Tugfest - Tug-of-war across the Mississippi River

The other team's area can be seen on the other side of the Mississippi River straight east from this map.

It began in 1987, with ten 20-member tug teams pulling with all of their strength on a 2,400 foot, 680 pound rope that spans the Mississippi River between Port Byron, Illinois and LeClaire, Iowa. Each year the teams pull to see who will claim the breath-taking alabaster statue of a Bald Eagle in flight.

Over 35,000 people view this spectacular and only tug-of-war across the longest river in the United States.

Tug Fest has been featured in travel, vacation magazines, television programming across the country and has received international notoriety in 2004 on Germany's "Inside the USA" and in 2007 on "Galileo XXL" filmed by Maximusfilms Germany. In June of 2007, The Montel Williams show featured Tug Fest on National TV as Montel interviewed Angela Mapes, IA President and Matt Thoene, IA Tug Master.

In 2008, Tug Fest was featured on the Discovery Channel's "Wreakreation Nation" as well as PBS television.