Many students look forward to the parties and campus crowds of Veishea weekend, but they don’t have to wait until Friday for the fun to begin.

“Special events took a lot of time and hard work to choose the events we were going to do, but once we chose the events, everything fell into place,” said Amy Parsons, Veishea special events co-chairwoman and a senior in psychology.

The first event was held yesterday, to the delight of hungry students on campus. The Veishea Ice Cream Social was a successful start to the week of events. Students were treated to free ice cream floats and sundaes south of Parks Library during the early afternoon hours.

The Veishea Barbecue will be Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. south of the Campanile.

The event is sponsored by Hy-Vee, Drug Town and Save U More. KCCQ-FM will have a live broadcast at the event.

Veishea entertainment co-chairman Ben Dohrmann, a junior in agricultural business, said that for $3 per plate, students can have a barbecued pork sandwich, baked beans, chips and soda pop.

The barbecue is a unique idea this year and Dohrmann said it should serve as “a nice break from the food court.”

Organizers said the barbecue will have a unique twist. Representatives from each of the university’s various colleges will compete in a burger cook-off. Students will be able to vote on the best burger, said Paul Whitson, a junior in chemical engineering working on the event.

If the barbecue gets rained out, it will be rescheduled for Thursday during the “Show your Spirit” event. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, south of the Campanile, students will receive free food if they wear Iowa State apparel or wear or purchase official 1997 Veishea apparel.

Dohrmann also said free coupons to local businesses, including Dairy Queen, will be handed out at the event.

The special events are open to all students.

“The main intent [of special events] is to have a few days during Veishea to give back to the students directly. We want to make that free or as cheap as possible,” said special events co-chairwoman Kate Kjergaard, a freshman in public relations.