The Sun-Times reports that attendance at area museums and zoos was down 3 percent over 2009. Which probably explains the spate of free days that kicked off 2011 at the Art Institute and other museums. more ›

For the second straight year, attendance at the Taste of Chicago dropped, but this year was more dramatic than last year. In 2009, attendance was down just a hair, from 3.5 million in 2008 to 3.35 million. According to a report in the Sun-Times this morning, attendance for 2010 was down a pretty hefty 21 percent, to 2.65 million people. Cindy Gatziolis, of the Mayor's Office of Special Events, blamed the drop on the absence of the annual July 3rd fireworks this year. more ›

• The Wheaton Police Department was evacuated today after a box of explosives was found in a parking lot outside the building.
• The unionized workers of another Sun-Times Media Group paper rejected the demands of businessman James Tyree's bid for the company even as STMG CEO Jeremy Halbreich began visiting newsrooms in an effort to drum up support.
• Former Blagojevich adviser Christopher Kelly, who committed suicide over the weekend, was laid to rest today.

The Chicago Public School system announced that this year's first-day attendance at its school was a new record at 94.1 percent attendance, topping last year's record of 93.7 percent. Maybe inspiring children with the guy who sings a song called "Birthday Sex" wasn't such a bad idea? more ›

The annual 10-day long Taste of Chicago celebration saw a slight attendance drop this year as the Tribune reports that the City is estimating 3.35 million people visited Grant Park for the food and fun. The estimate is down compared to last year's estimated 3.5 million visitors. Of course, given the cool, cloudy weather that coincided with much of the fest - not to mention a wet Fourth of July - the decrease is considered minimal. Estimates also kept this years attendance at the July 3rd fireworks show at about the usual million or so people down at the lakefront. more ›

• Members of the Chicago 2016 Olympic bid team were to hold a secret meeting this afternoon with aldermen to allay their fears about putting taxpayers on the hook for the cost.
• The amazing story of Ald. Don Parrillo.
• State lawmakers are taking a break from working on the budget and will reconvene Monday to pick the problem back up.

In spite of the current recession, Chicago's museums are still managing to bring in a healthy number people. Total attendance in 2008 at the city's top 10 "major cultural attractions" was only off by one percent for a total of 7.7 million. The Shedd Aquarium saw a drop of seven percent, but was still had the highest overall attendance at 1.9 million; The Museum of Science & Industry had a larger drop at 15 percent, but was second overall with 1.4 million. In spite of these drops, the eight other attractions saw increases. The Art Institute of Chicago drew 1.4 million for third place overall and the Chicago History Museum saw a healthy 22 percent increase in visitors for a total of 266,000. The overall attendance on "free days" also saw a hefty increase of over 15 percent. more ›

Here's a shocker: the Chicago Blackhawks rank first in attendance in the NHL. That's right, the team who has spent most of the past decade among the bottom five in fan turnout is now sitting atop the league. In fact, as recently as the 2006/7 season the 'Hawks ranked 29th out of 30 in attendance. Why the sudden turn around? The obvious answer is that the Blackhawks are finally playing good hockey. But Jay Blunk, senior VP of business operations for the team, also asserts that a “cultural change” has taken place, and hopes that this change will sustain attendance even if on-ice performance were to falter. While only time can tell if a cultural change has occurred, history tells us that Chicago has not been supportive of Blackhawks teams who have struggled. We here are Chicagoist have come up with a “Fan Dedication” metric that puts things in perspective. more ›

With the deafening roar of the planes still echoing in our ears, the city estimated today that the 50th Annual Air & Water Show drew a whopping 3.1 million people. Part of the reason attendance was so high was that the usually two-day event was expanded to three for the 50th anniversary; it will revert back to two days next year. We're just guessing here, but another likely reason for the large attendance? The ridonkulously gorgeous weather. Attendance usually averages around 2.2 million and last year's rain soaked event, which featured a Saturday cancellation, drew only 1.3 million. more ›