The Flying Buoy Blizzard

In Bar Harbor, Maine, the town's annual 25-foot Christmas tree is built entirely from hundreds of heavy, wooden lobster buoys. One year, organizers used cheap plastic zip ties instead of marine rope to secure them. When a massive winter storm hit with 60 mph winds, the ties snapped in a rapid chain reaction. The structure collapsed, sending hundreds of heavy, brightly painted buoys bouncing down Main Street like a barrage of festive pinballs. Residents had to spend Christmas morning hunting through gutters and doorways to reclaim their family fishing gear.