The Sandbar’s “shark attack photo opp” board has been recovered after it was stolen two weeks ago from in front of the bar at 17 E. 8th St. in downtown Lawrence.

Whoever stole the photo board didn’t make a very successful getaway. It was found last week in the middle of a dirt road just east of Lawrence, said Dave Johanning, co-owner of the Sandbar. He suspects it flew out of the thief’s truck bed. A friend of a friend of Johanning’s came across the photo board, and it was returned to him Friday.

“We’re happy to have it back,” Johanning said Saturday.

The photo board suffered some minor damage but nothing that can’t be fixed, Johanning said.

“I’m doing a few little repairs and bringing it back to life,” he said.

The photo board, made of plywood and depicting a shark poised to devour a swimmer, allows patrons to put their heads through a cut-out where the victim’s head would be. It is usually displayed on the sidewalk outside of the Sandbar.

Johanning said he’s hoping to have the photo board repaired and back out early next week. But in the future, he said, he plans to lock it down.

Clarification: A previous version of the article said a friend of Johanning’s came across the board. According to a Sandbar blog post, that friend came across a photo of the board, which was sent to him by another acquaintance. The news was then passed on to Johanning. Read the Sandbar’s full account at its website.