Shark in a Box

Odessa, Delaware

For over 30 years a shark has occupied an outdoor glass-sided box in front of a fishing supply store in Delaware. It's not a real shark -- which would smell something awful by now -- but an exact fiberglass replica of the all-time record Mako Shark caught off of the coast of Delaware. That was on June 25, 1989. It weighed 840 pounds and was reeled in by Rick Reed, a nephew of the wife of the owner of the fishing supply store. The implication is that if you want to catch something really big, shop here.

For years the wooden frame of the box was decorated in twinkly holiday lights, and the shark wore a Santa hat, early Christmas embellishments that the shop has never bothered to change. Then on February 5, 2022 a car crashed into the box, causing serious damage. There were fears that the shark was sunk for good, but locals rallied and had both the shark and box repaired -- minus the holiday leftovers -- and restored to their former roadside spot in June 2022.