Students in the College of Agriculture have an opportunity today to enjoy a free picnic lunch.

The “Countdown to Veishea” barbecue, sponsored by the Sigma Alpha professional agriculture sorority, will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today on central campus in front of Curtiss Hall.

The barbecue is free to all students, faculty and staff in the college and is only open to those people, said Kim Lynch, co-chairwoman of the event and graduating senior in public service and administration in agriculture. She said all those attending should bring their fee cards.

The Story County and Dallas County Cattlemen’s Association and the Story County Pork Producers will be grilling hamburgers and pork burgers, and the organizations are also donating the meat, Lynch said.

Thanks to other donors, including Hy-Vee, Wells Blue Bunny and Fareway, chips and ice cream will also be a part of the meal, she said.

This is the second year Sigma Alpha has organized the barbecue, and Lynch said the sorority’s sponsorship has boosted attendance from about 400 in the past to almost 1,400 last year.

“This year, we have enough stuff to feed 1,500 people,” she said. “We took it over as our Veishea activity, and it’s gone really well for us.”

Also taking place tomorrow on central campus are a pie-throwing contest, a pie auction and the Ag Olympics.

The two pie events are sponsored by Alpha Zeta honorary fraternity in the College of Agriculture, said Carmen Stoner, sophomore in agricultural business and animal science

The pie-throwing contest will start at 11 a.m. and will feature women’s basketball coach Bill Fennelly and hockey coach Al Murdoch, along with faculty from the college, Stoner said. The pie auction will follow at noon with 10 pies being sold.

Also scheduled at noon are the Ag Olympics, which will pit the College of Agriculture against the College of Business.