TugFest 2015

TugFest Saturday

It’s Saturday morning of TugFest weekend here in Port Byron. This is our village’s big festival of the year and the vendors and 5K participants and spectators are waking up and there is an excitement in the air.

Last night the fireworks were spectacular with a finale to rival that of anything the Quad Cities area has to offer. There is something about fireworks over the Mississippi river that lends to extremely loud explosions and repeating echoes that spread out in all directions. You could feel the concussion as the brilliant colors lit up the clear night sky.

Flash forward a few hours and it’s brutally hot for the teams that will spend 3 minutes with their hands around the rope. There are spectators of all ages lining the banks on each side of the great Mississippi river to see who can haul in the most rope.

It’s decided early this year as Port Byron retains bragging rights for another year with a clean sweep of all 11 tugs. The Alabaster Eagle trophy will rest safely in Port Byron for another year. Now it’s time to celebrate and enjoy the festivities, the food and drink and the bands.

In a day or two the vendors and carnival rides will be packed up and gone and Port Byron will return to that quiet little village we call home.

Congratulations to the Village of Port Byron, the Tug Fest Committee and everyone who participated in the 2015 Great River Tug Fest for a great job this year.