Toad Suck, Arkansas
Encyclopedia
Toad Suck is an unincorporated community
in Perry County, Arkansas
, United States
. It is the location of (or is the nearest community to) Bigelow Rosenwald School, which is located at the junction of Arkansas Highway 60
and Bethel AME Road and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
It is also the location of the Toad Suck Ferry Lock and Dam, on the Arkansas River
. The dam is also a bridge bringing AR 60, locally named Prince Street, across the river. The Bigelow Rosenwald School is inland on the west side of the river. There is a Toad Suck Road on the east side of the river.
According to a local website, the town got its name as follows:
Toad Suck Daze
is an annual fair that raises funds for scholarships. First organized in 1982, the festival is held annually in nearby downtown Conway
during the first weekend in May. Originally held at Toad Suck Park near the Arkansas River Lock and Dam, the festival was moved to the downtown location in 1990 due to flooding at the river and has remained in the downtown area ever since.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Perry County, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is the location of (or is the nearest community to) Bigelow Rosenwald School, which is located at the junction of Arkansas Highway 60
Arkansas Highway 60
-Section 1:Arkansas Highway 60 is a long state highway in Central Arkansas. It connects U.S. Route 65 Business in Conway with AR 29 near Plainview, Arkansas. It runs through Faulkner, Perry, and Yell Counties. It has a spur route in Conway that connects to the Offices of Emergency...
and Bethel AME Road and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
It is also the location of the Toad Suck Ferry Lock and Dam, on the Arkansas River
Arkansas River
The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. The Arkansas generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's initial basin starts in the Western United States in Colorado, specifically the Arkansas...
. The dam is also a bridge bringing AR 60, locally named Prince Street, across the river. The Bigelow Rosenwald School is inland on the west side of the river. There is a Toad Suck Road on the east side of the river.
According to a local website, the town got its name as follows:
What does "Toad Suck" mean anyway?
Well, the answer is quite simple... 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.
Toad Suck Daze
Toad Suck Daze
Toad Suck Daze is an annual community music, arts, and food festival in Conway, Arkansas. It takes place every year in downtown Conway and has been celebrated for over twenty-five years.-Overview:...
is an annual fair that raises funds for scholarships. First organized in 1982, the festival is held annually in nearby downtown Conway
Conway, Arkansas
Conway is the county seat of Faulkner County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 58,908 at the 2010 census, making Conway the seventh most populous city in Arkansas. It is a principal city of the Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area which had...
during the first weekend in May. Originally held at Toad Suck Park near the Arkansas River Lock and Dam, the festival was moved to the downtown location in 1990 due to flooding at the river and has remained in the downtown area ever since.