Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Stuck on a Truck in Conway, Arkansas

Toad RaceFrom the time I moved to Conway in 1995, we have attended Toad Suck Daze, which is a 3-day festival held in downtown Conway the first weekend in May.

I love downtown festivals. It's fun to see all the streets blocked off and so many people milling about. This year was especially nice because we had three days of sunshine, which is a rarity.

At Toad Suck Daze, there is a wide variety of events to participate in.
  • Mardi Daze Parade
  • Toad Market (vendors sell home decor, jewelry, clothing, and much more)
  • Food and Beverages (no alcohol-dry county)
  • Toadal Kids Zone (lots of events for the kiddos)
  • World Famous Toad Races
  • Carnival
  • Rock Wall
  • Petting Zoo
  • Local Entertainment (my Dad's band, Happenstance played last year and this year)
  • National Entertainment (Blake Shelton and Shaw Blades were this year's headliners)
  • Food
  • Stuck on a Truck5K/10K Run
  • 10K/5K Run (an RRCA Grand Prix event)
  • 5K Fun Walk
  • Tadpole Trot
  • Baby Crawl
  • Tricycle Race
  • Crawl, Drag, and Squirt Competition
  • Toad Suck SuperStar Competition
  • Golf Tournament
  • Softball Tournament
  • 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament
  • Antique Car Show
  • And much more!
The festival is run almost exclusively by volunteers (they get the coolest T-shirts) including the local police and fire departments. The festival is free to attend and all proceeds go to support higher education in Faulkner County.

The Toad Suck Daze Committee of the Conway Chamber of Commerce will contribute $61,500 towards scholarships during 2008. Since the Toad Suck Daze scholarship program began some 27 years ago, the committee has donated over $500,000 in scholarship money to around 165 youth in Faulkner County to help make their educational dreams come true.

Stuck on a TruckOne of my favorite things to do at Toad Suck Daze is watch the Stuck on a Truck competition, a test of endurance that finds twenty-five people vying to win the truck in question by keeping their hands on it longer than anyone else. The contest lasts somewhere between three and four days. Throughout the day at work, on Thursday and Friday, my co-workers and I watch via the Webcam. Then at home on Saturday and Sunday, I check the Webcam to see how many contestants are still standing.

One of my friends and former co-worker, Tim Secor, came in 2nd place in 2002. He held on for 91 hours, but let go of the truck for a split-second and was disqualified!
Toad Suck Muppets
Every year I think about becoming a Stuck on a Truck contestant. For next year, I've convinced myself to go for it. Crazy, huh? I have approximately 360 days to prepare for the contest. The thought of competing in Stuck on a Truck will give me the motivation I need to achieve my weight loss and fitness goals. Could I be the second female to win Stuck on a Truck? You betcha.

Read the Log Cabin Democrat's article about this year's winner here. Take a look at this year's winner, Mark Scroggins, at Stuck on a Truck's website.

Read about the Origins of Toad Suck.


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