This year's tug fest is wrapping up with both Le Claire and Port Byron partying along the river.
Port Byron edged out Le Claire in the tug of war, winning six to five.
But the festival is not all about rivalry.
It is also a way for small towns to put themselves on the map.
Port Byron resident Nancy Day says, "Everybody's anticipating Tug Fest for a long time, they really look forward to people coming from all over."
She has lived in Port Byron for the last 14 years. The annual Tug Fest is a chance for her blended family to come together. As well as for neighbors to catch up.
"We just had a friend come down, and this only time of the year that we do see him," says Day.
Her family is not alone getting back together. Up and down the street Port Byron refreshes the bonds the connect the village.
"There's always people standing in your yard, and they're very polite, it just becomes a real community thing," says Julie Sylvester. In town from New York to visit her mother.
But the party tends to serve a dual purpose in Port Byron. Besides the fun it's a festival that allows the village to advertise itself. A big job with Le Claire just across the stream.
"We don't have the retail here, as much as Le Claire, or the retail business so it helps us draw people down here," says Dick Day. Who's lived here for 55 years.
He says the town has grown over the years. And he gives Tug Fest some of the credit.
"It helps that maybe other people would like to live in the same atmosphere as us in the small town," says Day.
An atmosphere that's on full display at least once a year.
