FERRIDAY — These days, everybody could use a little extra blessing, and next Saturday anybody with a boat and transportation to Lake St. John will be able to get one, at least for their boat.

The annual Lake St. John flotilla and blessing of the fleet will start at 3 p.m. Saturday near Tom Bell’s property on the north side of the lake.

The blessing of the fleet — in which a Catholic priest will sprinkle each passing boat with Holy Water as part of the blessing — will be at it’s usual place at the Steckler family pier, said Michael Ferguson, who provided information about the flotilla.

Spiritual matters taken care of, it’ll be time to party, and this year’s flotilla theme is, “It’s five o’clock somewhere.”

“The flotilla is a parade on water,” Ferguson said. “People just decorate their boats in a patriotic theme, or you can do your own them, for example a pirate ship.”

The flotilla is a fun thing to watch, Donna Maroon said.

“I think it is colorful,” she said. “I think the people who enter to a lot of work to decorate the boats.”

Concordia Parish Sheriff Randy Maxwell will lead the flotilla this year.

“The flotilla is like nothing around,” Ferguson said. “It is like going to the Natchez parade but it is on the water.”

Along with the flotilla is a boat and pier-decorating contest.

The judging categories for the boat contest include large craft patriotic and large craft non-patriotic and small craft.

Pier judging will be done at noon.

Those who want to take part in the flotilla will need to register their boats at Neely’s Spokane Resort between the hours or 6 to 8 p.m. Friday and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Ferguson said.

The cost of registration is $12.

Those who wish to view the flotilla but do not have a pier at which they can do so can view it at Spokane, Duck’s Nest II and The Dock.