Toad Suck Daze

Today my niece in Conway, Arkansas, called me. She, her husband, and their two sons were busy celebrating the Toad Suck Daze. She asked me, "What do y'all celebrate in Ruston?"

I told her that we don't celebrate toads. If I can help, I don't even eat frog legs--even though many people around here do, much less celebrate toads. Instead we have our peach festival next month.

Quoted from http://asms.k12.ar.us/armem/ferguson/INDEX.HTM:

Toad Suck Daze has been an annual celebration in Conway, Arkansas, since 1981. This small town festival takes place the first weekend in May over a three day period and includes many festivites. The festivities vary from toad and 10k races, carnival paraphenalia, and gymnastics competitions to fundraising breakfasts, arts and crafts displays, and musical performances. This website has been created to give people a history of Toad Suck Daze as well as give them a well-rounded idea of what it is.

Toad Suck Park is a small park on the Arkansas River just outside of Conway. The park is part of a small community which is called Toad Suck. The festival was held there every year until a the early 90's when it was moved to downtown Conway or Toad Suck Square due to a flood.Every year you can always count on the Toadmaster to greet visitors with a warm smile and a joke. He is also the one who officially kicks off the festivities which usually begins with the Mardi Daze Parade.

IN Mid America News http://discoverypub.com/news/ar/ there is some helpful information about Toad Suck Daze:

Toad Suck Daze may conger up some questionable mental images, but the name for the festival doesn’t have anything to do with sucking toads.

According to the festival’s official website, the name comes from when steamboats regularly traveled up and down the Arkansas River. When the water wasn’t at the right depth, the captains and their crew tied up their boats and refreshed themselves at the local tavern.

“They suck on the bottle ‘till they swell up like toads,” the residents would say.