Toad Suck Daze
First off, Road Trips Foodies, you should know that you never have to suck a toad at the Toad Suck Daze, a festival in Conway, Arkansas. Now in its 30th year, it features all the usual country fest essentials — food, family fun, entertainment, music and such.
But since we travel food first, what about that food? Well, if you have a craving for something on a stick, you’ll find it here, the organizers note — even alligator. Among the 40 different concession vendors, there’ll be hamburgers, corn dogs, fried Twinkies, kettle corn, shaved ice, funnel cakes and more — all that good stuff featuring the two festive taste essentials: sugar and fat. Don’t forget to try the frog legs (yes, we know that toads and frogs are different species).
If you’re looking for down home Southern cooking, drop by the fest, set for April 29 through May 1, 2011, in downtown Conway.
Oh, about that odd name…. 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.
