SALINEVILLE – The Southern Local School District is changing up festivities, for now, with a spring open house set for March 31.

The event runs from 4 to 6 p.m. and will be held in lieu of the annual District Showcase, which has been a successful attraction each year. Southern Local Elementary Principal Emily Smith, who is organizing the open house, said this year’s fete will be more school-centric.

“Instead of the district showcase, we are going back to the old ways of showcasing the students’ work,” she explained. “The Touchdown Club will still hold its spaghetti dinner fundraiser and the elementary PTO and Little Indians will have tables, plus we’ve invited high school clubs and organizations to participate.”

The various groups may hold fundraisers or share information with attendants, while each grade is creating a raffle basket and proceeds will benefit a local family in need. Students and their families have the chance to peruse the building and view classrooms and displays, meet teachers and staff, and learn about all of the exciting happenings throughout the school year.

Smith said the scaled-down activity will not include community vendors that have been part of the district showcase, but they will appear at the annual Back-to-School Bash to kick off the new school year in August. In the meantime, she is looking forward to a good turnout.

“We have had 300 to 400 people [at the district showcase],” she continued, saying she hoped for another successful event.

The spring open house is also a lead-in to the district’s spring break on April 1-7 for the Easter holiday.