Troll & Buddy Holly

Buddy Holly, one of rock 'n roll's most famous musicians, a member of the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame, influencer of such luminaries as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton and Elton John, is buried next to his parents in his hometown of Lubbock, Texas. Over 50 years after his death, thousands of tourists and fans from around the world still visit Buddy's grave, leaving sunglasses, guitar picks, and coins to honor him.

In tribute to its most famous son, Lubbock has established a well-regarded museum, The Buddy Holly Center. The city also established the West Texas Walk of Fame to honor various West Texans. It consists of a series of plaques which surround a memorial statue of Buddy. He was unanimously chosen by civic leaders as the first inductee.

(For an interesting, more complete write-up about Buddy Holly, the musicians with him on his last tour and his passing, please see our sister site by clicking here.)

RIP

 

Troll at Toad Suck Daze - 2016

Monk Troll at Toad Suck Daze - 2016

Toad Suck Daze is an annual free-admission 3-day music, arts, and food festival held in Conway, Arkansas. It has been celebrated for over 30 years.

In addition to the music performances by mostly local artists and the many arts and crafts vendors selling their wares, toad races are held each day. For these races, visitors enter toads they have brought from home or that were bred in the community for this purpose. The toads are given names like Blaze, Thumper, Awesome Toad, Lightning, and Bullet. Champion toads in different divisions are awarded trophy's. Profits from the festival and sells of t-shirts and merchandise provide funding for early childhood educational initiatives and college scholarships to deserving kids residing in the county.

Venturing down one of the lanes for craft
vendors with other festival goers.

The legend behind Toad Suck refers to a time when steamboats traveled up and down the Arkansas River which runs alongside Conway. When the water was not deep enough, the steamboats tied up where the Toad Suck Ferry Lock and Dam now spans the river. While captain and crew waited, they spent their time over liquid refreshments at the local tavern. People living nearby commented, "They suck on the whiskey bottles 'til they swell up like toads."

Monk Troll had a wonderful time at the festival and says, "If you want to have a toadaly good time, come to Toad Suck Daze Festival!"

Festival food!

Monk Troll is NOT a midway prize!

Rides for young & older.