Live, Learn and be Dazed

I have lived in a lot of places. But this happening in Arkansas is something to "be dazed" about-once I found out what it meant:

What is a “Toad Suck Daze”?

The answer is quite simple:

Toad Suck Daze is the first weekend in May, where toads reign supreme and the toadmaster rules the day. It all takes place in Conway, Arkansas.

Long ago, steamboats traveled the Arkansas River when the water was at the right depth. When it was not, 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, 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.

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.

And, of course, there is a toad race where the kids and their toady pets are having a blast.