Page 5 - Toad Suck Daze 2015

Sunday, April 26, 2015 An Advertising Supplement to the River Valley & Ozark Edition of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette • Toad Suck Daze • 5VVV
The long green line Annual World Championship Toad Races
BY CODY GRAVES
SPECIAL SECTIONS WRITER
The thrill of victory and the agony — well, maybe the disappoint- ment — of defeat will be return- ing to Toad Suck Daze for the whole weekend.
The annual World Championship Toad Races are back, and the competition will be hopping for a first-place finish.
“I think [the Toad Races] are one of the things that makes Toad Suck Daze unique,” said Mary Margaret Satterfield, director of Toad Suck Daze and events. “There’s not a whole lot of places you can go and race a toad. It’s something that’s special and unique to this area.”
The Toad Races are open to children of all ages, Satterfield said. The races will kick off at 5:30 p.m. Friday in the Caldwell Toyota/ First Security Toad Dome and continue at 3 p.m. Saturday and again at 1:30 p.m. May 3. Winners of each heat will be eligible to compete at the World Championship Toad Races at 2 p.m. May 3.
Racers looking to get in on the fun can sign up before the events each day, she said. While toads will be available, racers can bring their own. Satterfield said that when choos- ing a toad, racers should not only take its size into account, but the toad’s desire to be a champion.
“Smaller toads are faster than the big fat toads,” she said. “Some people think the big toads jump farther, making them faster. It’s a personal preference.”
To get the younger racing fans ready for the event, students in Conway elementary schools are given a Toad Toter box to use when they find the perfect toad. Satterfield said they are also given instructions on how to feed and care for the toad to make sure it doesn’t get too stressed out before the race. She said that watching the kids compete is one of the joys of Toad Suck Daze.
“It’s always a lot of fun because toads are unpredictable, and they’ll jump out of your racing lane, and you have to corral toads,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun to watch the kids participate in that.”
RIVER VALLEY & OZARK EDITION FILE PHOTO
Toad Suck Daze Toad Queen Pat Bastion races her toad in the Very Important Toad Races.
Another event during the Toad Races is the Jump for Education Race. In this race, el- ementary schools from throughout Faulkner County send their top toad racer to compete for a special prize for the school. The winner of the Jump for Education Race wins a com- puter, as well as a computer for the school.
“[The school] gets a computer, but a little bragging rights as well, being able to say you’re the school that won the Jump for Ed- ucation Race,” she said.
When it comes to naming a toad, Satter- field said, racers can’t go wrong with a “pun- ny” name. She said names like Hopper and Speedy are always popular, but the more original names are the ones that make an impression.
“Something unique is always fun to hear,” she said. “We like some puns.”
Everyone who participates in the Toad Races will receive a ribbon, Satterfield said. On Sunday, at the World Championship Toad Races, trophies will be awarded for first-, second- and third-place finishers.
have fans hopping