What's Your Official State Shark?

    BLOOMINGTON, Minn., Aug. 30 /PRNewswire/ --

    WHAT:    A 56-piece collection of glass sharks, acquired over the last
             nine years by Underwater Adventures' owner Todd Peterson, will go
             on display August 29 at Underwater Adventures. Each shark in the
             collection has been nominated to represent one of the 56
             delegations to the National Republican Convention. Sharks and
             Politics just go together!

             The collection ranges from a delicate half-inch Russian miniature
             honoring the smallest GOP delegation from American Samoa to a
             200-pound purple masterpiece by Italian maestro, Pino Signoretto,
             representing Minnesota's host delegation.  Its color may
             represent Minnesota's political landscape, hovering between red
             and blue, or it may be a big "Purple People Eater" for the
             Minnesota Vikings football team.

             Another sensation in the display is Florida's nominee, "The
             Hanging Chads."  This handmade piece from Pembroke, England,
             measures just six inches long, but packs two human legs with swim
             fins hanging from the shark's jaws. Ironically, after the 2000
             Election recount made "chads" infamous, Florida has recorded two
             shark attacks involving surfers named "Chad"!  Both men survived
             their reported hand injuries.

             The exhibition features sculptures from 18 countries around the
             world and includes collector editions retired by Baccarat,
             Steuben, Lalique, Swarovski and Waterford.

             For a listing of all the delegations and their designed glass
             sharks go to http://www.sharky.tv/glass.html.

    WHEN:    Open during National Republican Convention, and continuing
             throughout the end of September.

    WHERE:   Underwater Adventures
             Mall of America - East Side Lower Level

    WHAT
    ELSE:    Underwater Adventures already boasts the largest collection of
             real sharks with 56 full-sized sharks swimming in its Shark Cove
             exhibit and over 200 other sharks swimming throughout the
             aquarium and in schools throughout Minnesota.

             The 56 delegations from Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona,
             Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District
             of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois,
             Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland,
             Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri,
             Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico,
             New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands,
             Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico Rhode Island,
             South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont,
             Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and
             Virgin Islands will all have their own unique shark on display.

    WHO:     Todd Peterson, aquarium owner, collected his first Glass Sharks
             in Cannes, France and Zurich, Switzerland, in 1999, the year he
             acquired Underwater Adventures.

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