Marketers contribute numerous lump sums of money in order to help make Veishea possible every year. This year the Veishea marketing committee collected almost $25,000 from local businesses supporting Veishea activities.

Some of the big name businesses that gave a larger sum of money are Norwest bank, which gave $2,000 for Stars Over Veishea; Ogden Entertainment, which is doing most of the lighting and sound checks for Stars Over Veishea; and We Care Hair, which gave “lots of merchandise that goes to the tournaments for prizes,” said Aimee Lee, marketing committee co-chairwoman.

The committee also received a donation of $750 from Wal-Mart to cover any expenses for Veishea entertainment, tournaments and receptions, Lee said.

The goal set by the committee this year was $10,000, Lee said. Because more businesses contributed this year than last, the goal was exceeded by about $15,000.

This year the account was fattened by about $500 to $1,000 more in cash than last year, Lee said.

“We received all of our donations from Ames area businesses, but we asked some from Ankeny and Des Moines,” Lee said. “They turned us down because they didn’t think they had the connection to Veishea.”

The businesses that do make of the long list of contributing marketers did not go away empty handed. She said they received advertising in the general Veishea program, the Stars Over Veishea program or displays in the parade.

Depending on the size of the donation, packages also include tickets to the Star Over Veishea production, grandstand passes to the parade and commemorative Veishea 1998 posters, according to a press release.

Lee said the top six donators also get their logos flashed on Channel 8 KCCI-TV’s broadcast of the parade.

Aunt Maude’s, Panchero’s and many other businesses also contributed by giving gift certificates. The marketing committee received T-shirts from the Plasma Donation Center and others. They received 30 Beanie Babies from Temptations and a golf club from Golf USA that will be used in the golf tournament, Lee said.

“We got a wide range of great things,” she said.

The committee also started selling Veishea merchandise, like T-shirts, hats and buttons, Monday, said John Hamilton, co-chairman of the Veishea marketing committee.

Hamilton said the committee will be selling merchandise Monday through Friday at the Memorial Union from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., in Maple-Willow-Larch and Towers dining centers and the Friley Depot from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The committee will also be selling their merchandise on central campus and Welch Ave. on Friday and Saturday. “If there is a big event, we’ll be selling merchandise,” Hamilton said.

Although the final donations were put into motion just two weeks ago, Hamilton said the committee started contacting businesses the first week of this semester. He said the deal with Norwest was just finalized by the committee last week.

Each of the 30 marketing committee members contacted “over 50 business,” Hamilton said.