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In 1923 came the predecessor of what is now Stars Over VEISHEA (SOV), minus the stars. Not until 1940 was the musical produced on an outdoor stage. The VEISHEA night show featured music and dancing by the students. The final song had a chamber of commerce-like title; "I'd rather be in Ames."
Traditionally, in the childhood days of VEISHEA, there was the moving-up ceremony, which is absent in the recent celebrations. The ceremony was a mock graduation during which every class graduated to the next grade. The most spectacular part of this opening ceremony was the burning of the freshmen beanies. Freshmen burned their red caps in a bonfire to signify that they were about to become sophomores in what was called a "moving up ceremony".
A carnival highlighted the second VEISHEA and was held in the field behind the State Gym. Students from the military department rode horses and performed stunts, fortune tellers told students their future and there was a raffle of miniature campaniles.
During the 1930s, the VEISHEA Memorial Fountain was presented to Dr. Charles Friley in 1937 and in the following year, the Queen of VEISHEA, as chosen by the colleges, crossed Lake LaVerne in a gondola.
In 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked and so was VEISHEA. The VEISHEA committee voted to abolish the celebration, due to student apathy and the tendency of students to go home for the weekends. Less than a week later, the motion was withdrawn.
In the 1950s, President Harry Truman lit the first torch in Ottumwa, which was carried by 127 runners who represented 25 campus organizations to Des Moines. From there, four ISU students and a mule named Frances carried it the remaining 33 miles to Ames. Also, in 1958, actor Ronald Reagan was a guest speaker and the grand marshal of VEISHEA.
In 1963, famous composer and writer Meredith Wilson was in attendance for the Stars Over VEISHEA presentation, "The Music Man". That same year, Vice President Lyndon Johnson lit the VEISHEA torch.
