WASHINGTON, Feb. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090226/CENSUSLOGO)

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16: AN EXOTIC FESTIVAL

Profile America — Tuesday, February 16th.  February is often blamed for the mid-winter blahs, but the Southern California town of Indio is hosting an annual event through Sunday to cure the problem.  It's the National Date Festival — not the Saturday night type, but the chewy fruit that grows on palm trees and is enjoyed either for their high food value or as an ingredient in baking such treats as date-nut bread, fruitcake and cookies.  While the festival has many of the trappings of most such gatherings — food, livestock exhibits and rodeos, it has its own offbeat touches, such as ostrich and camel races and an Arabian nights pageant.  California is the leading producer of the 18,000 ton annual U.S. date crop, worth $26 million.  You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, conducting the 2010 Census beginning April 1st.

Sources:

Chase's Calendar of Events 2010, p. 129

Statistical Abstract of the United States 2010, t. 836

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look under the "Newsroom" button).  

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau

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