Toad Suck, AR

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. The city was voted number one on the "most embarrassing or unfortunate US Town or Place Names" poll by findmypast.com.

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:

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 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.

Link:

Toad Suck Daze

Source: Internet