The Rotary Club of Mesquite’s major fundraiser, the community Mudd Volleyball competition, was halted early by wind and lightning on Saturday, Sept. 27.

Mudd Volleyball, always popular in Mesquite, drew a huge crowd to the site just behind the Eureka Resort Hotel. There were 34 six-man teams and hundreds of spectators.

The Mesquite Fire Department cooked the hamburgers and hot dogs, and D.J. Juan provided the lively music.

The highlight of the day was the annual volleyball battle for the large trophy between the Mesquite Police and Fire Department. It was the first competition of the day and missed interference from the wind. For the third year in a row, the fire department won the right to display the trophy at their station. They celebrated by popping the cork on a bottle of champagne as the winning team’s picture was taken.

Normally, the rest of the teams compete for first, second and third place, but lighting began before final results could be determined. Prizes for best team costumes went to the Alchemy Beauty Club for Best Imaginative, Best Overall for the Beehive Homes Team and Most Humorous to the Never Grew Up Team.

Melissa Eligul, president of the Rotary Club, said, “I want to thank everyone for their help and participation, especially the Eureka Resort for their past 11 years of partnership with Rotary and hosting the event on their grounds, making the Mudd pits possible.”

Major sponsors were Eureka Casino, Reliance Connects, Mesquite City Leisure & Recreation Dept and DJ Juan.

First-time spectators Evelyn Kohaesu and Dale Utley enjoyed the fun competition. Utley said, “It is good to see the kids involved.” There were a number of teams from the high school at the event this year. Both the Interact Club and the FFA had teams participating.