Attendance

Minutes after the gates to the San Diego County Fair swung open last weekend, Rick Smith ran toward the carnival rides, trying to keep up with his two sons, 7 and 10. With one of the worst recessions in a generation, were the Smiths going to spend less? Would they perhaps skip a few carnival rides, stay clear of the stands selling deep-fried funnel cake and kettle corn or avoid basketball shooting games? No way. The Smith boys had just finished school and skimping was not an option.

Recession-weary families looking for affordable entertainment are increasingly turning to air shows as a source of cheap thrills, served up with a dollop of red, white and blue. While theme parks and other family entertainment venues struggle for business in the slumping economy, attendance at air shows is up substantially this year -- by double-digit percentages at some venues. And it's not hard to see why.

A banner year at the box office driven by films including "Fast & Furious," "Star Trek" and "Hannah Montana" is turning out to be a powerful recession vaccine for the nation's biggest movie theater chains. Only a few months ago, investors feared consumers' reluctance to spend money would keep them at home and from going to the movies, depressing business at the country's 5,800 local theaters.