Through the years, Veishea has changed as much as Iowa State and its students.

Each installation of the annual spring celebration has reflected the university in new and different ways, with events added, dropped, changed or revived over the years.

Sure, there have been some constants. Would it be Veishea without the parade? After all, there is yet to be a Veishea without one.

The cherry pies tradition actually pre-dates Veishea; it was started by the Home Economics Department as a fundraiser in 1920. Veishea co-opted the sale in 1922.

Open houses for the different colleges and departments have been a mainstay over the years, but their numbers have grown.

In the early days, each college would have one display. But as the number of colleges and departments grew, so did the number of open houses.

Veishea has added a few things over the years, and lost some others.

A big-name concert was added in 1961, with the Brothers Four, a folk band, playing the first.

Veishea used to crown a queen each year, the Veishea Queen of Queens. Luminaries such as Cary Grant, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and President Harry Truman have helped select the queen over the years. This event was dropped after 1970.

Rodeos were held in the 1950s and briefly revived in the mid-1970s.

Another tradition that has been dropped over the years was somewhat of an unofficial one. Nancy Colvin Leonard, who was 1955’s Veishea secretary, said, “Veishea would not have been Veishea without somebody sneaking out in the wee hours of the morning to color the lake.” The choice in 1955 was a bright green. Through the years, changes have been brought forth by the students, and this year is no exception.

“We’ve looked to intramural sports for new activities for this year,” Veishea co-chairwoman Jessica Carlson said. “We’re adding ultimate Frisbee, disc golf and Texas Hold ’em poker tournaments this year.”

Another area of emphasis over the last few years has been community involvement. Veishea has expanded its celebration of Iowa State into the Ames and central Iowa communities through various volunteer work.

Veishea is a celebration in constant change. It changes from year to year, but then, so does Iowa State. The changes are what have allowed it to remain vital, alive, and an asset to Iowa State and its students.

As former ISU President Robert Parks said in 1982, “[Veishea] is an excellent overview of what Iowa State has to offer and a tribute to our students — to their ingenuity, their creativity, their enthusiasm and initiative.”

Greg Wilwerding is a senior in pre-journalism and mass communication from Omaha.