Veishea turns 80

The colleges kicked off Veishea this week with special activities on central campus. Monday was the College of Veterinary Medicine's day and events included a barbecue. Temperatures soared into the 80s, which made the dunk tank a bit more pleasant for Vet Med sophomore Bill Marsau, as he survives a near-miss. Photos by Bob Elbert.

by Steve Sullivan
Veishea, which turns 80 this year, will be commemorated with a historical sign that will be installed on central campus during opening ceremonies at noon Friday, April 19, south of the campanile. This year's Veishea theme is "Celebrating Student Success."

The opening ceremonies speaker is Randall Wreghitt, a Tony Award-winning Broadway producer. Wreghitt, a native of Clear Lake, received a journalism degree from Iowa State in 1978. He currently is producing an acclaimed Broadway production of Mary Zimmerman's Metamorphoses. He won a 2001 Tony Award for Best Revival for producing One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest starring Gary Sinise.


Food abounds
Veishea's traditional cherry pies will be sold for $1 in 16 MacKay from 9:30 a.m. to about 3 p.m. Friday and 9:30 a.m. until gone on Saturday.

Taste of Veishea, featuring entertainment, games and food vendors, will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday in campustown.

There will be a pancake breakfast from 7 to 11 a.m. Saturday south of the campanile. The cost is $5.


Geoffroy is grand marshal
The Veishea parade will begin winding its way through campus at 10:40 a.m. Saturday. President Gregory Geoffroy will be grand marshal and Wreghitt will be parade marshal. The parade, with 100 floats, bands and other entries, will be broadcast by KCCI-TV.

This year's Stars Over Veishea musical production is Grease. Performances will be in Stephens Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $6 for students, $10-$15 for adults and available at the Iowa State Center and Ticketmaster outlets.


Mohr, Soul Asylum perform
Comedian and actor Jay Mohr will perform at 8:30 p.m. Friday in the Lied Center. Mohr appeared in Jerry Maguire, hosts "Mohr Sports" on ESPN and has appeared on NFL this Morning and Saturday Night Live.

Advance tickets are $6 for students, $10 for non-students; $15 at the door. Tickets are available at the Iowa State Center box office or the Memorial Union. Special ticket policies (available at the Veishea Office) apply.


Open houses
Interactive displays, bugs and flying eggs will be among the attractions at Veishea 2002 open houses.

A variety of student groups and campus organizations will have open houses from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 20. The locations for each open house will be listed on an insert in the parade program. Here are just a few examples of what is on hand for campus visitors.

Egg launch: Tau Beta Pi, an engineering honor society, will hold its annual egg catapult competition. Teams of high school students will attempt to catapult eggs at a target.

SCUM chemistry show: SCUM's open house annually attracts hundreds of Veishea goers. SCUM, or the Society of Chemical Undergraduate Majors, holds a chemistry show, complete with costumes, props, slapstick humor and experiments. Also in the science realm, the Biochemistry/Biophysics Club will offer interactive experiments.

Sword play, miniature golf: Veishea goers can taken in some sword play at the Society of the Creative Anachronism's open house, which will feature medieval recreation and education programs. For those who prefer clubs over swords, the Design Council will sponsor a miniature golf course.

Petting zoo, mechanical bull: College of Veterinary Medicine students will sponsor a petting zoo. The ISU Rodeo Club's open house will feature a mechanical bull, while the Entomology Club will have an insect display.

A partial schedule of Veishea events can be found at http://www.inside.iastate.edu/2002/0419/sched.shtml