The opening ceremony speaker and main comedian for Veishea have been announced.

Veishea’s featured comedian for Dew the Rec -is Jay Mohr, who has appeared in movies such as “Pay It Forward,” “Go” and “Jerry Maguire.” Mohr’s performance will be April 20.

“I think he’s going to have a good appeal to students,” said Quinn Showalter, Veishea entertainment committee co-chairman. “He has a show coming out in the beginning of April on the Fox Sports Network.”

Showalter said Mohr’s agent told him Mohr has been following the Cael Sanderson story closely.

“He’s a huge fan of Sanderson,” said Showalter, senior in agricultural studies. “I know that he’s probably going to be mentioned in his act, or at least talked about.”

“He’s excited about coming because he was a wrestler in high school and knew of Iowa State because of watching Cael,” said B.J. Fuhrman, Veishea entertainment committee co-chairman.

Mohr has been known to walk around campus before his act to get a feel for the students, Showalter said.

“Part of the reason we want him here is because he does research as much about the college as possible,” Showalter said.

The opening act has not yet been decided, said Fuhrman, senior in agricultural studies. A smaller-name act usually performs for an hour before the main act.

Fuhrman said if students are reminded of Mohr’s acting and stand-up experience, the response will be positive.

“We expect a pretty good reaction,” Fuhrman said.

Last year, Veishea invited Wayne Brady for Dew the Rec, the annual Veishea event featuring a comedian.

“I think if students give [Mohr] a chance he’s going to be really good and really funny,” Showalter said. “I don’t think Jay’s name is quite as popular as what Wayne’s was, but I expect a good show.”

Veishea’s opening ceremony April 19 will feature speaker Randall Wreghitt, an ISU alumnus of the Greenlee School of Journalism. Wreghitt is the head of Iowa Boy Productions and Pro-Marketing and produces Broadway shows in New York City.

His speech will tie to the Veishea theme of celebrating student success.

“He has his dream job after attending ISU. He was very involved in ISU and Veishea when he was here,” said Alyssa Armbrecht, Veishea special events co-chairwoman. “He’ll probably talk about how his time at ISU led him to be where he is today.”