Every year, hundreds of people dedicate thousands of hours to turn campus into a pathway for moving carnivals, playgrounds and forests in the Veishea parade.

The traditional float category has been a part of the Veishea celebration for at least 80 years, said Jenae Newlin, traditional float co-chairwoman. Greek chapters have traditionally made these floats, until last year when the Richardson Court Association residence halls became a part of the float making.

This year five traditional floats will make their way through campus for the Veishea parade. The five groups will be competing for an overall trophy and awards in either a medium or large float division based on dimension and cost.

Fraternities started the float planning in November by serenading sororities, said Newlin, junior in advertising. When a sorority accepts an invitation, the chapters involved in each float team brainstorm to come up with a float design, which is then screened by the traditional float committee.

Groups must find sponsors to fund and donate supplies for the floats throughout the year.

At the beginning of the second semester barns are built by the fraternity houses to start assembling the float. The floats are normally built on a bus chassis that is used year after year by the fraternity.

Beta Theta Pi, winner of last year’s people’s choice award, paired with Gamma Phi Beta, winner of last year’s overall trophy, to make their float, “Celebrating Student Success.”

Beta Theta Pi Veishea co-chairman Kyle Flander said his group has more than 125 people working on their float. They raised enough money to fund it, which will cost slightly less than $7,000 by the time the project is finished.

“We really have a fun time working together, hanging out and meeting new people,” said Flander, senior in industrial technology. “It gives us something to be proud of. It’s just a lot of fun to see the kids smile and get excited about it at the parade.”

Phi Delta Theta, Alpha Delta Pi and RCA had more than 200 students working on a float. Phi Delta Theta Veishea co-chairman Dan Fox said his group, which placed second in the medium division last year, will be in the same division this year with a forest themed float.

Fox, sophomore in elementary education, said his chapter enjoyed working with RCA for the first time last year and asked to be grouped with them again this year.

“It increases the number of ideas and the number of workers we have,” he said. “I also think working with the dorms helps improve a better understanding of greeks and non-greeks by working together.”

Delta Tau Delta teamed up with Kappa Delta and Sigma Kappa to build a float themed “Making Dreams Happen.”

Dustin Rasmus, Delta Tau Delta Veishea co-chairman, said his group has been working since the beginning of February and will have spent thousands of hours on the float by parade time.

“There is always someone out in the barn working on it. We love to do it,” said Rasmus, senior in transportation and logistics. “It gives us a real sense of pride to commit so many hours to a project and walk it through the parade.”

Delta Sigma Psi and Delta Tau Delta are creating a float around their theme “Success in School Starts in the Family,” said Andy Hefte, Delta Sigma Psi Veishea co-chairman.

Making the float is one of the main things members pride themselves on, said Hefte, junior in mathematics. His group won first place in the medium division and the overall trophy last year. They were back-to-back overall winners in 2000 and 2001 and won five times in the 1990s.

Like last year, Delta Sigma Psi will also work with the Boys and Girls Club of Ames to decorate the float.

“It was really fun last year to have the kids help us,” Hefte said. “The kids all wore matching shirts and carried their own banners right behind us.”

“In our house, building the float is just huge,” Hefte said. “The last week all you do is dream about Veishea and how the float will work and how it’s going to get done.”

Most house members spend three or four hours a day in class and are in the barn the rest of the day, he said.

“Some of us only get a few hours of sleep a night that last week,” Hefte said. “It’s just crazy, we do all of this for pride and a $50 trophy.”

Students that contribute the most work get to ride underneath the float on a platform and make the float’s motions by pulling on wires. Six people have the honor of walking beside the float during the parade.

“It is the best feeling to walk in a suit beside your float and see the smiles on kids faces,” Hefte said.

“It’s all totally worth it.”