Toad Suck Daze facts for kids
Toad Suck Daze is a super fun festival held every year in Conway, Arkansas. It's a big party with music, art, and yummy food! This festival has been happening for over 30 years in downtown Conway.
What is Toad Suck Daze?
About 160,000 people visit the Toad Suck Daze festival each year. It's a huge event! You can enjoy live music, see cool arts and crafts, and try lots of different foods. There are also exciting carnival rides and even special toad races! For the races, people bring their own toads or use toads raised just for the festival.
The festival does more than just entertain. It helps raise money for education! The money collected gives scholarships to students in Faulkner County, Arkansas. Over the past 28 years, the festival committee has given out more than US$1 million to help students go to college.
History of the Festival
The very first Toad Suck Daze festival was held in 1982. It started in Toad Suck, Arkansas, at Toad Suck Park. This park is on the Perry County side of the Toad Suck Ferry Lock and Dam.
In 1990, the festival had to move. There was flooding near the river, so it moved to downtown Conway. It has stayed in the downtown area ever since! Volunteers from Conway and Faulkner County help run the festival. This includes people from the local police and fire departments.
How Did It Get Its Name?
The name "Toad Suck" has a funny story! It comes from a time long ago when steamboats traveled on the Arkansas River. Sometimes, the water wasn't deep enough for the boats to pass. So, the steamboats would stop and tie up near where the Toad Suck Ferry Lock and Dam is now.
While the boat captains and their crews waited, they would often go to a local tavern. They would hang out and have drinks. People living nearby would see them and joke, "They suck on the bottle 'til they swell up like toads!" That's how the name "Toad Suck" came to be!
