PROFILE AMERICA

June 11, 2008

Ice Cream Days

The residents of Le Mars, Iowa, have taken one of the great summer joys of Americans and made a townwide festival of it. The annual Ice Cream Days start today and run through Saturday. Some 10,000 people are expected to enjoy the festival, which features a parade, car shows, entertainment and tournaments — as well as lots of vanilla, chocolate and other flavors. Le Mars calls itself “the ice cream capital of the world,” and its visitors center contains a museum devoted to ice cream history. The town is also the headquarters of a famous brand of ice cream, Wells’ Blue Bunny, dating from the 1920s. Americans love ice cream, and eat an average of 24 pounds a year. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.