U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for July 29

WASHINGTON, July 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090226/CENSUSLOGO)

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

THURSDAY, JULY 29: RAINY DAYS

Profile America — Thursday, July 29th.  Most of us can't be certain what the weather is going to be on any given day, but the folks in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, southwest of Pittsburgh, are pretty certain it will rain today.  According to local records, rain has fallen on this date 111 times in the last 135 years.  This has inspired an annual Rain Day Festival in the town, with a street fair, entertainment and a beauty contest.  The festival is silenced at one point to honor the 250 soldiers from Greene County in the 110th infantry — nearly half of whom were either killed or wounded in combat on July 29, 1918.  Waynesburg is not among the rainiest cities in the U.S., that honor belongs to Juneau, Alaska, with 217 days of measurable precipitation annually.  Profile America is in its 14th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Sources:  Chase's Calendar of Events 2010, p. 391

www.raindayfestival.com

Statistical Abstract of the United States 2010, t. 382

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 for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button).  

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau