31st Annual Toad Suck Daze Festival
May 4, 5 & 6, 2012
As co-chairs of the 2012 Toad Suck Daze festival we are delighted to have the opportunity to host you and your family for a “toadally” fantastic weekend in beautiful downtown Conway. Please come enjoy the great food and everything TOAD; the Toad Market, the Toadal Kidz Zone, and the world championship Toad Race’s along with our lineup of headlining live entertainment. You are sure to have a “toadtastic” time.
We are happy to share with you in celebrating the festival’s 31st year. Throughout the festival’s legendary history, Toad Suck Daze has funded over $1.2 Million in scholarships and endowments. These scholarships–by way of the University of Central Arkansas, Central Baptist College, Hendrix College, the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton and Faulkner County Community Foundation, help assist the young people of Faulkner County to further their education. It is your attendance and patronage that help make these scholarships possible. We thank you!
The Toad Suck Daze festival and committee is very proud of the festival, its heritage, and its contributions to our community. We are honored to the serve the festival and the committee as this year’s honorary Chairmen. So it is our hope that you will ‘hop’ on down and join us for a magnificent weekend of family fun as Hewlett Packard presents this year’s Toad Suck Daze festival. See you there! – Jerry and Angela Rye; 2012 Honorary Co-Chairs
What does “Toad Suck” mean anyway?
Well, the answer is quite simple… Long ago, steamboats traveled the Arkansas River when the water was at the right depth. When it wasn’t, the captains and their crew tied up to wait where the Toad Suck Lock and Dam now spans the river. While they waited, they refreshed themselves at the local tavern there, to the dismay of the folks living nearby, who said: “They suck on the bottle ’til they swell up like toads.” Hence, the name Toad Suck. The tavern is long gone, but the legend and fun live on at Toad Suck Daze.
About the Festival
Toad Suck Daze is a FREE ADMISSION festival. A 3-day festival of food, family and fun held on the streets of downtown Conway, Arkansas. This ‘Laid Back Weekend’ occurs annually the first weekend in May and has something for the entire family: arts & crafts, ‘Toadal Kids Zone’, a carnival, local and national entertainment, food, rock wall, petting zoo, ‘Stuck on a Truck’, 5K/10K, golf tournament, a 3 on 3 basketball tournament, magicians, and so much more! Toad Suck Daze is also home to ‘The World Championship Toad Races’. The festival is run almost exclusively by volunteers from Conway and Faulkner County, including the local police and fire departments. It has free admission and proceeds go to support higher education in Faulkner County. Since the start of the festival over $1 million has been given in scholarship and towards scholarship endowments. This money has helped over 200 individuals attend local institutes of higher learning.
