The city was expecting 50,000 visitors. Only a few hundred will actually turn up.
Customers can eat for free if they can't afford to pay, or pay a little extra to help others.
Milwaukee, on the shore of Lake Michigan, hopes to become a center for water-technology research and jobs
Wisconsin, urged on by Gov. Scott Walker, will spend $250 million to help two New York hedge fund managers build a new arena for the Milwaukee Bucks.
So close yet so far away: A town short on water tries to tap the lake 15 miles away.