Waste of Chicago

Working at the Taste of Chicago yesterday I thought to myself why do they do this free fest every year? I mean Milwaukee's Summerfest, which I have never been to, everyone tells me how much better it is, and you have to pay to get in.

Security is better, bands are better, people are better is what I keep hearing.

Suffice it to say, Rahm decided a scaled back Taste would be better than none at all, and he kept it free too! But just what is free? Let's take a lookie into my magic computer crystal ball and see what the budget is for the Taste.... really hard to find! There are articles on how it is scaled back this year. Also how it was originally budgeted for $150,000 under Jane Byrne and expected to draw 75,000 for it's one day fest, it drew 250,000 which is why we have it today.

Okay so it's scaled back but it's all profit right? There is a ton of food bought which is marked substantially up so someone is making money. Well free fests aren't doing all that well. In 2008 Lakefront fests lost $1.7 million, in 2009 they lost $3.7 million, and last year they lost $1.5 million. Well if the fests lost the money, and the city sponsors the fests who is paying for the losses?

EVERY TAX PAYER IN CHICAGO IS! That's right, walk in and out of the fest as much as you like free because in the end, if you live in the city, you are paying for it! Within that loss is the cost of securing the fest, we have all seen the chaos from a few years back, with shots being fired, people injured, property damaged and personal property stolen. This year Rahm has elected to not fork out the money for huge band names and will save some money from that, I guess. Then again maybe no one will come to the fest and spend money to hear Chief Danko and the Billie Bees on the main stage (I kid of course, this band is made up and probably would never get top billing over such strong acts that really are going to be there like Natalie McMaster and Los Horoscopos de Durango, yes they really are on main stage). If no one shows and spends though, the bill for security still needs to be paid...

Here is an idea, CHARGE FOR ENTRY! It doesn't have to be extravagant, let's start with $5.00 per person. Based on that if the usual fireworks show that brings upwards of 1.5 million people to the Taste on the 3rd, that day alone, just for entry would generate 7.5 million, plus you get to keep the big names on stage, and the fireworks.

What? No fireworks? That's right in an effort to crunch the budget there are no 3rd of July fireworks this year at the taste, don't bother packing the kids up and going, at best you might get that weird guy who lives in Grant Park and some bottle rockets he found as a show.

Another reason to charge is to keep away the riff raff. Whenever you have a ton of people, and free access to them the criminals come and they come in droves. Charging admission will keep away that element, at least at the fest, the additional money can go for extra police presence around the fest. I'm just thinking out loud though...