DIXFIELD — Over 100 students and parents attended Dirigo Elementary School’s annual open house Thursday night.

The main draw was the community fair in the gymnasium.

Principal Charlie Swan said the fair, which featured between 20 and 25 organizations and programs from the River Valley, has been a staple of the open house for the past three years.

“A few years back, we started looking for ways that we could connect students and their parents to different organizations in the community,” he said. “We saw it as our chance for families to simultaneously get to know their teachers and classmates better and also to sign up for programs in the area.”

The first fair had between 12 and 15 groups signed up.

“Right now, we’re over 20 groups, which is great,” Swan said. “The fair isn’t geared toward business whatsoever. It’s more of an opportunity for families to meet the different organizations in their community. Plus, the open house is probably our most attended parent nights, so it makes sense to hold it now.”

Among the organizations this year were the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America, the River Valley Healthy Communities Coalition, the Dixfield and Peru food pantries, the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office and the Dixfield fire and police departments.

Within 15 minutes of the open house starting, over 100 students and parents had filled the gymnasium, with dozens more wandering the halls to talk to teachers and visit classrooms.

mdaigle@sunjournal.com