www.Faulkner
DealFinder
I N S I DE
In troduc in g. ...
.com
Where Sellers & Buyers Connect
Tour de toad
Weather
Rain slows down race; adjustments made to routes Mostly Cloudy
75/53
Pa g e 1 C
Details on Page 2A
www.thecabin.net CONWAY, ARK., sunday, may 2, 2010
131st Year — No. 230
Governor declares state of emergency after storms By ANDREW DeMILLO Associated Press Writer
SCOTLAND — Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe has declared a state of emergency in an area hit by Friday’s deadly tornadoes. A spokesman says Beebe toured an area Saturday south of Little Rock that suffered extensive damage. The declaration will free state money to help residents. Meanwhile, at least two more tornadoes have touched down in
central Arkansas. Meteorologists reported that the tornadoes were spotted on the ground in Prairie County, about 50 miles east of Little Rock, but also about 40 miles north in Faulkner County. There were no immediate reports of injuries or major damage. Tornadoes ripped through neighboring Van Buren County late Friday, killing one woman and destroying several homes. Beebe is scheduled to tour the area Sunday.
36 pages
$1.25
TSD festivities carry on until storms hit By COURTNEY SPRADLIN LOG CABIN STAFF WRITER
A
Vendors and festival attendees who “stuck it out” were rewarded with several hours of acceptable weather Saturday, though some instances of heavy precipitation occurred in the morning. Jerry Rye, chairman of Toad Suck Daze 2010 said despite the heavy and dangerous storms in the area, a large crowd was present for Friday night’s entertainment, the bands Skillet and Red. “We had a good day for vendors Friday,” Rye
said. “Sales were equal to Friday’s last year.” Saturday, the biggest day for vendors, was “par” according to Rye. “It was a little sparse this morning. But now it’s about par. People are flowing in now just about everywhere I look. We’re dodging water puddles but it’s looking pretty good,” Rye said Saturday afternoon. Some vendors reported minor damage to tents overnight Saturday. “As a committee this year we’ve been more considerate to vendors, al-
TSD n 9A
Bryan Rushing prepares custom order bracelets for customers at his booth in the market at Toad Suck Daze on Saturday. COURTNEY SPRADLIN PHOTO
Emma Gifford, left, waits as Carlie Thorton, 6, center, introduces herself to Toad Suck Daze Toad Master Brian Ratliff before racing a toad at the Toad Dome on Saturday. LIBERTY PARKS PHOTO Conway firefighter Buster Cooper helps Madison Halloway, a kindergartner from Theodore Jones Elementary School, through the Crawl, Drag and Squirt course during the finals competition on Saturday at Toad Suck Daze. LIBERTY PARKS PHOTO
Another great Crawl, Drag and Squirt held at Toad Suck By JOE LAMB LOG CABIN STAFF WRITER
A
The fastest time at Saturday’s Conway Fire Department Kids Crawl, Drag and Squirt finals was set by Jessica Nunn, a Conway Christian School student competing in the third- and fourth-grade girls class. The kids competing were the quickest in preliminary tournaments held over the past few weeks at Conway elementary schools and at open preliminaries held at a local Walmart and Friday afternoon at the Conway Fire Department’s Central Station. The quickest boy and girl from
each school or in open preliminaries competed at the final on Saturday, and Theodore Jones Elementary School’s students set the quickest total time, meaning that their school will hold the traveling trophy for the rest of the year. The event consists of hammering at a moveable weight, crawling through a tunnel running around obstacles, aiming a fire hose at targets and dragging a dummy to the finish line. It is intended to simulate firefighter training. The hammering represents chopping a hole in a roof,
CDS n 7A
Toad races narrow for championship
A
By COURTNEY SPRADLIN LOG CABIN STAFF WRITER
Toads on hand at the annual Toad Suck Daze festival received quite a workout Saturday, with several heats going back to back during toad races. The morning began at the Verizon Toad Dome with the second Very Important Toad (VIT) race, followed by the second round of general toad racers and finally, the Jamie Bray Jump
for Education race. The VIT winner was David Cronk of Hewlett-Packard, the company providing primary sponsorship for the festival. Sen. Gilbert Baker, House Speaker and U.S. Congressional candidate Robbie Wills and Rick Fahr, Log Cabin Democrat publisher also raced their respective toads. Fifteen schools competed in the Jamie Bray Jump for Education race, sponsored by Walmart, for an HP
laptop, a desktop computer for their teacher, and a gold cup in three races. The winners of the first two heats faced each other in a final race to score themselves and their teacher a new computer. The first heat was won by Corbin Watson of Vilonia Primary, and the second, by Tyler Van Dyke of St. Joseph Primary. Van Dyke ultimately defeated Wat-
Races n 9A
‘Toadal’ raised at car show: more than $1,000 This 1963 Corvette Sting Ray was one of many classics at this year’s Toad Suck Daze Car Show. Butch Siria of Conway brought the Corvette, which he drives regularly, just as his friend, Jim Decesaro, regularly drives his 1949 Lincoln, also on display at the show. Decesaro’s big Lincoln was good enough for a firstplace prize, as was Darrell Oates’ 1948 Chevrolet streetrod pickup. More than $1,000 was raised for scholarships, including the Toad Suck Car Club’s scholarship, which sends a student from Conway High School’s auto collision repair program to study at the University of Central Arkansas at Morrilton’s collision repair program. JOE LAMB PHOTO
Chris Brynell of Cabot keeps a hand on the Ford F-150 and attempts to stay awake in the 52 hours of Stuck on a Truck on Saturday. LIBERTY PARKS PHOTO
‘End of the beginning’ at Stuck on a Truck By JOE LAMB LOG CABIN STAFF WRITER
A
It’s not the beginning of the end at Stuck on a Truck, but the last two
Home delivery 329-2927 Outside Conway 1-800-678-4523 www.thecabin.net
i n s i d e Business. . . . . . 1-8B Classified . . . . . 1-8E Crossword. . . . . . 5B
t h e
Editorial. . . . . . . . 4A Obituaries. . . . . . 3A Our Style. . . . . . 1-6D
c a b i n Sports. . . . . . . . 1-4C Weather. . . . . . . . 2A Yesterdays. . . . . . 2A
painful eliminations do seem to mark the end of the beginning. Cristina Frazier, a 27-
■ spotted.thecabin.net see you there
Stuck n 7A