CONWAY — Toad Suck Daze is more than fried food on a stick and toad races; it’s a way to help students attend college.
To date, $1.5 million has either been given in the form of direct scholarships to approximately 290 Faulkner County students or has been endowed with Central Baptist College, Hendrix College, the University of Central Arkansas and the Arkansas Faulkner County Community Foundation. These funds come from festival proceeds and the sale of official Toad Suck Daze merchandise.
The Toad Suck Daze Community Service Scholarships help students like 20-year-old Lindsey Sansom, a student at CBC.
Sansom said she received a $3,000 Toad Suck Daze Scholarship last year, when she was a freshman.
“I found out about it through my high school counselor,” Sansom said. She is a graduate of Vilonia High School.
“I’ve been going to Toad Suck Daze all my life,” she said, so the idea of a festival scholarship definitely appealed to her.
An elementary education major, Sansom said the money went toward tuition and books.
“That was super, super helpful,” Sansom said.
Christopher Siler, 18, a freshman at the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton, also graduated from Vilonia High School. He is a retail-marketing major at the community college and received a $1,000 Toad Suck Daze Scholarship — $500 each for the fall and spring semesters.
“Our counselor gave us a big packet of scholarships, and that’s how I found out about it,” he said. “I’m one who kind
of likes to be debt-free. I figured I’d take a shot; I’ve got nothing to lose, right?” He was rewarded for his efforts.
The Toad Suck Daze Scholarship requires students to log 20 hours of community service and to volunteer 12 hours during the festival.
“I’ve been doing some community service — I volunteered at Goodwill and The Salvation Army,” Siler said.
He said because he had other scholarships, the Toad Suck Daze scholarship gave him “a little bit of extra spending money” and helped him buy his car. He lives in Conway and commutes to Morrilton.
“One of my friends got the scholarship this year, so I’m happy for her,” he said.
Stephanie Battles of Greenbrier, a freshman at CBC, said the Toad Suck Daze scholarship has helped her in her journey toward a degree.
The 19-year-old received $3,000 — $1,500 per semester.
“It’s very helpful,” Battles said. “I’m an education major here at CBC, so I’m just using it toward tuition so I don’t have to pay as much in loans.”
Battles, who said she has grown up attending the festival, said she will volunteer in the Toad Bucks booth this year.
Siler said his favorite part of the festival is the rides, and Sansom had to admit that her favorite is the food — especially the fried cheesecake.
Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.