There is a large parking lot at The Pavilion. If this lot is full, please park at the The Oasis center (the old Marion mall) and our school bus shuttles will shuttle attendees every 5 minutes. Please park in the RED images in the attached map. One lot will be beside Target/Pirate Petes and the second lot will be by Dillard's. There will be Back to School Expo PARKING signs in front of the available parking lots. School Busses will be shuttling families from The Oasis to the event center every 10 minutes. So, no worries, you won't have to walk out in the heat!

Yes, students must be present to receive school supplies and backpacks. This policy ensures we are equitable distribution of items.

That is okay! The majority of the activities will be inside the event center. This event will happen rain or shine.

WOW! This event has grown tremendously over the past few years. Our 2023 event had over 4,000 people!

When you arrive, please go to the main doors of The Pavilion. This is where you will have your ticket scanned.

Find any staff wearing a yellow shirt with “Volunteer” on the back. We are here to help you! In the main expo hall, there will be a tent in the middle of the expo hall and this will be our information/help center. Please visit here for help if you cannot find a volunteer.

YES!!! Each ticket emailed to you has a QR code. You will need to present the QR code on each ticket the day of the event to enter. Please have this QR code from registration available when arriving. You can either present the ticket on paper or in a digital format (showing us the email or a screen shot of the QR code).

A LOT! The expo will host: Backpacks School supply kits Medical services Dental screenings Vision screenings Haircuts Train rides Laser Tag Snowcones Clothing consignment shopping area Inflatables Food trucks Resource/vendor tables

Great question! Most events will be in the main expo hall or banquet rooms inside! Train rides, food trucks, Shawnee Health medical, and Wal-Mart Immunizations will be outside. See graphic with all the details!

YES! You will also enter the event at 9am. Those who are NOT pre-registered cannot enter the event until 9:30am. By pre-registering, lines will move quickly. Staff will be scanning tickets for those who have pre-registered. Be sure to save the QR code from registration and have it ready when you arrive! Once scanned, you will head directly inside.

To register visit: REGISTER A STUDENT | Back-to-School Expo (sischoolexpo.com)

You must register before going into the event. If you do not pre-register, you will visit one of our staff at the main doors to be registered. This will delay your time entering the event. Doors will NOT open for those who are not pre-registered for the event until 9:30am.

When registering for the event, it will ask you “Does your child need a school physical/sports physical/immunizations/vaccinations?” If you answer yes, you will automatically be able to sign up for an appointment. **Medical registration became full on July 5, 2024. Registration for medical is now closed.

No! You only need to register kids that are in/going into the new school year.

You may have not completed your registration fully. Please attempt to register again. Make sure when registering that when redirected to checkout and asked “how many adult tickets and how many students tickets” you put the number of adults and number of students in the ticket box who will be attending.. you cannot leave this “0” (see picture below) After this, click “checkout”, you’ll be re-directed to confirm parent/guardian name and email address that you would like to receive tickets, then click “submit and finish”. You’ll then see “your registration for the event is complete” and given an option to download your tickets- this is how you’ll know you successfully completed registration.

YES! All items and activities are FREE! NOTE: There is a voucher system ONLY FOR food trucks and clothing consignment. The first 500 people to visit food trucks will eat for free. After the first 500 people, our food trucks will still be open for paying customers. The first 500 kids to visit the clothing consignment area will be provided an $8 clothing voucher to shop for school clothes. After the first 500 kids, the clothing consignment will still be open for paying customers.

Items are first come, first serve. There are 2,000 backpacks and 2,000 school supply kits to hand out.

This year we are partnering with Back 2 School America. We will be providing school supply boxes that are separated by age (Pre-K – 1, 2 – 5, 6 – 8, 9 – 12 grades).

Haircuts are first come, first serve.

Eye exams are first come, first serve.

Dental exams are first come, first serve.

We will have mobile units in the parking lot. If you have a doctor's appointment, go directly to the “mobile unit” line. From there, we will scan your barcode from pre-registering, and you will wait in this line specifically for your medical appointment. After your medical appointment, you will immediately go inside the expo hall.

YES! We have some REALLY yummy food trucks that will be at this event. The first 500 families to visit the food trucks will eat for free!

Great question! Most events will be in the main expo hall or banquet rooms inside! Train rides, food trucks, Shawnee Health medical, and Wal-Mart Immunizations will be outside. See graphic with all the details!