Speeches from noted Iowa figures, dances from a local Native American tribe and displays from a number of Iowa counties will ignite the Veishea Iowa Sesquicentennial Celebration this weekend.

The festivities, which have been officially endorsed by the Iowa Sesquicentennial Commission, aim to celebrate Iowa’s rich history, said Mark Lee, Veishea general co-chair.

The event will begin Saturday at 10:30 a.m. south of the Campanile.

Veishea’s theme this year, “Continuing Iowa’s Heritage,” ties directly into the state’s 150th birthday and this weekend’s celebration.

“ISU is one of the nation’s top agricultural schools,” Lee said. “We have strong ties to industry and Iowa’s heritage. We want to celebrate with the Iowa Sesquicentennial Commission by representing the many different aspects of Iowa’s cultural history.”

The Veishea committee has invited senators and legislative representatives from across the state to attend the events. Lee said he expects that all the activities will be well-attended.

Former Gov. Robert Ray, chairman of the Iowa Sesquicentennial Commission, will be the keynote speaker at the celebration Saturday morning.

Shellee Novotny, Veishea general co-chair, said Ray will most likely be speaking about “different highlights from Iowa’s history, and possibly their connection to ISU.”

The additional Sesquicentennial Celebration speaker will be Ray Young Bear, noted author/poet and member of the Meskwaki Tribal Settlement, located near the rural community of Tama in central Iowa.

Young Bear will also be the grand marshal for the Veishea 1996 parade, which will begin Saturday at noon on the ISU campus.

According to Lee, Young Bear will be participating in a flag-raising ceremony and a veteran’s song.

Young Bear was invited to the celebration for his direct relation to Iowa’s heritage, Lee said.

“Young Bear has written a number of books, all of which [have] to do with Iowa,” Lee said. “The books also tie in with Native Americans, who of course were the first people in Iowa. We are very excited to have him.”

Following Young Bear’s speech, there will be a performance by the Meskwaki Production Company entitled, “Meskwaki on Stage.”

The dances and songs that will be performed represent the history of the Meskwaki Tribe from the time of creation to the past, the present, and onto the future.

“‘Meskwaki on Stage’ has been to ISU before,” said Lee. “And they are very, very good.”

The final Sesquicentennial event will be the 150th Year Boulevard, which will be set up along Union Drive, north of Lake Laverne.

The Boulevard will feature displays from the different counties which will each showcase that county’s contribution to the state and how it is celebrating Iowa’s 150th birthday.

Veishea, the only event other than the Iowa State Fair to invite all 99 of Iowa’s counties to participate in one celebration, expects about a third of the counties to participate in the festivity.

“We invited every county in the state,” said Lee. “But because some counties are just getting underway in their Sesquicentennial celebration plans, not all will be able to attend.”

Also featured in the boulevard will be the “Iowa Voyager,” a traveling museum which has been pulled by bicycle across the nation.

The Voyager, which Lee describes as a 65-foot long trailer which celebrates Iowa’s heritage, can be found on the Boulevard, in addition to the displays, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.