Page 3 - ToadSuckDaze May 5 2017

Sunday, April 30, 2017 An Advertising Supplement to the River Valley & Ozark Edition of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette • Toad Suck Daze • 3VV
Hoppy days are here again Toad Suck Daze celebrates 36th anniversary
BY TAMMY KEITH
SPECIAL SECTIONS WRITER
Toad Suck Daze is a festival whose name brings gasps and laughs from people who hear it for the first time.
To Conway and Faulkner County residents, though, the annual event held in downtown Conway the first weekend in May has been part of the community
since 1982.
Admission is free to the festival — which
takes place Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 5, 6 and 7 — as well as to the musical entertainment. The festival grounds are open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday; from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday; and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
The event brings thousands of people to downtown Conway to savor festival food — especially anything on a stick — shop eclectic vendors, listen to live music, enjoy carnival rides and race toads. Ah, the toads.
Toad Suck Daze got its start when the late John Ward, then a Conway newspaper editor, came up with the idea of a spring festival to get people out of the doldrums of winter and to promote the city.
He and his brother, Bill Ward, came up with the name Toad Suck Daze, and the event was originally held at Toad Suck Park on the Arkansas River. The festival was moved downtown permanently in 1992. Before the permanent move, the event was held downtown in 1990 due to flooding.
That brings us to the funny name. Yes, Toad Suck is an actual place.
The story, told and retold, is about how the steamboats traveled the Arkansas River when the water was at the right depth. When it wasn’t, the captains and their crews tied up to wait where the Toad Suck Lock and Dam now spans the river. While they waited, they allegedly drank at the local tavern there, to the chagrin of the folks living nearby, who said: “They suck on the bottle till they swell up like toads.” Hence, the name Toad Suck.
As the tagline used by the festival goes, “The tavern is long gone, but the legend and fun live on at Toad Suck Daze.”
Kids and adults alike are invited to race toads. Don’t worry — it’s not BYOT — toads are provided, unless you have a pet toad.
RVER VALLEY & OZARK FILE PHOTO
Miss University of Central Arkansas 2016 Ashton Purtle’s toad wet her just before she won the 2016 VIP Toad Races. She attributed her win to the weight loss from the incident.
Other pets are not allowed on festival grounds, except for service animals.
By the way, using the F word at the festival — frog — is highly frowned upon.
The event isn’t just about fun and games. The festival took the leap to promote education in the county.
In 1985, the first college scholarship was awarded. Since then, festival proceeds have contributed more than $1.6 million to scholarships, scholarship endowments and, more recently, preschool funding. In addition, Toad Suck Daze contributes funds to support projects in downtown Conway. In 2017, the Toad Suck Daze Committee will contribute $70,600 to area nonprofits to be used for education-related projects.
The Toad Store at 1321 Oak St. is toadtopia — selling official Toad Suck Daze T-shirts and all kinds of fun toad toys and trinkets to take home to remember the festival with the funny-sounding name.
For more details about the festival, go to www.toadsuck.org.