To commemorate its pride of being a 200+ year old Hudson River town, the Town of Esopus launched its first Tugboat Trail in 2011. Artists, families, and businesses banded together to create 12 uniquely decorated model tugboats that were displayed during the summer months throughout the Hamlet of Port Ewen. That summer ‘anchoring’ along Route 9W and the ultimate ‘set sail’ of those model tugs proved so popular, the Tugboat Trail was continued.
The Tugboat Trail has become a much-anticipated tradition for the Town of Esopus. Each year new ‘tug artists’ design and decorate a new fleet of tugs for the upcoming summer-long roadside display. Funds from that first and subsequent Tugboat Trails are used to purchase unadorned sculptures for the following years trail and for continuing beautification projects along Route 9W in Port Ewen.
A new fleet of tugboats has arrived and are waiting to be painted and decorated. We are looking for new ‘tug artists’ who might be interested in painting a boat for this year’s Tugboat Trail. If you have any questions, please call Bernice McNierney at 845-337-5375 or 845-331-9124 or Lois DeKoskie at 845-338-3639.