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VEISHEA has matured, without losing its glamour. The celebration has grown into a showcase of excellence at Iowa State with VEISHEA Village, exciting entertainment events, Taste of VEISHEA, and a variety of family and community events.
Moving into the 80's, VEISHEA continued its growth. But in 1988, the first of three VEISHEA riots rocked the campus. Another riot in 1992 threatened the future of VEISHEA in the eyes of alumni and parents. In an effort to control crowds and provide more entertainment for people attending VEISHEA, a Taste of VEISHEA was created in 1993. This celebration of food vendors and games has been successful ever since. VEISHEA 1998, "A Time for Change", marked a pivotal moment in history with the first ever alcohol-free celebration. In 2004, another riot broke out in Campustown, the business district across from Campus. When ISU President Geoffrey suspended the celebration for 2005, a new committee formed out of VEISHEA: Leaders INspiring Connections (LINC). LINC put on some of the events put on by VEISHEA, as well as some new events with a new emphasis on community service. One of these events was Operation Playground - the biggest contribution to the Ames community by Iowa State students in history. On April 16, 2005, over 500 volunteers helped build three brand-new playgrounds in Ames parks - it was a tremendous success.
Because of the support from students, faculty, administration officials, city officials, and the community, VEISHEA was reinstated for 2006. This new beginning brought many changes to VEISHEA - three stages of a diverse mix of simultaneous music being one of the newest changes. Taste of VEISHEA was moved on campus. Thousands of students came to campus to "Celebrate Iowa State," the 2006 theme.
In 2007, Iowa State kicked off its 150th birthday celebration at VEISHEA, April 16-22. The tradition will continue for many years to come.
