The first day of school, Aug. 14, is about a month away.

With that in mind, parents, students and teachers are preparing every way they can with Back-to-School events such as open houses around the district, special discounts from businesses and more.

Readifest is one way parents and students can get back-to-school items for free, or close to it.

The annual Readifest will begin at 7 p.m. July 26 at the Winchester-Clark County Bluegrass Community and Technical College campus. Admission is free.

The community donates items to help students start the new school year. There will be school supplies including free backpacks, vendor booths, inflatables, food and more. Attendees can stick around for Moonlight Movies which will feature “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.”

For more information, contact Eva Miller, a Family Resource Center coordinator at Justice Elementary School, at eva.miller@clark.kyschools.us

The Clark County Family Resource Centers and Youth Services Centers of Clark County Public Schools, with support from Bluegrass Community and Technical College, Winchester and Clark County agencies, businesses, churches and residents, sponsor the event, according to a news release.

Winchester’s College for Technical Education’s Cosmetology Program is offering its fifth annual Cut-A-Thon from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 5-6. CTE will provide free haircuts for all school-aged children. CTE is located on Bypass Road, next to Walgreens.

Megan Pratt, Winchester campus administrator at CTE, said the service is available to any school-aged student, all the way up to 12th grade. Pratt said the event also benefits CTE students as it is more on-the-job training.

Pratt said the annual event is one way CTE tries to help people in the community who may not be able to afford a haircut, or it’s just one less thing parents have to worry about paying for, as back-to-school typically means many other purchases.

“We always try to be a part of the Winchester community and help in any way we can,” Pratt said.