The Toad Store in Conway is toadtopia for anyone wanting Toad Suck Daze souvenirs.
The 36th annual festival is scheduled for May 5, 6 and 7 in downtown Conway.
The former ice house at 1321 Oak St. in downtown Conway is filled every year with festival merchandise, from the official Toad Suck Daze T-shirts to toys to delight little tadpoles.
Tiffany Thornton of Conway has been a Toad Store employee the past few years, and she said there are new items, as well as “our popular, bestsellers — our squeezy toads, light-up toads and things like that.”
The Toad Store is a hopping place before, during and even after the festival. Its hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday through May 10. It has the same catchy phone number, (501) 327-TOAD (8623).
The always-popular official Toad Suck Daze T-shirts are available this year in two colors, tropical blue and heather blue. The shirts feature a design that combines many iconic sights of downtown Conway and Toad Suck Daze, from the fountain to festival food — and a toad, of course.
Robbie Morgan of Conway was buying a T-shirt for each of her three great-grandchildren, Ainsleigh Hogan, Morgan Summers and Gavin Summers, all of Conway.
“They get them every year. I bought them for my grandchildren until they were too old to care about them, … and now I buy for my great-grandchildren,” Robbie Morgan said. “This is a traditional thing, and I have to hurry and get them before anybody else does.”
Thornton said two of last year’s T-shirt styles, in navy or red, are also available. The cost of the T-shirts is $10 for infants, starting at 6 months; $12 for youth; $15 for adult sizes through extra large; and $17 for 2X through 4X.
Shoppers can choose from eclectic items — from Toad Suck Daze potholders and oven mitts to flash drives shaped like toads. Shot glasses and swim goggles are available, as well as temporary tattoos and tote bags.
In addition to the usual coffee mugs, Thornton said, the store offers two new plastic cups, one stemless, and a new drink koozie.
A stuffed toad holding a surf board is new this year. “That’s my favorite,” Thornton said.
Other new items this year include a silicone cellphone lanyard, which Thornton was using on her phone.
“It wraps around your phone so you don’t have to take it out of the case. It fits all size phones. There’s a little pocket on the back for a driver’s license or debit card. It’s a pretty cool thing,” she said.
Also new is a flashing bicycle light, which could also be used by runners or walkers, Thornton said. “A walker could attach it to a shoelace or belt loop.”
She also mentioned a new two-in-one magnet that is available this year. “The center part comes out, and it has the legend [of Toad Suck], and the outside can be a picture frame that says ‘Toad Suck Daze.’”
The weather is tricky this time of year, and the Toad Store offers sunglasses and caps — as well as umbrellas.
A guest book is available for visitors to sign when they come in, and it’s always fun to see people’s hometowns, Thornton said.
“[Last year], I had people in from West Virginia,” she said. “People come in who are staying at Toad Suck [RV] Park to get items to take back with them. And people coming in to get shirts to ship all over the country is always a thing. Every year, we hear that at least one always goes overseas.”
The Toad Suck Daze craze has no boundaries.
Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.