U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for June 24

WASHINGTON, June 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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THURSDAY, JUNE 24: WATER SKIS

Profile America — Thursday, June 24th.  For the next three days, the shoreline of Lake Pepin in Minnesota will echo with the sound of outboard motors — at the 39th annual Water Ski Days Festival.  The event celebrates the birthplace of water skiing with parades, boating, entertainment, and antique cars and tractors.  It was in 1922 that a young Lake City resident named Ralph Samuelson strapped on some pine boards and was towed by a boat with an early outboard motor around Lake Pepin.  The sport of water skiing had been born.  At first a novelty, water skiing quickly became a brand new sport in the U.S. and then spread around the world.  Today in the U.S., more than 5 million people enjoy water skiing each year.  You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at www.census.gov.

Sources: Statistical Abstract of the United States 2010, t. 1212

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