RICHMOND — The Edison Local School District will welcome students back to the classroom Aug. 20. To help prepare for their return, district officials are planning to offer an evening of entertainment, while providing some financial relief for parents on these last days of summer.

Edison will hold its annual Back-to-School Rally from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday in the parking lot of the Edison High School Fieldhouse.

The event will include supply giveaways, inflatables, local vendors and a Meet the Team activity.

According to Superintendent Bill Beattie, the rally will have plenty of things for students and families to do.

“There will be school supplies, vendors, food trucks, bounce houses and a visit from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department with their large vehicles,” Beattie said.

He explained the rally has been held for more than a decade, always proving successful and having a large turnout.

The event usually draws between 400 to 500 students and family members every year.

Families will have the opportunity to receive free school supplies and learn about the resources offered by community agencies and organizations.

This year’s vendors will include: The Jefferson County Health Department, Jefferson County Juvenile Task Force, Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, Richmond Methodist Church, Community Action Council, Family Recovery Center, J.B. Green Team, Army Recruiting Center, Navy, Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development, Edison FFA and Edison High School athletic teams, including football, cheer, soccer, swim, volleyball, wrestling and golf.

Screwy Louie’s will be on site offering inflatables for children’s entetainment.

Food trucks will include All-American Burger, Rusty Bull Taco and Groovy Drinks.

Beattie noted the health department, task force and recovery center will offer parents an opportunity to enter a mobile simulation trailer entitled Hidden in Plain Sight.

The virtual tour allows parents to experience various things that could possibly be inside their child’s room — in plain sight — that they had no idea was there, Beattie stated.

The rally will conclude with a Meet the Team activity at 7 p.m., featuring those athletes who participate in fall sports.