There are a few beachy items we can think of that would be great to mail as part of a “fun in the sun” type promotion — tiny paper umbrellas, a plastic lei, or heck, even a deflated beach ball. Those items must’ve all seemed like a bit much, which is maybe why a strip club in Baltimore decided instead to get literal and bring the beach to people invited to an annual end-of-summer luau. Only problem is, an envelope full of sand looks a lot like an envelope full of say, anthrax.

The party’s promoters didn’t realize the potential havoc they could be wreaking, reports the Baltimore Sun, when they got all crafty and poured some sand into the invites. Those missives went out to local businesses and anyone who’d signed up to be on the strip club’s mailing list.

But when the unknown substances showed up at an energy company yesterday morning in unmarked envelopes, someone called the cops.

Police and firefighters showed up to the building and evacuated the nearby area, before confirming through tests that the mysterious powder was just sand.

That wasn’t the only incident involving the invitations, said the club’s owner — other emergency calls went out around the area while the club’s management tried to smooth everything over.

“It’s unfortunate there was some misunderstanding there,” the owner said. “It’s of natural concern because of the way the world works these days.”

Strip club promotion causes scare at downtown office tower [The Baltimore Sun]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.