To: National and Feature desks

Contact: Rick Reed or Tom Edwards, 301-763-2812, both of the U.S. Census Bureau

WASHINGTON, June 19 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature for June 20 from the U.S. Census Bureau:

FRIDAY, JUNE 20: MIDNIGHT BASEBALL

Profile America -- Friday, June 20th. Baseball at night is nothing new the first major league game under the lights was played in 1935. But how about baseball at night with no artificial lights? Tonight, at 10:30 p.m., Fairbanks, Alaska, will host its annual Midnight Sun Baseball game, which will end around 2 a.m. The event marks the summer solstice with the longest day of the year and has been played for 98 years in a row. This year's game is between the Alaska Goldpanners and the California Dons from the San Francisco Bay area. Baseball remains the nation's number one spectator sport, drawing more than 74-million fans to games each year. In addition, some 30-million people play recreational baseball and softball. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau on the Web at www.census.gov.

Chase's Calendar of Events, 2003, p.334 Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2002, t.1224, 1226 http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-02.html

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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 Internet at http://www.census.gov (look under the "Newsroom" button). For further information, contact Rick Reed, 301-763-2812, fax at 301-457-3670, or E-mail at rreed@census.gov.

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/© 2003 U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/