&8217;m just trying to fill her shoes.&8221;

Priests will kick of Saturday&8217;s events with the blessing of the fleets at 2 p.m.

&8220;Any vessel that can maintain float speed&8221; is welcome in the parade and prizes will be awarded to several sizes of boats, with themes including patriotic and non-patriotic decorations.

Pier decoration judging will begin at 2 p.m. Sunday.

The public is invited to bring lawn chairs and view the parade, which will pass on the front side of the lake, from Spokane Marina, The Dock and Lake St. John Grocery.

A special cash drawing will be held on Saturday during the live radio broadcast at Spokane Marina. Participants must register and be present to win.

T-shirts and posters designed by Ashlee Hammett are available at Lake St. John&8217;s Grocery, Duck&8217;s Nest II, Spokane Marina, The Dock and Rami&8217;s. For further information on the flotilla contact Donna Maroon at 318-336-5245.

Advice on how to conduct yourself at the flotilla, veteran or not, is simple, queen Lisa Marks said.

&8220;We just want people to know you don&8217;t have to go all out, just enjoy being with family and have a good time.&8221;