Veishea has been a dry event since I’ve been at Iowa State, but I’ve heard stories of riots and wild parties. I was under the impression Veishea was an excuse to party for an entire weekend — disguised with some events on campus sponsored by various student organizations and academic colleges.

I hadn’t ventured to check out most of the Veishea events — until this year.

Covering Veishea for the Daily, I got a crash course in the workings of the celebration. For instance, Veishea was created to celebrate all the colleges. Each college originally had its own celebration, on different days, causing students to miss too many days of classes.

And did you know Veishea was almost abolished one year by the core committee of staff and faculty members? It was reinstated a week later after huge protests by the students, alumni and community.

Friday’s beautiful weather was a great excuse to meet up with a friend and lay out on Central Campus to watch the opening ceremonies.

Maybe it was the free food, or the chance to see Cael Sanderson, but the chairs assembled on the lawn in front of the Campanile were filled and many students stretched out on the grass.

Opening ceremonies included remarks by the Veishea co-chairs, Cory Bailey and Kerryann Mehmen, and ISU President Gregory Geoffroy. Featured speakers included self-proclaimed ISU superfan “Wild” Bill Yungclas, who took the stage in his bright yellow coat and red pants to share several stories of Veishea’s past. The ceremony ended with the Veishea Voyage torch runners taking the stage to light the Veishea torch in Olympic fashion.

Instead of heading to class, I wanted to enjoy the sunshine and see what else Veishea had to offer. From Kildee to Gilman halls, student organizations set up food stands, filling the air with the summertime smells of barbecue.

Friday night’s highlight was watching Jim Breuer and Bobby Lee “Dew the Rec.” This was the one Veishea event I have attended during my time at Iowa State, enjoying Wayne Brady and Jay Mohr in the past.

This year I was surprised to find the opening comedian was an ISU student and the winner of the Veishea student comedy show.

Lee, the lesser known of the two headlining comedians, was a great surprise. Breuer wasn’t a disappointment either, bringing his infamous “Goatboy” to life.

Saturday’s Veishea parade was a chance for the kid in us to come to life as we ‘oohed’ and ‘ahhed’ over the floats and jealously watched the kids lining the edge of the street pick up candy.

I was a little disappointed that the skydiving machine that the Veishea committee had been so excited about was absent.

True, the partying is a major focus and attraction for some — that will never change. But this weekend I got to see a true celebration of all aspects of Veishea and the Iowa State tradition.