Weekend traffic was stop-and-go along Highway 21 in Rincon, for a good reason.

Rincon firefighters were stationed along the busy road Friday and Saturday collecting donations for their annual Fill the Boot campaign for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Drivers dropped dollar bills and loose change into the boots and buckets the firefighters carried, with the proceeds going toward finding a cure for muscular dystrophy.

The Rincon Fire Department raised approximately $8,500 in this year’s campaign, Chief Corey Rahn said.

Rahn thanked the community for its “tremendous support. We couldn’t do it without the citizens of Rincon and Effingham County,” he said.

With the flashing lights on their fire trucks helping attract attention, firefighters manned Highway 21 at Fort Howard Road Friday evening and near the entrances to Walmart and Lowe’s Saturday morning. The high-traffic locations paid off, as more often than not drivers reached out their windows to make a donation.

The Rincon Fire Department holds the fundraiser each year to lead up to the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s telethon on Labor Day weekend.