Seven live events to take place during six-week celebration
CONWAY, Ark. (April 22, 2021) – In a little more than one month, the 40th annual Toad Suck Daze festival will begin six weeks of live programming. Today, presenting sponsor First Arkansas Bank & Trust Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Mark Wilson joined festival representatives to announce a series of in-person events, $40,000 in charitable contributions, and plans for a festival-ending concert.
View the 2021 Toad Suck Daze Calendar of Events.
“We were honored to be the presenting sponsor of Toad Suck Daze in 2020 as we all safely celebrated virtually. But we are even more excited about returning to live events and programming for the 40th Toad Suck Daze festival,” Wilson said.
Brad Lacy, president and CEO of the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce, said that the festival, while different from past years, has managed to retain its most important qualities.
“I can think of no better way to celebrate and recognize our recovery from the pandemic than safely coming together as a community for Toad Suck Daze. We’re extremely proud of the quality—and quantity—of programming we’re offering this year. We’re excited to make charitable contributions above and beyond our scholarship giving. And we hope that after a successful festival we can give back even more.”
Educational and Family Programming
This year’s festival programming will include several free events aimed at entertaining—and educating—kids throughout central Arkansas.
Toad Suck Daze Tinkerfest presented by Acxiom
- May 8 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
- The Museum of Discovery will provide hands-on, educational activities that incorporate STEAM curriculum in an exciting and engaging way. Admission is free. Advance registration is recommended.
Nature and Science Exhibit presented by Caldwell Toyota, Moix RV, Crafton Tull, and Arkansas Federal Credit Union
- May 19 from 3-7 p.m.
- Arkansas Game and Fish, Museum of Discovery, Little Rock Zoo, Arkansas State Parks and other exhibitors will have live animals, educators, and equipment displays on hand to showcase all of the fun and excitement available in the Arkansas outdoors.
Boom Art! and Arkansas PBS Family Day presented by Conway Corporation
- June 5 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
- Arkansas PBS Kids characters and staff will be on hand to help young ones enjoy PBS inspired activities. Attendees will also have a chance to participate in a giant-sized public art project—coloring a 30’x10’ mural!
Toad Suck Daze Traditions
World Championship Toad Races
- May 13 from 4-6 p.m.
- The parking lot at the corner of Parkway and Main Streets in downtown Conway will become the site of the 2021 toad races. The Toad Master will kick off the festivities with the V.I.T. (Very Important Toad) Race followed by races that are open to the public. The open toad races will culminate with the World Championship. Advance registration is encouraged for the open races, but walk-ups are welcome.
Taste of Toad Suck presented by Crain Hyundai and Crain Genesis
- May 7, May 14, May 21, and May 28 from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
- Food vendors will be stationed in downtown Conway at Rogers Plaza every Friday in May, serving up some Toad Suck Daze favorites. Every Friday, two food vendors will be set up, so the menu will change weekly. Visit toadsuck.org for a list of participating concessionaires and what they plan to serve and when.
Centennial Bank Airplane Parade presented by Wonder State Box, Rogers Group, and Crain Hyundai Genesis
- April 30 from 4-7 p.m.
- Toad Suck Daze is partnering with the City of Conway and the Lollie Bottoms Pilot Association to bring back the popular Centennial Bank Airplane Parade introduced in 2020. The second-annual event will expand to include viewing areas at the Conway Regional Airport at Cantrell Field and two designated locations throughout the city. The pilots – including the Bulldog Flight Formation Team – will fly all over Conway, so many people will have the ability to view the planes from their homes. A map of the routes and designated viewing locations is available at toadsuck.org. At the airport, spectators will be able to watch the planes take off and land and can view vintage aircraft on the ground. Planes will take off shortly before 6 p.m., and the air show will last 45 minutes. The Conway Regional Airport is located 10.3 miles west of Interstate 40, along U.S. Highway 60 (Dave Ward Drive) to Lollie Road.
Contributions
The Toad Suck Daze Committee also announced $40,000 in contributions:
- Conway Downtown Partnership – $20,000 (This pays for more than 400 hanging baskets downtown.)
- $20,000 in scholarships to 10 area students
Entertainment
The Toad Suck Daze committee announced that they had very recently confirmed their headline entertainment for a concert on Friday, June 11, to be held at the University of Central Arkansas. The artists, ticket prices, and concert times will be announced next week.
For up-to-date information visit ToadSuck.org or follow ToadSuckDaze on Facebook.
About Toad Suck Daze
For 40 years, a central Arkansas festival with a quirky name has contributed more than $1.9 million to scholarships, scholarship endowments, preschool funding, and arts education. As Arkansas’s largest festival, Toad Suck Daze attracts more than 100,000 festivalgoers of all ages to downtown Conway the first weekend of May for national and local musical entertainment, food-on-a-stick, retail and arts-and-crafts vendors, and most notably, the World Championship Toad Races. For more information about Toad Suck Daze, visit ToadSuck.org.
