Toad Suck Daze

It's Cinco de Mayo today, but most folks in Conway weren't home eating guacamole.  They were in the center of town eating funnel cakes at the annual town carnival called Toad Suck Daze.  In case you're wondering about the name, Toad Suck is a park down by the river, supposedly named because steamboat sailors used to stop at a tavern there, and the locals complained that they would suck down liquor until they swelled up like toads.   In 1982 the sailors were long gone, but the town started an annual festival at their park with the quirky name.  It eventually moved to the center of town, where it has its own dedicated plaza (though it overflows into several surrounding blocks). 

Despite the colorful history behind its name, the Toad Suck festival is very family friendly.  Our kids were immediately won over when someone in a booth handed them free balloons (and cheerfully replaced the one Daniel instantly lost).

One of the festival's signature events is the toad races.  Every participant can bring their own toad or select one from the venue's "stable," then race it against about nine other toads on the two-yard racetrack.  The locals really get into it.  The two girls in the front of this picture were wearing homemade "Toad Racing Pro" shirts, and in the background you can see three older ladies who came wearing neon green wigs and calling themselves the Toad Queens.

Between races, the Toad Master (the guy dressed like a giant leprechaun) invited everyone from out of town to come line up so he could ask where they were from.  I didn't hear the invitation because I was off somewhere with the little kids, but Daniel gamely joined the lineup and told the Toad Master he was from California (I guess we haven't lived here long enough for him to feel like an Arkansan).  He didn't realize when he lined up that he'd be asked to dance the Toady Pokey.

After Daniel finished dancing, it was Joy's turn to race a toad.  Before the race, the Toad Master asks each contestant what their toad's name is.  The most popular name is "I Don't Know," followed closely by "Jumpy."  Joy named hers "Toadarina."

When the race started it was absolute chaos.  The toads jumped in every direction, and the race rules say if your toad jumps out of its lane you have to put it right back in at the spot where it jumped out.  Joy and Toadarina didn't win, but Joy did have a lot of fun.

I gave each of the kids $5 to spend, and everyone but Joy opted to spend their money riding the Ferris wheel (Joy later regretted her choice because she saved her money for a snow cone that wasn't very good).

The kids who rode the Ferris wheel really enjoyed seeing our town from way up high.  As we left the ride and headed back to our van holding our balloons, Anna said she wished she could live at Toad Suck Daze.